Posted on 05/07/2020 8:02:28 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A man has died at a farm where his family had set up a business making soap from buffalo milk
A father who was raising water buffaloes to make soap from their milk was killed by one of the animals.
Ralph Jump, 57, was crushed to death in the incident, which happened at a farm in Gwehelog, near Usk, in Monmouthshire at about 2.50pm on Tuesday.
His 19-year-old son Peter sustained critical injuries during the incident, and was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, for treatment by the Welsh Air Ambulance.
Mr Jump's 22-year-old daughter Isabel, who was also involved in the family business selling hand-wrapped bars of the scented soap, is also thought to have been injured when the giant animal rampaged at their village farm.
It is thought the buffalo escaped its pen and attacked Mr Jump as he attempted to get it back in.
Dad-of-three Mr Jump, also known as Jon, was the managing director of a company supplying heating equipment and ran the three-acre farm on rented land with his two children as a sideline.
Emergency services were called to an incident at a commercial property (Image: WalesOnline) Val Smith, a county councillor, said: “It’s a lovely quiet area, lots of smallholdings and small farms. This is a dreadful thing to happen. My sympathies to all involved.”
The buffalo milk soap was sold through a business called The Bufalina Soap Company.
On its website, the company says: “We make our soap with the milk from our herd of Mediterranean water buffalo.
"Around the world this buffalo breed is famous for its dairy products such as mozzarella, gelato and ice cream. The richness of the milk makes it ideal for making a creamy, luxurious and gentle soap which leaves the skin feeling soft and moisturised.”
A neighbouring farmer said: "Jon approached us last year about buying some hay for his buffalo.
"We asked him what he was doing and he said he was trying to diversify the farm.
"I think he had about a dozen buffalo at the farm and had bred a couple of calves over the past year or so."
A friend said: "Jon spent all his life in a shirt and tie but loved pulling on his wellies to get stuck in at the farm. He was as happy as anything there."
The Jump family rented the farmland from the Pontypool Park Estate. A spokesman said: "It is a terrible tragedy and we feel for them.
"The Jumps are very nice people and we feel desperately sorry for them."
The family moved to the farm called Upper Berthllwyd about six years ago before introducing the buffaloes over the last few years.
On its website, the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales said the animals usually posed no risk to humans.
“Given their size, water buffalo are generally intelligent, docile creatures, who respond well to gentle handling,” it said.
Guess that they never heard of Holsteins or Jerseys.
Cold hands?
That bull’s “milk teat,” wasn’t.
They all would have been OK if they had been wearing life vests.
All kidding aside this is sad.
I’ve always heard these creatures aren’t aggressive.
Buffalo milk has twice as much fat as cows milk. And in making soap the fat is what you are looking for.
Tyler Durden used liposuction fat to make soap to sell back to those same fat, rich ladies...
Any large animal has way more then enough power to kill you.
One of the life lessons learn on then farm they are or can be dangerous.
Hopefully fiction?
A little too much WWIIish for me.
Yikes. RIP.
Fight Club
After realizing these weren’t African type water buffalo, the only thing I noticed was the part where he “ran his kids as an aside”. What exactly does that mean?
A little late to the game but...a dozen buffalo on a 3-acre farm? Is that feasible? I don’t know anything about this kind of stock but it seems overcrowded...
“He should have used lions.”
Cape buffalo would give more milk.
LMAO! The bull was simply overly-amorous, and likes it rough!
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