AN INFLUX of Pokémon hunters could be riling cattle in a Kennington field.
People in the village took to social media to warn walkers about the cows in a field by the river after one woman claimed she was chased by a herd.
Ryan Shadbolt, landlord of The Tandem pub next to the field, said the beasts’ behaviour may be a result of mobile phone game sensation Pokémon Go users flocking to a Pokémon 'gym' in the area.
The group of about 20 cows have been in the field – which has a public footpath called Cow Lane running through it – for years with little complaint.
But concerns were raised in the past week when a woman from the area took to Facebook to say she had been chased out of the field by the cattle.
Lauren Thomas, from Abingdon, said: "Just been chased out of the first field over Tandem bridge by a herd of cows. Watch out people."
Mr Shadbolt said that, while he had experienced no issues with the cows himself, a nearby Pokémon gym may be drawing users of the Pokémon Go app into the field and irritating the herd.
He said: "I’ve been through the field several times recently and haven’t had a problem, and I’ve walked so close to the cows I could have reached out and touched them.
"From talking to people and looking on Facebook it seems there’s been a sudden influx of people going to the field because there’s a Pokémon gym down there.
"The cows do get protective, and it could be that young people are playing the game and getting distracted."
Pokémon Go is a free-to-play game developed by Niantic for smartphones. It encourages players to explore the real world, finding and capturing a wide-range of creatures only visible through their phones.
Gyms, within the Pokémon-world, are where Pokémon fight it out in one-on-one battles.
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