A Bay motorcyclist has suffered serious injuries after crashing into a bull.
The Waihi man was the second person from the town to be badly hurt in a freak animal accident this week.
Tauranga-based Trustpower TECT Rescue helicopter pilot Liam Brettkelly said it was unusual to attend two freak animal accidents in such a short space of time.
"They do happen a bit but we haven't seen this many for a long time."
On Monday, a 73-year-old woman also suffered serious injuries when she was thrown from her horse-drawn cart and kicked in the stomach by the horse. It was understood she had been discharged from Waikato Hospital.
The 44-year-old man had just finished a night shift at a factory west of Te Aroha yesterday when the collision happened on a rural road nearby.
The man suffered injuries to his chest, shoulder and arm and was flown to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.
Last night, he was in a stable condition.
Mr Brettkelly said the helicopter was dispatched just before 6am and it was still dark at the time.
The bull had been standing in the middle of the road, he said.
The highway, west of Te Aroha, was shut down to allow the helicopter to land and pick up the man, who was being treated by paramedics.
The bull received what appeared to be minor grazes to its shoulder and face, according to a local farmer, Mr Brettkelly said.
The rescue helicopter was used due to the nature of the patient's injuries and distance to hospital.
In the Bay of Plenty police district, animals featured in 1019 reports of traffic events in the last financial year.
Bay of Plenty district road policing manager Inspector Kevin Taylor said many *555 calls were about animals loose on the road.
Animals on the road created a high risk and police took reports seriously. However, often the matter would be resolved and the stock back in the paddock when police arrived, he said.
Police encouraged members of the public to come forward and report driving incidents, including road hazards, wandering stock, traffic offending and unauthorised street racing.