Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision^[1]) is the killing and then mutilation of cattle, under unusual or anomalous circumstances. Sheep and horses have been allegedly mutilated under similar circumstances. Mutilation or maiming is an act or physical injury that degrades the appearance or function of the (human) body, usually causing death. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...

Advocates of investigation into mutilation assert it is a genuine practice; skeptics, on the other hand, posit that the "mutilations" are misrepresented natural processes.

Since the time that reports of animal mutilations began, the causes have been attributed variously to natural decomposition, normal predators, cryptid predators, extraterrestrials, secretive governmental or military agencies, and cults. Cryptozoology (from Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós, hidden; ζῷον, zôon, animal; and λόγος, logos, knowledge or study – zoology) is the search for animals hypothesized to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. ... Extraterrestrial life refers to forms of life that may exist and originate outside of the planet Earth. ...

Mutilations have been the subject of two independent federal investigations. In 1975, Colorado Governor Richard Lamm said cattle mutilation was "one of the greatest outrages in the history of western cattle industry."^[2] The Governor of Colorado is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Colorado. ... Richard Douglas Dick Lamm (born August 3, 1935 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American politician and lawyer. ...

History

Reports of mutilated cattle first surfaced in the US in the early 1960s, when it was allegedly largely confined to the states of Pennsylvania and Kansas. ^{[citation needed]} The phenomena remained largely unknown outside cattle raising communities until 1967, when the Pueblo Chieftain in Pueblo, Colorado published a story about a horse named Lady who was mutilated in mysterious circumstances, which was then picked up by the wider press and distributed nationwide.^{[citation needed]} Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English[2] Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq mi (213,096 km²)  - Width 211 miles (340 km)  - Length 417 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... The Pueblo Chieftain is an American daily newspaper published in Pueblo, Colorado. ... The City of Pueblo (IPA: //) is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat of Pueblo County, Colorado, USA. Pueblo is situated at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek. ...

By the mid 1970s, mutilated cattle were reported in 15 states, from Montana and South Dakota in the north, to New Mexico and Texas in the south.^{[citation needed]} Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,116[1] sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Largest metro area Albuquerque metropolitan area Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

Democratic senator Floyd K. Haskell contacted the FBI asking for help in 1975 due to public concern regarding the issue. He claimed there had been 130 mutilations in Colorado alone.^[3] According to an internal memo^[4] between the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI field office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Director of the FBI, there had been an estimated 8,000 mutilations (including horse mutilations) in the U.S. by 1979, at a cost of $1,000,000 (unadjusted) to farmers and ranchers. Around the year 2002 there were some cases reported in Argentina. After some reports that the FBI would handle it, the agency issued a letter to Senator Curtis dated 10 Sep 1974 indicating that they could find no federal law had been violated. Floyd Kirk Haskell was a Senator from Colorado; born in Morristown, New Jersey, February 7, 1916; graduated, Harvard University 1937; graduated, Harvard Law School 1941; admitted to the New York and Colorado bars in 1946 and commenced practice in Denver, Colorado. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... “Albuquerque” redirects here. ...

Characteristics

Physical characteristics

Although the exact nature of mutilations varies from case to case, a typical mutilation might involve any or all of the following:

• The removal of eyes, udders and sexual organs
• The removal of the anus to a depth of around 12 inches
• The removal of the tongue and/or lips
• The removal of one ear
• The stripping of hide and flesh from the jaw and the area directly beneath the ear
• The removal of soft organs from the lower body
• The presence of incisions and cuts across the body that appear to have been made by a surgical instrument
• Unexplained damage to remaining organs, but no sign of damage to the surrounding area
• A lack of predation signs (including teethmarks, tearing of the skin or flesh, or animal footprints) on or around the carcass.
• Lack of scavenging
• Frequently loosening of the bowels

In most cases mutilation wounds appear to be clean, and carried out surgically. Mutilated animals are usually, though not always^[5] reported to have been drained of blood, and have no sign of blood in the immediate area or around their wounds. A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... This article is about the bodily orifice. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Look up hide in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Scavenging consists of pushing the exhausted gas-charge out of the cylinder, and drawing in a fresh draught of air ready for the next cycle. ...

According to sample FBI records from 1975, mutilations of the eye occurred in 14 percent of cases, mutilation of the tongue in 33 percent of cases, mutilation of the genitals in 74 percent of cases, and mutilation of the rectum in 48 percent of cases. According to a later survey taken by the NIDS mutilation of the eye occurred in 58 percent of cases, mutilation of the tongue in 22 percent of cases, the genitals in 85 percent of cases, and the rectum in 76 percent of cases. A network intrusion detection system (NIDS) is a system that tries to detect malicious activity such as denial of service attacks, port-scans or even attempts to crack into computers by monitoring network traffic. ...

According to Dr. Howard Burgess, nearly 90 percent of mutilated cattle are between four and five years old.^[6]

Some mutilations are said to occur in very brief periods. A 2002 NIDS report^[7] relates a 1997 case from Utah. Two ranchers tagged a specific calf, then continued tagging other animals in the same pasture. The ranchers were, at the most, about 300 yards from the calf. Less than an hour later, the first calf was discovered completely eviscerated -- most muscle and all internal organs were missing. There was no blood, entrails, or apparent disturbance at the scene. Independent analysts both uncovered marks on the calf's remains consistent with two different types of tools: a large, machete-type blade, and smaller, more delicate scissors. This does not cite its references or sources. ... Different types of scissors - sewing, kitchen, paper Scissors are a tool used for cutting thin material which requires little force. ...

Laboratory reports

Laboratory reports carried out on some mutilated animals have shown unusually high or low levels of vitamins or minerals in tissue samples, and the presence of chemicals not normally found in animals. However, not all mutilated animals display these anomalies, and those that do have slightly different anomalies from one another. On account of the time between death and necropsy, and a lack of background information on specific cattle, investigators have often found it impossible to determine if these variations are connected to the animals' deaths or not.^[8]

In one case documented by New Mexico police and the FBI,^[8] an 11 month old cross Hereford-Charolais bull, belonging to a Mr. Manuel Gomez of Dulce, New Mexico, was found mutilated on March 24, 1978. It displayed 'classic' mutilation signs, including the removal of the rectum and sex organs with what appeared to be “a sharp and precise instrument” and its internal organs were found to be inconsistent with a normal case of death followed by predation. Dulce (pronounced or occasionally ) is a census-designated place located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

“Both the liver and the heart were white and mushy. Both organs had the texture and consistency of peanut butter”

Gabriel L Veldez, New Mexico Police

The animal's heart as well as bone and muscle samples were sent to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, part of the University of California, for microscopic and bacteriological studies, while sample from the animal's liver were sent to two separate private laboratories. Berkeley Davis Irvine Los Angeles Merced San Diego Santa Barbara Santa Cruz UC Office of the President in Oakland The University of California (UC) is a public university system in the state of California. ...

Los Alamos detected the presence of naturally occurring Clostridium bacteria in the heart, but was unable to reach any conclusions because of the possibility that the bacteria represented postmortem contamination. They did not directly investigate the heart's unusual color or texture.^[8] Species Clostridium acetobutylicum Clostridium aerotolerans Clostridium botulinum Clostridium colicanis Clostridium difficile Clostridium formicaceticum Clostridium novyi Clostridium perfringens Clostridium sordelli Clostridium tetani Clostridium piliforme Clostridium tyrobutyricum etc. ...

Samples from the animal's liver were found to be completely devoid of copper and to contain 4 times the normal level of zinc, potassium and phosphorus. The scientists performing the analysis were unable to explain these anomalies.^[8] For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... General Name, symbol, number potassium, K, 19 Chemical series alkali metals Group, period, block 1, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 39. ... General Name, symbol, number phosphorus, P, 15 Chemical series nonmetals Group, period, block 15, 3, p Appearance waxy white/ red/ black/ colorless Standard atomic weight 30. ...

Blood samples taken at the scene were reported to be "light pink in color" and “Did not clot after several days” while the animal's hide was found to be unusually brittle for a fresh death (the animal was estimated to have been dead for 5 hours) and the flesh underneath was found to be discolored.^[8]

None of the laboratories were able to report any firm conclusions on the cause of the blood or tissue damage. At the time, it was suggested that a burst of radiation may have been used to kill the animal, blowing apart its red blood cells in the process. This hypothesis was later discarded as subsequent reports from the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory later confirmed the presence of anti-coagulants in samples^[8] taken from other cows mutilated in the region.

Other signs

In addition to the physical aspects of the mutilation, ranchers commonly claim to find unusual signs upon or after the discovery of a mutilated animal.

• Unusual restlessness among surviving animals
• Refusal of predators and scavengers to feed on the mutilated carcass
• Strange marks or 'post holes' on the ground around the mutilated animal
• Unusual odors. Commonly described as being medicinal or surgical in nature.

Conventional explanations

As with most disputed phenomena, there are a number of potential explanations to cattle mutilations, ranging from death by natural causes to purposeful acts by unknown individuals.

U.S. governmental explanation

After coming under increasing public pressure, Federal authorities launched a comprehensive investigation of the mutilation phenomena.^[4] In May 1979, the case was passed on to the FBI, which granted jurisdiction under Title 18 (codes 1152 and 1153). The investigation was dubbed "Operation Animal Mutilation". The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ...

The investigation was funded by a US$44,170 grant from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, and was headed by FBI agent Kenneth Rommel. It had five key objectives: The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) was a U.S. federal agency within the U.S. Dept. ...

1. To determine the reliability of the information on which the grant was based, which entailed gathering as much information as possible about the cases reported in New Mexico prior to May 1979
2. To determine the cause of as many mutilations as possible, especially those reported in New Mexico
3. To determine if livestock mutilations as described constitute a major law enforcement problem
4. If these mutilations do constitute a major law enforcement problem, to determine the scope of the problem and to offer recommendations on how to deal with it
5. If it is shown that the mutilation phenomenon is not a law enforcement problem, to recommend that no further law enforcement investigations be funded.

Rommel's final report was 297 pages long and cost approximately US$45,000. It concluded that mutilations were predominantly the result of natural predation, but that some contained anomalies that could not be accounted for by conventional wisdom. The FBI was unable to identify any individuals responsible for the mutilations.

Details of the investigation are now available under the Freedom of Information Act.^[4] Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ...

Prior to the involvement of the FBI, the ATF launched their own investigation^[9] of the phenomena. It concluded further investigation was necessary, but was unable to determine what was behind the phenomena. The scope of the ATF investigation was limited to a single suspected cause.^{[citation needed]} ATF Seal The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF, sometimes BATF or BATFE) is a United States federal agency; more specifically a specialized law enforcement and regulatory organization within the United States Department of Justice. ...

Both federal investigations were preceded (and followed, to some extent) by a state level investigation carried out by enforcements officials in New Mexico. This investigation reported finding evidence that some mutilated animals had been tranquilized and treated with an anti-coagulant prior to their mutilation^[8] (page 13). It also contended that alleged surgical techniques performed during mutilations had become 'more professional' over time^[8] (page 13). However, officers in charge were unable to determine responsibility or motive.

The ATF investigation was headed by ATF Agent Donald Flickinger. The New Mexico investigation was headed by Officer Gabriel L Veldez of the New Mexico Police, with the assistance of Cattle Inspector Jim Dyad and Officer Howard Johnston of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Natural causes

While many unconventional explanations have been put forward to explain cattle mutilations, a variety of scientists, veterinary workers and knowledgeable observers (including farmer and other agricultural workers) have suggested more conventional ideas, most of which revolve around the hypothesis that 'mutilated' animals died of natural causes and were subjected to known terrestrial phenomena – including the action of predators, parasites and scavengers.^[10]

Missing or mutilated mouth, lips, anus and genitalia are explained as:

• Contraction of missing/damaged areas due to dehydration.
• The actions of small scavengers and burrowing parasites seeking to enter or consume the body in areas where skin is at its thinnest.

Missing/mutilated eyes and soft internal organs are explained as:

• The action of carrion feeding insects such as blowflies, and opportunistic or carrion birds such as vultures and buzzards which are known to direct themselves toward an animal's eyes, and to enter the body through the openings of the mouth and anus in order feed on soft internal organs.

Absence of blood is explained as: Subfamilies Calliphorinae Chrysomyiinae The Blowflies are members of the family Calliphoridae of flies (Diptera). ... Orders Falconiformes (Fam. ... A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below. ...

• Blood pooling in the lowest points in the body where it will break down into its basic organic components.
• Blood that is external to the body, or in the area of a wound being consumed by insects or reduced by solar desiccation.

Surgical incisions in the skin are explained as:

• Tears in the skin created when it is stretched by postmortem bloat and/or as dehydration causes the animal's hide to shrink and split, often in linear cuts.
• Incisions caused by scavengers or predators, possibly exacerbated by the above.

The hypothesis that natural phenomena accounts for most mutilation characteristics has been validated by a number of experiments, including one cited by long-time scientific skeptic Robert T. Carroll, conducted by Washington County (Arkansas) Sheriff's Department. In the experiment, the body of a recently deceased cow was left in a field and observed for 48 hours. During the 48 hours, postmortem bloating was reported to have caused incision-like tears in the cow's skin that matched the "surgical" cuts reported on mutilated cows, while the action of blowflies and maggots reportedly matched the soft tissue damage observed on mutilated cows. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Robert Todd Carroll (1945-), Ph. ...

Experiments have also been conducted to compare the different reactions of surgically cut hide/flesh and predated hide/flesh to natural exposure.^[11] They demonstrated pronounced differences between surgical cut and non surgical cuts over time. This article does not address tearing due to bloating.

Some ranchers have disputed the natural causes hypothesis on the grounds that the mutilated animals often fall outside of the normal categories of natural deaths followed by predation.^[4]

According to Dr J. R. Waddell, Veterinary Medical Officer and Diagnostician with an extensive career in animal disease control and eradication, examining reported animal mutilations should be done without the emotional influence that often accompanies these cases. Waddell states:

After numerous field examinations it became apparent that the preponderance of cases was the result of the animal dying some time prior to the mutilation. Consider how many animals are in an area and the natural death rate due to disease or other causes including lightning strikes or extremely inclement weather. It didn't take very many investigations of reported animal mutilation for me to be able to determine that predators could easily sever the tender-most skin on a carcass. It is their least line of resistance to enter for a meal. I decided to experiment: using a surgical scalpel, I tried to duplicate the surgical precision of mutilated body part. My findings were conclusive enough to me. I could not reproduce the surgical precision of a predator. My incision with a new surgical blade didn’t resemble the predators. I was unable to cut between the hair follicles. The predators bite or tear severed no hair follicles. In my experience doing post mortem examinations on animals dead long enough to be discovered by the owner, caretaker or anybody and get a vet out there to make the examination, there is no blood to be found running free. Therefore it is not unusual for a casual observer to wonder what happened to the blood. I don’t subscribe to the notion that it was siphoned off by a helicopter, alien space ship, or evil cult members. Predation is as varied as the predatory animals are and sometimes animals are killed but many more are scavenged after death by natural or disease causes.

Human intervention

Animal cruelty and deviant activity

It is alternatively hypothesised cattle mutilations are the result of two unrelated deviant phenomena. The bulk of mutilations are the result of predation and other natural processes, and those with anomalies that cannot be explained in this way are the work of deviants who derive pleasure or sexual stimulation from mutilating animals. Deviant behavior is behavior that is a recognized violation of cultural norms. ...

Deviant attacks against animals are a recognized phenomenon. There have been many recorded cases around the world, and many convictions. Typically the victims of such attacks are cats, dogs and other family pets,^[12] and the actions of deviants are usually limited to acts of cruelty such as striking, immolating or beating animals. However, attacks have also been recorded against larger animals, including sheep, cows and horses.^[13] Deviants, particularly those with sociopathic disorders, have been found to have mutilated animals in elaborate ways^[12] using knives or surgical instruments. Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ...

On April 20, 1979, Dr. C Hibbs of the New Mexico State Veterinary diagnostics Laboratory spoke before a hearing chaired by Senator Harrison Schmitt. Dr. Hibbs testified that mutilated fell into three categories, one of which was animals mutilated by deviants^[8] (page 25). FBI records did not record the percentage of the mutilated animals fell into this category. is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Largest metro area Albuquerque metropolitan area Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ...

The standard criminal charge for mutilating an animal, including cattle, is animal cruelty. Cruelty to animals refers to treatment which causes unacceptable suffering to animals. ...

Cults

Closely related to the deviant hypothesis is the hypothesis that cattle mutilations are the result of cult activity.^[14] However, contrary to the deviancy hypothesis, which holds that cattle are mutilated at random by individual deviants, the cult hypothesis holds that cattle mutilations are coordinated acts of ritual sacrifice carried out by organized groups.

Beliefs held by proponents of the cult hypothesis vary, but may include:

• That mutilations are related to phases of the moon or to certain days of the week that hold Pagan symbolism relating to fertility.
• That the apparent absence of blood at mutilation sites may indicate cult members drink it ^[15]
• That organs have been removed from cattle for use in rituals^[10]
• That unborn calves have been harvested from mutilated cattle.

The hypothesis that cults were responsible for cattle mutilation was developed in the U.S. during the 1970s, a time of growing national concern over cults issues.^[16][17] It became a social phenomenon in areas where cattle were being mutilated and there were several panics when it was claimed that cattle mutilations were a 'warm up' in preparation for human sacrifices.^{[citation needed]}

In 1975, the US Treasury Department assigned Donald Flickinger to investigate the existence of connections between cults and the mutilation of cattle^[9][18](Page 23). The operation came under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. ATF Seal The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF, sometimes BATF or BATFE) is a United States federal agency; more specifically a specialized law enforcement and regulatory organization within the United States Department of Justice. ...

Flickinger recorded a number of 'unusual' incidents and circumstantial evidence, but was unable to find sufficient evidence of cult involvement for the ATF to take further action.^[18][9] Media reports of the time reported his investigation was dropped when it was determined cattle deaths were not a prelude to a co-ordinated campaign against elected officials by cult members^[18] (Page 23).

Public interest in the cult hypothesis waned during the 1980s, but interest was maintained by proponents such as the Colorado based television evangelist Bob Larson, who campaigned to raise public awareness of links between cattle mutilations and cult activity through his ministry and radio shows. Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bob Larson (born 1944 in McCook, Nebraska) is a radio and television evangelist, currently based in Colorado. ...

Another proponent of the cult hypothesis is Montana author Roberta Donovan. In her 1976 publication "Mystery Stalks the Prairie" she documents the experiences of Deputy Sheriff Keith Wolverton of Great Falls, Cascade County investigating cattle mutilations with suspected cult involvement. Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Great Falls, Montana the Electric City at dusk Great Falls is a city located in Cascade County, Montana, United States. ... Cascade County is a county located in the state of Montana. ...

Since the beginning of the cult hypothesis, law enforcement agents in several states, including Alberta, Idaho, Montana, and Iowa have reported evidence implicating cults in several instances of cattle mutilations.^[19] but does not prove involvement beyond reasonable doubt. Motto: Fortis et liber(Latin) Strong and free Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Official languages English (see below) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong - Premier Ed Stelmach (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 28 - Senate seats 6 Confederation September 1, 1905 (split from Northwest Territories) (8th [Province]) Area Ranked... Official language(s) English [1] Capital Boise Largest city Boise Largest metro area Boise metropolitan area Area  Ranked 14th  - Total 83,642 sq mi (216,632 km²)  - Width 305 miles (491 km)  - Length 479 miles (771 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ...

During their investigations, the FBI and the ATF were unable to find appropriate evidence, including signs of consistency between mutilations, to substantiate that the animals had been the victims of any form of ritual sacrifice or organized mutilation effort. They were also unable to determine how or why a cult would perform procedures that would result in the anomalies reported in some necropsies^[8] (Page 3), or to verify that the anomalies were 1) connected to the mutilations themselves 2) the result of human intervention.^[4]

In most cases, mutilations were either ruled due to natural causes, or the cattle were too far decayed for any useful conclusions to be drawn. Some cases of cult hysteria were traced back to fabrication by individuals unrelated to the incident. In one case it was concluded that claims had been falsified by a convict seeking favorable terms on his sentence in exchange for information^[18] (Page 23-24)^[15] (Page 14-15). In another case, claims were traced back to local high school students who had circulated rumors as a joke.^[15] (Page 21)

Shell-shock

During the early 1970s one of the hypothesis that emerged to explain cattle mutilations was that they were being perpetrated by shell-shocked Vietnam veterans who were recreating scenes of torture that they had either seen committed against US troops by Vietnamese guerrillas, or that they had themselves committed against Vietnamese fighters.^[20] The military term combat stress reaction (CSR) comprises the range of adverse behaviours in reaction to the stress of combat and combat related activities. ...

This hypothesis was quickly discounted by FBI agents and soon fell out of favor among phenomena proponents. It rarely appears in modern texts on mutilations.

Unconventional explanations

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Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Government/military experimentation

A less conventional hypothesis that has been put forward to explain the reported mutilations concerns the large number of mutilations that occurred in close proximity to former US nuclear test sites. This theory is based on a number of eyewitness accounts reporting military type helicopters before the mutilation was discovered. In addition to this there were also a number of helicopter type marks left in the soil. The descriptions range from army green to black helicopters. In one such case (Oct. 1993) in Alabama an FAA investigator witnessed an unmarked helicopter during an investigation concerning livestock mutilations where witnesses claimed to have seen helicopters. The FAA agent traced this particular helicopter to the Maxwell Air Force Base in Southern Alabama.

In this case it has been speculated the military dissected cattle to determine the level of radioactive material that had accumulated in their soft tissue (the mouth, anus and lower soft organs being logical targets).

This would allow the military to gauge the level of radioactive exposure each animal received over its lifetime, as well as to monitor which areas received the most fallout. And as a result, it would allow the military to estimate the probable levels of human exposure to fallout, and to ascertain roughly how much radioactive contamination is entering the human food chain through milk and meat.

Mutilated animals that fall outside the contaminated area can be presumed:

• To be control subjects
• To have succumbed to known phenomena (including predation or criminal mutilation)
• To have been mutilated to draw suspicion away from mutilations in contaminated area

A similar hypothesis exists in relation to mutilations that occurred in areas that host US bases affected by fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and areas which host US bases subject to fallout from foreign nuclear experiments. This article is about the city of Chernobyl. ...

Other government/military related hypotheses include the supposition that mutilated cattle have been used as guinea-pigs during the development of energy weapons, biological agents, laser scalpels, or other items of advanced technology. An energy weapon can describe many types of real and fictional weapon which emit energy, rather than a physical projectile, and fire in one direction. ...

The evidence used to substantiate these hypotheses remain largely circumstantial and are not supported by anything released so far under the Freedom of Information Act. Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ...

In his 1997 article “Dead Cows I've Known”^[21], cattle mutilation researcher Charles T Oliphant speculates cattle mutilation to be the result of covert research into emerging cattle diseases, and the possibility they could be transmitted to humans.

Oliphant posits the NIH, CDC, or other federally funded bodies, may be involved, and they are supported by the US military. Part of his hypothesis is based on allegations that human pharmaceuticals have been found in mutilated cattle, and on the necropsies that show cattle mutilations commonly involve areas of the animal that relate to “input, output and reproduction”. To support his hypothesis, Oliphant cites a previous case in which plain clothes military officers, traveling in unmarked vehicles, entered a research facility in Reston, Virginia to secretly retrieve and destroy animals that were contaminated with a highly infectious disease. Ebola Reston is a strain of the Ebola virus, named after an outbreak that occurred in Reston, Virginia during 1989. ... A view of the Reston Town Center Reston is an internationally known planned community whose goal was to revolutionize post-World War II concepts of land use and residential/corporate development in American suburbia. ...

Additionally, a 2002 NIDS report^[22] relates the eyewitness testimony of two Cache County, Utah police officers. The area had seen many unusual cattle deaths, and ranchers had organized armed patrols to surveil the alleged unmarked aircraft which were associated with the livestock deaths. The police witnesses claim to have encountered several men in an unmarked U.S. Army helicopter in 1976 at a small community airport in Cache County. The witnesses asserted that after this heated encounter, cattle mutilations in the region ceased for about five years. A network intrusion detection system (NIDS) is a system that tries to detect malicious activity such as denial of service attacks, port-scans or even attempts to crack into computers by monitoring network traffic. ... Cache County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, comprising the Cache Valley, up to the Idaho border, and the surrounding mountains. ...

Aliens and UFOs

Various hypotheses suggest cattle mutilations have been committed by aliens gathering genetic material for unknown purposes. Most of these hypotheses are based on the premise that earthly entities could not perform such clean dissections in such a short space of time without being seen or leaving evidence behind at the mutilation site, and around curious laboratory reports suggesting the use of unconventional cutting tools and other unexpected phenomena.

According to reports collected during the FBI's investigation of cattle mutilations, UFOs or unusual aircraft were frequently reported before or after the discovery of mutilated cattle.^[4]

No consensus exists as to why aliens would be mutilating cattle, though proponents of this hypothesis have put forward a number of suggestions, including that aliens are using the cattle for experiments to help them adapt to the Earth's environment, or they are using cattle to develop a food based biological weapon for the invasion of Earth.

In pop culture

• These cattle mutilations had an influence on the plot of the Gerry Anderson UFO series.

• A television adaptation of War of the Worlds touches upon the phenomenon. In an early episode, aliens have drained the blood from cattle so as to produce a temporary means of slowing the process of their inflicted radiation poisoning.

• In the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a government conspiracy to clear the area of Devil's Tower in preparation for first contact with the aliens results in evacuees witnessing vast areas of cattle mutilation. It is implied that the U.S. Government committed the mutilations to justify the evacuations.

• Sneakers, a 1992 thriller, makes humorous references to cattle mutilation.

• An early episode of South Park featured cattle mutilation. Eventually, it was discovered the extraterrestrials were attempting to establish communication with the cattle as they are the most intelligent, reasonable creatures on Earth. The mutilation was accidental and was "Carl's fault...he's new."

• The novel The Magdalene Cipher by Jim Hougan mentions cattle mutilation. The protagonist (Jack Dunphy) follows the trail of a pseudo-religious/governmental conspiracy (a la The Da Vinci Code), and at one point speaks to a former "black ops" agent who had been involved in mutilations. The mutilations were apparently performed to keep a sense of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) in the wider community and thus make them more amenable to a future religious second coming.

• In the arcade game Space Invaders IV: Majestic Twelve, there are bonus rounds where you must save cattle from being abducted from flying saucers.

• In the Tim Burton film Mars Attacks!, in one scene, a prelude to the Martian invasion involves a herd of burning cattle stampeding past a farm. A flying saucer takes off from behind a hill, suggesting that the herd of cattle were the victims of a Martian Death Ray.

• In the video game Destroy All Humans!, you play as Crypto, an alien invader determined to conquer the Earth. The game references pretty much all alien invasion/ UFO phenomenon clichés and themes, including cattle mutilation.

• In the video game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, at one point the player must stop aliens from stealing cattle from Romani ranch.

• Cattle Mutilation is a professional wrestling submission hold made famous by Bryan Danielson. Once the hold is locked in, the two wrestlers end up making the shape of a chopped open cattle.

• In the 1982 film Endangered Species, a thriller starring Robert Urich, cattle mutilation is a central element of the plot. Urich plays a vacationing police officer who gets involved in an increasingly dangerous investigation into bizarre cattle deaths.

• In an episode of Invader Zim, Zim is seen pumping cattle full of sewage to taint the humans' meat supply.

• The second verse of the song "Take Me Off to Space", which appears on several CDs sold by The Church of the SubGenius, talks about UFO related cattle mutilations.

UFO is a British television science fiction series created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grades Century 21 Productions for Grades ITC Entertainment company. ... War of the Worlds is a television program that ran for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990. ... Radiation poisoning, also called radiation sickness, is a form of damage to organ tissue due to excessive exposure to ionizing radiation. ... This article is about the film; for the a definition of the UFO related phenomenon, see Close encounter. ... Devils Tower is a monolith (more technically, an igneous intrusion) or volcanic neck located near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River. ... First contact may refer to: In science: First contact (anthropology), a first meeting of two previously unknown cultures First contact (astronomy), the moment in astronomy during a transit or eclipse when the apparent positions of the two bodies first touch In Star Trek: First Contact (TNG episode), a fourth season... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... This article is about the TV series. ... The Da Vinci Code is a mystery/detective novel by American author Dan Brown, published in 2003 by Doubleday. ... The term black op has two related meanings: Black operation which is a type of covert operation. ... Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is a sales or marketing strategy of disseminating negative (and vague) information on a competitors product. ... Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978. ... Timothy Tim William Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an Academy Award-nominated American film director, writer and designer notable for the quirky and gothic atmosphere of his films. ... Mars Attacks is a highly popular lurid science fiction trading card series. ... // Rayguns are a type of directed-energy weapon. ... “Computer and video games” redirects here. ... Destroy All Humans! is a video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. It was released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems on June 21, 2005. ... Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by competitors to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. ... Bryan Danielson (born May 22, 1981 in Aberdeen, Washington)[1] is an American independent professional wrestler, known as the American Dragon. ... Robert Urich (December 19, 1946 – April 16, 2002) was an Emmy-winning actor, best known for playing private investigators on the television series Spenser: For Hire (1985-1988) and Vega$ (1978-1981). ... Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by comic book writer/artist Jhonen Vasquez and aired on Nickelodeon. ... J. R. Bob Dobbs The Church of the SubGenius is a postmodern religion, originally based in Dallas, Texas, which gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s subculture, with a large presence on the Internet. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Levengood W C, "A Study of Bovine Excision Sites from 1993 to 1997" (1997), Pinelandia Biophysical Laboratory
2. ^ Onet George E, DVM PhD, Animal Mutilations: What We Don't Know
3. ^ Operation Cattle Mutilation, Section 1, FBI, Released under FOIA
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} FBI Operation Animal Mutilation, FBI Investigation into Cattle Mutilation. Released under FOIA
5. ^ First Pregnant Cow Mutilation Discovered (February 13, 2006), Earthfiles
6. ^ Good Timothy, Alien contact: top-secret UFO files revealed, William Morrow & Co., ISBN 0-688-12223-X
7. ^ Three Reports of Unusual Killings and Mutilation of Calves (2002), NIDS
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Operation Cattle Mutilation, Section 4 FBI, Released under FOIA
9. ^ ^{a b c} Clark J, Pear N (1997), "Strange and unexplained phenomena", Visible Ink Press
10. ^ ^{a b} Carroll Robert T, Skeptic's Dictionary: Cattle Mutilation (September 2006)
11. ^ Onet George E, DVM, PhD, Kelleher Colm, PhD, (1997), Histological Changes in Bovine Skin Exposed to Natural Environmental Conditions
12. ^ ^{a b} More Cat and Dog Mutilations, (2006), Linda Moulton Howe
13. ^ Life term sought for killer, horse mutilator, Expatica, November 11, 2005
14. ^ Meta Religion.com: Cattle Mutilation, (September 2006)
15. ^ ^{a b c} Mystery Stalks the Prairie (1976), Donovan Roberta, Wolverton Keith, ASIN B0006WH8CA
16. ^ Bromley David G. and Anson Shupe (1981), Strange Gods: The Great American Cult Scare. Boston: Beacon Press, ISBN 0-8070-3256-5
17. ^ Hadden J.K (2002) Cult Group Controversies: Conceptualizing "Anti-Cult" and "Counter-Cult", University of Virginia
18. ^ ^{a b c d} Operation Cattle Mutilation, Section 2, FBI, Released under FOIA
19. ^ Clark J (1999), Unexplained! Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena, 2nd Edition, ISBN 1-57859-070-1
20. ^ Clyde Lewis, To Boldly Spindle and Mutilate (September 2006)
21. ^ Oliphant Charles T(1997), Dead Cows I've Known.
22. ^ Anonymous, Report on Unusual Animal Injuries in Cache County, Utah (2002)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United States. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United States. ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United States. ...

Other Sources

• Linda Moulton Howe (1980 1989), A Strange Harvest (Documentary)
• Linda Moulton Howe (1993), Strange Harvests 1993 (Documentary)
• Linda Moulton Howe (1989), Alien Harvest: Further Evidence Linking Animal Mutilations and Human Abductions to Alien Life Forms, Linda Moulton Howe Productions, ISBN 0-9620570-1-0
• Fawcett Lawrence, Greenwood Barry (1993), UFO Coverup, Fireside, ISBN 0671765558
• Fawcett Lawrence, Greenwood Barry (1984), Clear Intent, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0131366564
• Clark Jerome (1996), The UFO Encyclopedia, Volume Three: High Strangeness, UFO’s from 1960 through 1979, Detroit Omnigraphics, ISBN 1-55888-742-3
• Jacobs David Michael (1975), The UFO Controversy In America, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0-253-19006-1
• Saunders David R, Harkins R Roger (1969), UFO’s? Yes! Where the Condon Committee Went Wrong, World Publishing, ASIN B00005X1J1
• Summers Ian, Kagan Daniel (1984), Mute Evidence, Bantam, ISBN 0-553-23318-1

See also

• Anomalous phenomenon
• Chupacabra
• Horse ripping
• The Mothman Prophecies
• Black helicopters
• National Institute for Discovery Science
• Linda Moulton Howe

An anomalous phenomenon is an observed event (phenomenon) which deviates from the standard or expected (anomaly). ... For other uses, see Chupacabra (disambiguation). ... Horse-ripping, or horse slashing, is a phenomenon involving serious injuries in horses, often involving mutilation of their genitalia. ... This page is about the book, for the movie see The Mothman Prophecies (film) The Mothman Prophecies is a 1976 book by parapsychologist John Keel, described as nonfiction. ... A stereotypical image of a black helicopter Black helicopters are part of a conspiracy theory, especially prevalent among the US militia movement, that claims that special unmarked black helicopters are used by secret agents of the New World Order, United Nations troops and/or the Men in Black preparing to... The National Institute for Discovery Science was founded by Robert Bigelow as a way to channel funds into the proper scientific study of paranormal phenomena. ... Linda Moulton Howe born January 20, 1942, in Boise, Idaho, is an American investigative journalist and documentary producer-writer-director-editor who is currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ...

External links

• Animal Mutilation Project - The FBI's page on the subject.
• The Skeptic's Dictionary explanation of Cattle Mutilation
• Linda Moulton Howe's homepage
• Human Mutilation by Aliens - Brazilian Case With Photos
• Animal Mutilation News at Paranormalnews.com
• Unexplained Animal Deaths Research at SPPRC Inc.
• Return of the Mootilators Mark Pilkington reports on Argentinian cases
• Homepage Herman Doty Jr. 134 page historical narrative on Snippy the Horse
• Photos of mutilations in Dulce New Mexico