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Cattle mutilation
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==Characteristics== Cattle death due to natural causes are extremely common; In Minnesota, where mutilations first began, nearly 2 million head of cattle were lost during 1973.<ref>Kagan & Summers 1984, p.xiv</ref> That year, ranchers began reporting dozens of unusual cattle deaths characterized by absence of sex organs, udders, tongues, anus, rectum, and sometimes ears or eyes.<ref>Kagan & Summers 1984, p.xv</ref> Cuts were described as "clean" and "surgical". Some animals were reported to have been drained of blood but with no sign of blood in the immediate area or even around their wounds.<ref>[http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1096&category=Environment First Pregnant Cow Mutilation Discovered] (February 13, 2006), Earthfiles</ref>{{better|date=April 2024}} According to Howard Burgess, nearly 90 percent of mutilated cattle are between four and five years old.<ref>Good Timothy, ''Alien contact: top-secret UFO files revealed'', William Morrow & Co., {{ISBN|0-688-12223-X}}{{page needed|date=January 2022}}</ref> In some cases, strange marks or imprints near the site have been found. In the famous "Snippy" case, there was an absolute absence of tracks in a {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on}} radius of the carcass (even the horse's own tracks disappeared within {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on}} of the body.) But within this radius, several small holes were found seemingly "punched" in the ground and two bushes were absolutely flattened.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rommel Jr |first=Kenneth M. |year=1980 |title=Operation Animal Mutilation |pages=172β175 |oclc=6799836}}</ref> In [[Rio Arriba County, New Mexico]], June 1976, a "trail of suction cup-like impressions" was found leading from a mutilated three-year-old cow. The indentations were in a tripod form, {{convert|4|in|cm}} in diameter, {{convert|28|in|cm}} apart, and disappeared {{convert|500|ft|m}} from the dead cow. Similar incidents were reported in the area in 1978.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rommel Jr |first=Kenneth M. |year=1980 |title=Operation Animal Mutilation |pages=12β13 |oclc=6799836}}</ref><ref name="tribune">The Albuquerque Tribune, June 15, 1976</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=April 2024}} ===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.<ref name=fbi4/> In one case documented by New Mexico police and the FBI,<ref name=fbi4/> 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. {{blockquote|Both the liver and the heart were white and mushy. Both organs had the texture and consistency of peanut butter|Gabriel L Valdez, New Mexico Police}} The animal's heart as well as bone and muscle samples were sent to the [[Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory]] for microscopic and bacteriological studies, while samples from the animal's liver were sent to two separate private laboratories. 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. No microscopic changes of pathological significance were found in the heart tissue.<ref name=fbi4/> 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.<ref name=fbi4/> 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.<ref name=fbi4/> 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<ref name=fbi4/> taken from other cows mutilated in the region. ===Helicopter sightings=== {{see also|Stealth helicopter#History}} On July 15, 1974, two unregistered helicopters, a white helicopter and a black twin-engine aircraft were reported to have opened fire on Robert Smith Jr. while he was driving his tractor on his farm in [[Honey Creek, Pottawattamie County, Iowa|Honey Creek, Iowa]]. This attack followed a rash of alleged mutilations in the area and across the nearby border in Nebraska.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rommel Jr |first=Kenneth M. |year=1980 |title=Operation Animal Mutilation |pages=22β23 |oclc=6799836}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Albers |first=Michael D. |title=The Terror |date=1979 |pages=13β15 |publisher=Manor Books |isbn=978-0532233114}}</ref><ref name="smith">W. Smith, Fredrick, Cattle Mutilation, p. 21</ref> In August 1974, state leaders called for an investigation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94288444/decamp-asks-probe-into-cattle-mutilation/|title = DeCamp Asks Probe into Cattle Mutilations|newspaper = The Lincoln Star|date = 27 August 1974|page = 22}}</ref> On August 20, 1974, the ''[[Lincoln Journal Star]]'' reported that residents had seen unidentified helicopters shining spotlights into fields where mutilated cows were later found.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94288099/cow-mutilated-east-of-agnew/|title=Cow Mutilated East of Agnew|newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star|date=20 August 1974|page=25}}</ref> Know County Sheriff Herbert Thompson claimed helicopter sightings had become a nightly occurrence, with both the FAA and the National Guard reportedly being unaware of any helicopter activity. However, both Thompson and the Nebraska State Patrol found no definite connection between the cattle deaths and the helicopter sightings.<ref name="auto1"/> By 1975, the problem was so prevalent, that some ranchers formed armed vigilante groups to patrol their fields at night. Authorities ran ads in Colorado urging ranchers to not shoot at their survey helicopters.<ref name="beedleNov2019">{{cite news |last1=Beedle |first1=Heidi |title=Colorado's cattle mutilation history and the journalist who wouldn't let it go |url=https://www.csindy.com/temporary_news/colorado-s-cattle-mutilation-history-and-the-journalist-who-wouldn-t-let-it-go/article_6769e632-2de0-5997-beda-9e12f9088bea.html |access-date=December 30, 2020 |publisher=Colorado Springs Indy |date=November 26, 2019 |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010101038/https://www.csindy.com/temporary_news/colorado-s-cattle-mutilation-history-and-the-journalist-who-wouldn-t-let-it-go/article_6769e632-2de0-5997-beda-9e12f9088bea.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="JSTOR"/> The National Guard warned its helicopter pilots to fly at higher than normal altitude to avoid fire from "jittery farmers".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94288270/copter-pilots-told-fly-high/|title=Copter pilots told fly high|newspaper=Beatrice Daily Sun|date=5 September 1974|page=1}}</ref> In 1976, two [[Cache County, Utah]], police officers reportedly confronted several men in an unmarked U.S. Army helicopter 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. The story was first published in a 2002 report.<ref name="anonymous">Anonymous, [http://www.nidsci.org/pdf/cache_county_utahreport.pdf Report on Unusual Animal Injuries in Cache County, Utah] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222013047/http://www.nidsci.org/pdf/cache_county_utahreport.pdf |date=2005-12-22 }} (2002)</ref> On April 8, 1979, three police officers in Dulce, New Mexico, reported a mysterious aircraft which resembled a U.S. military helicopter hovering around a site following a wave of alleged mutilation which claimed 16 cows. The reports of "helicopter" involvement have been used to explain why some cattle appear to have been "dropped" from considerable heights.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
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