Cattle mutilation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

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 mutilations were first reported, it has been attributed variously to normal predators, cryptid predators, natural decomposition, extraterrestrials, secretive governmental or military agencies, and cults.

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]

Contents 1 History 2 Characteristics 2.1 Physical characteristics 2.2 Laboratory reports 2.3 Other signs 3 First modern mutilation 4 Conventional explanations 4.1 U.S. governmental explanation 4.2 Natural causes 4.3 Human intervention 4.3.1 Animal cruelty and deviant activity 4.3.2 Cults 4.3.3 Shell-shock 5 Unconventional explanations 5.1 Government/military experimentation 5.2 Aliens and UFOs 6 In pop culture 7 Footnotes 8 Other Sources 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] 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 Maharashtra.^{[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]}

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]}

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, it was never heard again.

The scale of cattle mutilations is unknown. Some estimate there are at least 2,000 mutilations each year,^[5] though this figure is disputed, and there have been other estimates.

[edit] Characteristics

[edit] 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 or 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^[6] reported to have been drained of blood, and have no sign of blood in the immediate area or around their wounds.

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 the tongue in 22 percent of cases, the genitals in 85 percent of cases, and the rectum in 76 percent of cases.

According to Dr. Howard Burgess, nearly 90 percent of mutilated cattle are between four and five years old.^[7]

Some mutilations are said to occur in very brief periods. A 2002 NIDS report^[8] 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.

[edit] 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.^[9]

In one case documented by New Mexico police and the FBI,^[9] an 11 month old cross Hereford-Charolais bull, belonging to a Mr. Manuel Gomez of Dulce, New Mexico, was found mutilated on the 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.

“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.

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.^[9]

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.^[9]

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.^[9]

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^[9] taken from other cows mutilated in the region.

[edit] 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.

In his article - "Animal Mutilations: What We Know" George E. Onet, a doctor of veterinary microbiology and cattle mutilation investigator, writes:

"Domestic animals seemed to be visibly agitated, fearful, and avoided getting close to the dead animal. If there was wooded areas around, they tended to hide. Wild animals, especially scavengers, such as coyotes, wolves, foxes, dogs, skunks, badgers, and bobcats, were reported to keep their distance for days, without touching the carcasses".^[10]

[edit] First modern mutilation

The first allegedly strange death of livestock—or at least the first widely-publicized case—comes from near Alamosa, Colorado, in 1967. The real name of the animal was Lady, but the media quickly adopted the name "Snippy" (the name of another horse at the ranch), which stuck.

On September 7 of that year, Agnes King and her son Harry noted that Lady, a three-year-old horse, had not returned to the ranch at the usual time for her water. This was unusual, given the heat and the arid conditions.

Harry found Lady on September 9. Her head and neck had been skinned and defleshed, the bones were white and clean. To King, the cuts on Lady seemed to have been very precise. There was no blood at the scene, according to Harry, and there was a strong medicinal odor in the air.

The next day, Harry and Agnes returned to the scene with Agnes’ brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Berle Lewis. They found a lump of skin and horse flesh; when Mrs. Lewis touched it, the flesh oozed a greenish fluid which burned her hand. They also reported the discovery of fifteen "tapering, circular exhaust marks punched into the ground" over an area of some 5000 square yards. (Saunders and Harkins, 156) The medicinal odor had weakened somewhat, but was still present.

Mrs. Lewis contacted the United States Forest Service, and Ranger Duane Martin was sent to investigate. Among other tasks, Martin "checked the area with a civil defense Geiger counter. He reported finding a considerable increase in radioactivity about two city blocks from the body." (Saunders and Harkins, 157) Later, Martin would state, "The death of this saddle pony is one of the most mysterious sights I’ve ever witnessed ... I’ve seen stock killed by lightning, but it was never like this." (ibid., 159)

After trying to interest other authorities with little success, Mrs. Lewis turned to her professional connections: she wrote occasionally for the Pueblo Chieftain. Her account of Lady's strange death was published in that newspaper, and was picked up by the Associated Press on October 5 1967. Soon, much of the United States knew the tale of Lady’s death, and reports of UFO’s were made from others in Colorado.

That same day, an account by Superior Court Judge Charles E. Bennett of Denver, Colorado, saw publication. Bennett and his wife claimed to have witnessed “three reddish-orange rings in the sky. They maintained a triangular formation, moved at a high speed, and made a humming sound.” (Saunders and Harkins, 157) The civilian UFO research group NICAP became involved in the case as well, and some people speculated that UFOs were somehow involved with Snippy’s death.

Shortly thereafter, an anonymous Denver pathologist’s account of his necropsy saw publication. Lady’s brain and abdominal organs were missing, he said, and there was no material in the spinal column. The pathologist insisted on anonymity, he said, due to fear his reputation would be damaged with involvement in such a high-profile case.

The Condon Committee, then at the University of Colorado, sent its coordinator, Robert Low, to investigate. Low brought in Dr Robert O. Adams, head of Colorado State University’s Veterinary and Biomedical Science School.

Adams examined Lady and the evidence. He concluded there were "No unearthly causes, at least not to my mind." (Saunders and Harkins, 164) Adams noted a severe infection in Lady’s hindquarters, and speculated that someone had come across the dying horse and slit its throat in order to end its misery. Then, Adams said, scavengers had inflicted the rest of the damage to the horse.

To some, this settled the question, but Mrs. Lewis argued that Adams’ conclusions failed to account for the lack of blood at the scene and the medicinal odor.

Low reported that he’d located the "anonymous pathologist"; Low said that the man was "widely misquoted" and was furthermore not a pathologist. The man's opinions of Snippy's death generally matched Adams', said Low. Jerome Clark later identifies the anonymous man as hematologist John H. Altshuler. (Clark, 17).

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 investigation was funded by a US$44,170 grant from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration of the US Justice Department, and was headed by FBI agent Kenneth Rommel. It had 5 key objectives:

(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]

Prior to the involvement of the FBI, the ATF launched their own investigation^[11] 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]}

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^[9] (page 13). It also contended that alleged surgical techniques performed during mutilations had become 'more professional' over time^[9] (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.

[edit] 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.^[12]

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:

• 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.

Experiments have also been conducted to compare the different reactions of surgically cut hide/flesh and predated hide/flesh to natural exposure.^[13] 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] Including that they were healthy and showed no sign of disease prior to death, and that they were large and strong enough not to be a natural target for a predator. In some cases, ranchers have reported that the mutilated cattle were among the healthiest and strongest animals in their herd.^[14]

The natural causes hypothesis has also been questioned by groups such as the NIDS and Earthfiles, which report the discovery of anomalies in necropsies that cannot be explained by natural processes.

[edit] Human intervention

[edit] 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 attacks against animals is a recognized phenomena. 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,^[15] 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.^[16] Deviants, particularly those with sociopathic disorders, have been found to have mutilated animals in elaborate ways^[15] using knives or surgical instruments.

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^[9] (page 25). FBI records did not record the percentage of the mutilated animals fell into this category.

The standard criminal charge for mutilating an animal, including cattle, is animal cruelty.

[edit] Cults

Closely related to the deviant hypothesis is the hypothesis that cattle mutilations are the result of cult activity.^[17] 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 ^[18]
• That organs have been removed from cattle for use in rituals^[12]
• 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.^[19][20] 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^[11][21](Page 23). The operation came under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

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.^[21][11] 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^[21] (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.

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.

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.^[22] but does not prove involvement beyond reasonable doubt.

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^[9] (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^[21] (Page 23-24)^[18] (Page 14-15). In another case, claims were traced back to local high school students who had circulated rumors as a joke.^[18] (Page 21)

[edit] 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.^[23]

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.

[edit] Unconventional explanations

[edit] Government/military experimentation

A less conventional hypothesis that has been put forward to explain the reported mutilations concerns the large amount of mutilations that occurred in close proximity to former US nuclear test sites.

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.

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.

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.

In his 1997 article “Dead Cows I've Known”^[24], 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, travelling in unmarked vehicles, entered a research facility in Reston, Virginia to secretly retrieve and destroy animals that were contaminated with a highly infectious disease.

Additionally, a 2002 NIDS report^[25] 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.

Perhaps the mutilations are a type of final test for various military special ops teams. The objective could be to infiltrate the private property, retrieve the verious bovine organs, and get out without being detected or leaving evidence.

[edit] 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.

Oregon UFO Review has suggested that aliens might be refining cattle blood into synthetic blood plasma to help UFO pilots fatigued by long periods of space travel.^[5]

In his 1999 publication “The AIDS-ET Connection”^[26] UFO researcher Phillip S Duke proposes the hypothesis that aliens have been using commercial cattle stocks to incubate and research the HIV/AIDS virus.

Duke claims cattle blood is harvested in order to obtain virus samples and identifies some of the mutilation sites on carcasses (primarily the anus and genitals) as being the HIV/AIDS transmission sites in humans, or as likely sites for tissue sampling to take place. He also speculates that mutilations of the ear are the result of aliens removing tracking implants.

To support his hypothesis, Duke cites findings by Texas A&M Professor James Womack, that humans and cattle share substantial number of chromosomes, and he expressed the belief these similarities makes them the logical choice for large scale biological incubation and experimentation on subjects for human pathogens, in the same way that horses have been used to produce Tetanus treatments.

“HIV has only one natural host, humans, and logically would require a genetically similar animal host for replication”

Philip S Duke.

This hypothesis is inconsistent with the accepted medical knowledge that HIV does not have a suitable natural animal model. The genetic similarity of cattle (or indeed all mammals) to humans does not necessarily translate into the proper immunologic markers for virus transmission.^[27]

[edit] 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.

• 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. As the game was intended to be child-friendly, this is a sanitized version of cattle mutilation.

• 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.

[edit] 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. ^ ^{a b} Oregon UFO Review (August 2006)
6. ^ First Pregnant Cow Mutilation Discovered (February 13, 2006), Earthfiles
7. ^ Good Timothy, Alien contact: top-secret UFO files revealed, William Morrow & Co., ISBN 0-688-12223-X
8. ^ Three Reports of Unusual Killings and Mutilation of Calves (2002), NIDS
9. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Operation Cattle Mutilation, Section 4 FBI, Released under FOIA
10. ^ Onet George E, DVM PhD, Animal mutilations: What we know
11. ^ ^{a b c} Clark J, Pear N (1997), "Strange and unexplained phenomena", Visible Ink Press
12. ^ ^{a b} Carroll Robert T, Skeptic's Dictionary: Cattle Mutilation (September 2006)
13. ^ Onet George E, DVM, PhD, Kelleher Colm, PhD, (1997), Histological Changes in Bovine Skin Exposed to Natural Environmental Conditions
14. ^ Costilla County officials probe cattle mutilation (July 22, 2006), Pueblo Chieftain
15. ^ ^{a b} More Cat and Dog Mutilations, (2006), Linda Moulton Howe
16. ^ Life term sought for killer, horse mutilator, Expatica, November 11, 2005
17. ^ Meta Religion.com: Cattle Mutilation, (September 2006)
18. ^ ^{a b c} Mystery Stalks the Prairie (1976), Donovan Roberta, Wolverton Keith, ASIN B0006WH8CA
19. ^ Bromley David G. and Anson Shupe (1981), Strange Gods: The Great American Cult Scare. Boston: Beacon Press, ISBN 0-8070-3256-5
20. ^ Hadden J.K (2002) Cult Group Controversies: Conceptualizing "Anti-Cult" and "Counter-Cult", University of Virginia
21. ^ ^{a b c d} Operation Cattle Mutilation, Section 2, FBI, Released under FOIA
22. ^ Clark J (1999), Unexplained! Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena, 2nd Edition, ISBN 1-57859-070-1
23. ^ Clyde Lewis, To Boldly Spindle and Mutilate (September 2006)
24. ^ Oliphant Charles T(1997), Dead Cows I've Known.
25. ^ Anonymous, Report on Unusual Animal Injuries in Cache County, Utah (2002)
26. ^ Duke Phillip S (1999), The AIDS-ET Connection, Cosmos Press, ISBN 0-931234-01-8
27. ^ Joag S, et al. Animal Model of Mucosally Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Disease. American Society of Microbiology. May 1997, p. 4016-4023.

[edit] 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

[edit] See also

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

[edit] 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.