Oregon: Bizarre deaths of bulls remind of infamous 1970s mutilation

Bulls in the Oregon region have been dying under mysterious circumstances. Ranch management and law enforcement have serious doubts that humans are behind the killing of bulls. The management has been adviced to walk in groups or pairs and to carry arms with them for protection. The first one was found dead in a timbered ravine in eastern Oregon with no sign that it might have got shot or attacked or eaten a poisonous plant. Over the next few days, 4 more Hereford bulls died in the same circumstances. No evidence or hints were available to detect what is causing the deaths. 

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Theories on the mutilation

Since the deaths of bulls in the month of July, many people have reached to Harney County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Jenkins making their guesses on who might have caused harm to the animals. There are various theories like carrion bugs eating them, humans attacking bulls in order to cause monetary harm to ranchers. A theory even indicated that the bulls have been taken into a spaceship, mutilated and then dropped to the earth's surface again. Jenkins said that the state police are helping them in the investigation but it is not going anywhere because of a lack of witnesses or evidence.

“If anyone has concrete information or knows of any cases that have been solved in the past, that would definitely be helpful,” Jerkins said. 

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The Vice president of the Silvies Valley Ranch Colby Marshall who owned the bulls says, “We think that this crime is being perpetrated by some sort of a cult”. He even doubts that it is an attack on the ranch that has a staff of 75 people coming from local communities. Marshall says he suspects that the animals are being killed to take their organs. He also said that there are no signs of scavengers removing organs but the use of a knife or any other object to remove them. “To lose a completely healthy animal would be an oddity,” Marshall said. “To lose five young, very healthy, in great shape, perfect bulls that are all basically the same age ... that is so outside the bounds of normal activity.” The deputy Dan Jerkins also has a theory like this. He said, “Personally, I would lean more toward the occult, where people for whatever reason, whether it’s a phase of the moon or whatever rituals they’re going to do with their beliefs, are coming to different areas and doing that,”. Rewards are being offered to receive information on the mutilation.

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The 1970s mutilations

These cases take back to the mutilations of cattle and other animals back in the 1970s in the West and Midwest which scared everybody in the rural areas. The animals were found dead with their reproductive organs taken off and even some parts of their faces sometimes. The incidents were occurring in the region from Minnesota to New Mexico. The breeders started carrying arms with them at that time. Some people reported that they could hear helicopters at the crime site. A lot of US senators requested the FBI to look into the matter as per some of the FBI documents. The FBI who initially said that it lacked jurisdiction agreed to solve the cases of tribal lands. The crimes stopped after a while and former FBI agent Kenneth Rommel who was heading the investigation team said that no signs were found in the cases which leads to a theory that local predators were responsible for the act. Such cases raised since then and in the 1980s cows died and were mutilated in eastern Oregon. 
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(With inputs from AP)