Cattle mutilation refers to the killing and injury of cattle in unusual or strange ways, often without visible blood. Parts that are often missing include the ear, eyeball, jaw tissue, tongue, lymph nodes, genitals, and rectum. Reports of these incidents began in the late 1960s and continued through the 1980s. During this time, many investigations were conducted in the United States to study the cases.

Some of the injuries can be explained by natural decomposition or the actions of animals. Evidence suggests that some deaths may have been caused by organized groups. Others believe that groups, aliens, or mythical creatures like the chupacabra were involved, though these ideas are not proven.

Overview

Reports of cattle mutilations began in 1967, and by 1973, more cases were being reported in groups. While many of these incidents can be explained by natural causes, several pieces of evidence suggest that some cattle mutilations during the 1970s and 1980s may have been caused by planned actions by people. Tests showed some animals were given drugs that made them sleepy. Strange aircraft, described as making a sound similar to a quiet lawn mower, were seen near some sites. Some cattle were found with a chemical that glowed when exposed to bright lights, indicating that certain animals were chosen before the procedure.

Years later, it was discovered that stealth helicopters were secretly developed and used in the early 1970s. Modern writers suggest that these events might have been linked to secret efforts to monitor health threats or to test new weapons.

Early history

The earliest known recorded outbreak of unexplained livestock deaths happened in early 1606 near London and nearby areas. Many sheep were found dead, with their fat and some internal organs removed, while the rest of their bodies and wool remained untouched. People had many guesses about the cause, but most believed it might be related to fireworks. This event was recorded in the official documents of the Court of James I of England. Charles Fort collected many reports about cattle mutilations in England during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Unexplained livestock deaths were not widely known until 1967, when the newspaper Pueblo Chieftain reported a case involving a horse named "Snippy" that was found mysteriously mutilated in Alamosa, Colorado.

On September 9, 1967, Agnes King and her son Harry discovered the body of their three-year-old horse. The horse’s head and neck had been skinned and stripped of flesh, and the body showed cuts that Harry described as very precise. No blood was found at the scene, and a strong medicinal smell was present.

The story was shared by other newspapers and spread across the country. This was the first case where people suggested that alien beings or unidentified flying objects might be connected to the horse’s death. An investigation by Wadsworth Ayer for the Condon Committee concluded that there was no evidence linking the horse’s death to unusual causes.

Alamosa County Sheriff Ben Phillips suggested the horse might have been killed by a lightning strike and did not visit the site. Early news reports incorrectly referred to the horse as "Lady," but Snippy was actually Lady’s father and belonged to Berle Lewis, Nellie’s husband. Later reports mentioned that the horse had been shot in the rump. However, two students from Alamosa State College later admitted to sneaking out to shoot the horse several weeks after the case was publicized.

Cattle mutilations 1973–1980

Many cattle mutilations were reported in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico.

In April 1973, sheriffs in Western Iowa reported sightings of unidentified helicopters linked to cattle and pig theft. In August, similar thefts were reported in Missouri, and authorities warned farmers not to shoot at helicopters.

On June 10, 1973, Cloud County sheriff Fred Modlin warned the public about phone calls from someone claiming to be a USDA official conducting a survey of herd populations. After the USDA denied the survey, Modlin suggested the calls might be from rustlers.

On June 14, a 700-pound heifer was found dead on the Ray Vizner farm near Munden, Kansas. Its right ear was missing, and part of its right rear leg was removed. Republic County sheriff Bob Blecha said the death was not caused by predators. Two weeks later, on June 18, a second cow with a missing right ear was found on the Lowell Darcy farm, 20 miles away. Local news first suggested a "Mad Dog" or "phantom" butcher. On August 9, a third cow was found dead in South County. On August 30, a fourth cow was discovered on the Larry LeBlanc farm in Cloud County, with its right ear again missing.

On October 25, three cows in Harvey County were found with their sex organs removed. On November 15, a dead cow on the Don Peter farm near Munden was reported as the seventh animal killed by the "butcher." The November 22 issue of the Belleville Telescope again mentioned the "Mad Dog Cattle Butcher."

On December 4, 1973, law enforcement, including Modlin, reported a wave of cattle deaths in seven counties across Kansas and Nebraska, with sex organs removed. A meeting to discuss the mutilations was planned. On December 6, a killing on the Lavern Hiner farm in Cloud County was reported as the butcher’s ninth. By December 13, Kansas law enforcement reported investigating 40 mutilations, most near US Highway 81. On December 20, State Senator Ross Doyen reported a cattle mutilation on his ranch.

On December 22, the Kansas Brand Commissioner’s office said most deaths and missing sex organs were due to natural causes, such as predation, "shipping fever," and blackleg. Modlin and others disagreed, saying local ranchers would not harm animals for insurance money.

In April 1974, a Nebraska cow was found mutilated and drained of blood. That month, the North American Newspaper Alliance covered the 1973 mutilations and helicopter sightings.

In May 1974, two mutilations were reported in Mills County, Iowa. An AP story suggested coyotes were responsible. By June 1974, mutilations were reported in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Custer County reported helicopter sightings and armed patrols. On August 14, 1974, Cascade County, Montana’s sheriff’s office received its first report of a mutilated cow.

On August 20, press reported a new detail: A helicopter was spotted hovering 400 feet above a field where a mutilated cow was later found. The helicopter shone a spotlight into the field. The FAA and National Guard said they had no record of helicopters in the area. Knox County sheriff Herbert Thompson said armed civilians began patrols after repeated sightings. Cloud County attorney William Walsh mentioned a jailhouse informant who claimed the mutilations were linked to devil-worshiping cultists. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Brand Inspectors suggested predators might be the cause. Amid the mutilations and drought, Oakland, Nebraska, saw reports of "beast" sightings, as residents feared an unknown nighttime animal. State Sen. John Decamp called for a coordinated investigation. By August 28, 25 mutilations had been reported across five Nebraska counties.

On August 28, a rancher near Hartington said he may have stopped a mutilation when he saw a helicopter above his field. A neighbor called the sheriff, and all three witnesses saw the helicopter and a car shining a spotlight. The next day, a dead cow was found near the spot, but it was not mutilated. Authorities warned the public not to shoot at aircraft. On September 5, officials ordered helicopters to fly above 1,000 feet after a commercial helicopter was shot during a power line inspection.

On September 11, an autopsy showed a supposedly-mutilated cow had died of natural causes, such as bacterial infection. This was the third case disproven by the University of Nebraska’s Department of Veterinary Science. On September 17, over 50 law enforcement officials from 24 counties met in Center, Nebraska, to discuss the mutilations. They dismissed the cult theory and estimated that of 80 cow deaths, about 27 were suspected mutilations.

On September 19, press reported three alleged mutilations in South Dakota: two in Moody County and one in Lake County. Patrols were organized, and farmers were told to check their herds every 12 hours. On September 30, a cow was reported shot, incised, and set on fire with fuel oil. Unlike other cases, body parts were left on site, and no parts were taken.

In the September 30, 1974, issue of Newsweek, the magazine became the first national outlet to cover the mutilations, reporting 100 cattle mutilated in Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa since May.

On October 2, 1974, South Dakota Attorney General Kermit Sande said mutilations had been reported in three counties. A psychiatrist suggested the person responsible might be psychotic. After five mutilations in Day County, a $500 reward was offered.

Some UFO theorists believed cattle mutilations might be linked to flying saucers. On November 15, UFO expert J. Allen Hynek denied any connection.

On December 2, 1974, press reported cattle mutilations in Minnesota: two in Kandiyohi County, six in Swift County, and one in Meeker County. The Meeker cow was reportedly drained of blood. Between 1970 and 1974, 22 mutilations were reported in Minnesota.

In 1975, the Colorado Associated Press named the mutilations the state’s top story. Senator Floyd K. Haskell asked the FBI for help due to public concern, claiming 130 mutilations in Colorado alone and reports in nine states. A 1979 FBI report said New Mexico State Police estimated 8,000 mutilations in Colorado, causing about $1 million in damages.

In January 1975, the Michigan ATF assigned Donald E. Flickinger to investigate possible links to a "Hell-oriented biker gang." In May 1975, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation led by Carl Whiteside.

In October 1975, the New York Times published a story about cattle mutilations in 11 states.

On June

Later incidents

Since the 1967 Snippy incident, many cases of mutilation have been reported worldwide, mainly in the Americas and Australia. In South America, about 3,500 incidents have happened since 2002, with around 400 cases reported that year. Mutilation investigators say that many cases are never reported to officials, with as few as 1 out of 10 being reported.

In 1993, photos were found of a mutilated male human body discovered near the Guarapiranga reservoir near São Paulo, Brazil, in 1988. The victim’s identity was not revealed. Some believed the act was a crime, while others suggested more unusual ideas, such as alien abduction, due to similarities with animal mutilations linked to UFOs. An autopsy report stated the wounds occurred while the person was alive, and the pain caused heart failure. However, another study later said the person died from natural causes.

Characteristics

Cattle deaths caused by natural reasons are very common. In Minnesota, where reports of unusual cattle deaths first began, about 2 million cattle were lost in 1973. That year, ranchers reported many cattle deaths with strange features, such as missing sex organs, udders, tongues, anus, rectum, and sometimes ears or eyes. The cuts on the animals were described as very clean and precise, like surgery. Some animals had no blood near their wounds, even though they had been drained of blood.

According to Howard Burgess, about 90% of the mutilated cattle were between 4 and 5 years old. In some cases, strange marks or imprints were found near the sites of the deaths. In the "Snippy" case, no tracks were found within a 100-foot (30-meter) radius of the dead animal, even the horse’s own tracks disappeared within that area. However, several small holes were found in the ground, and two bushes were completely flattened. In Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in June 1976, a trail of suction cup-like impressions was found leading from a dead cow. The impressions were in a triangular pattern, 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, 28 inches (71 cm) apart, and disappeared 500 feet (150 meters) from the cow. Similar incidents were reported in the area in 1978.

Laboratory tests on some mutilated animals showed unusual levels of vitamins or minerals in their tissues, as well as chemicals not normally found in animals. However, not all mutilated animals showed these changes, and the changes varied between animals. Because of the time between death and examination, and the lack of information about the cattle, investigators often could not determine if these changes were connected to the deaths.

In one case, an 11-month-old crossbreed bull was found mutilated on March 24, 1978. It had typical signs of mutilation, including the removal of the rectum and sex organs with what appeared to be a sharp and precise instrument. Its internal organs did not match what would be expected after a normal death followed by predation. The bull’s heart, bone, and muscle samples were sent to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for testing, while liver samples were sent to two private labs.

Los Alamos found naturally occurring Clostridium bacteria in the heart but could not confirm if the bacteria were present before or after death. No significant tissue changes were found in the heart. The liver samples had no copper and had four times the normal levels of zinc, potassium, and phosphorus. Scientists could not explain these findings. Blood samples at the scene were light pink and did not clot after several days. The animal’s hide was unusually brittle, and the flesh underneath was discolored.

No laboratories could determine the cause of the blood or tissue damage. At the time, some suggested radiation might have been used to kill the animal, but this idea was later dismissed after other samples showed the presence of anti-coagulants.

On July 15, 1974, two unregistered helicopters were reported to have fired at Robert Smith Jr. while he was driving on his farm in Honey Creek, Iowa. This attack followed reports of cattle mutilations in the area and nearby Nebraska. In August 1974, state leaders called for an investigation.

The Lincoln Journal Star reported that residents saw unidentified helicopters shining lights into fields where mutilated cows were later found. Sheriff Herbert Thompson said helicopters were seen nightly, but the FAA and National Guard had no record of such activity. No clear link between the helicopters and the cattle deaths was found.

In New Mexico, police, tribal officers, and game wardens tried to track a mysterious aircraft near Dulce but found it would move whenever they radioed their location. Officers then spoke in Apache, which helped them surround the craft. One officer reported hearing a quiet sound like a lawn mower. By 1975, some ranchers formed groups to patrol their land at night. Authorities warned ranchers not to shoot at survey helicopters, and the National Guard told pilots to fly higher to avoid being fired at.

In 1976, two police officers in Cache County, Utah, reportedly confronted men in an unmarked U.S. Army helicopter at a small airport. After the encounter, cattle mutilations in the area stopped for about five years. This story was first reported in a 2002 article.

On April 8, 1979, three officers in Dulce, New Mexico, reported seeing a mysterious aircraft resembling a military helicopter near a site where 16 cows were allegedly mutilated. Reports of helicopters have been used to explain why some cattle appeared to have been dropped from high places.

Official investigations

The New Mexico Livestock Board asked for help from the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents worked secretly to look into the issue. Oklahoma formed a group of officials to address the problem.

After facing more public questions, federal officials started a detailed investigation into the mysterious cattle deaths.

In January 1975, the Minnesota office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) began its own investigation, led by Agent Donald Flickinger. His task was to check if groups or cults were involved in the cattle deaths.

Flickinger found some strange events and hints of possible connections, but he could not prove that cults were responsible. Media reports said the investigation ended when it was found that the cattle deaths were not part of a plan to harm elected officials. During the investigation, Flickinger arranged for two prison informants to be moved to less-secure places; both later escaped separately. Flickinger ended his investigation by Spring 1975.

In May 1975, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation started an investigation led by Carl Whiteside. Nineteen animals were examined at Colorado State University, but no clear answers were found. A $40,000 reward was offered. The US Bureau of Land Management had to stop using helicopters in Eastern Colorado. By December, the CBI looked into 203 reports of cattle deaths. The CBI investigation ended in Summer 1976 when reports of mutilations dropped.

On June 13, 1976, the New Mexico State Police began an investigation led by Officer Gabe Valdez, with help from Cattle Inspector Jim Dyad and Officer Howard Johnston.

Valdez asked retired scientist Howard Burgess from Sandia National Laboratories for help. On July 5, Burgess and Valdez checked the Gomez herd and found five animals marked with a chemical that glowed under special light.

On June 14, 1981, intact radar chaff was found near a dead cow on the Gomez ranch.

This investigation reported that some animals were given drugs to calm them and prevent blood from clotting before being harmed. It also said that the methods used during the mutilations seemed more skilled over time. However, the officers could not find who was responsible or why the attacks happened.

Despite requests from US Senator Haskell, the FBI refused to investigate, saying there was no proof that the attacks crossed state lines, so federal authority was not involved. Instead, a state-led investigation was funded by the New Mexico District Attorney's office.

Starting in May 1979, an investigation was funded with a $44,170 grant (equal to $195,900 in 2025) from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. It was led by former FBI agent Kenneth Rommel. The investigation had five goals:

• To check if the information about the grant was accurate by collecting details about past cases in New Mexico.
• To find the causes of as many cattle deaths as possible, especially those in New Mexico.
• To decide if the cattle deaths were a major problem for law enforcement.
• If the deaths were a major problem, to describe the problem’s size and suggest ways to address it.
• If the deaths were not a major problem, to recommend that no more money be spent on investigations.

Rommel’s final report, published in June 1980, was 297 pages long. He wrote that by 1979, about 10,000 cattle had been mysteriously harmed. However, the report said most deaths were caused by natural predators, though some cases had unexplained details. The FBI could not find anyone responsible for the attacks. Information about the investigation is now available through the Freedom of Information Act. Released documents show Rommel said many reliable sources believed the damage was caused by normal animals like predators and scavengers.

Gabe Valdez, a New Mexico State Patrol officer who had looked into many cases, told investigator Christopher O’Brien that during the time Rommel was working on the investigation, the area (especially the northern part of the state) became quiet, with few or no real cases reported. Valdez believed Rommel never saw a real case because the attackers moved to other regions. Rommel, a former FBI expert on bank robberies, avoided looking at dead cows and let others do the work while he waited in a car.

In Western Canada, the situation was especially bad during this time. RCMP officer Lyn Lauber of the Calgary detachment, who led the Canadian investigation, looked into many cases. When Rommel’s report was released, Lauber told investigator Tommy Bland that it was hard to understand how Rommel could make such a statement without seeing a real case. Lauber also said he wished Rommel would admit that the confirmed cases were not caused by predators.

Conventional explanations

Many people have different ideas about why cattle mutilations happen. Some believe the animals died from natural causes, such as predators, while others think unknown people intentionally harmed them.

On April 20, 1979, C Hibbs from the New Mexico State Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory spoke at a hearing led by Senator Harrison Schmitt. Hibbs said that mutilations could be grouped into three types: natural causes like predator attacks, harm caused by people who act in unusual or harmful ways, or injuries from sharp tools.

While some unusual theories have been suggested, scientists, veterinarians, and people who work with animals, such as farmers, often explain the mutilations as natural events. These include predator attacks, parasites, and scavengers.

Missing or damaged areas like the mouth, lips, anus, and genitalia are explained by:
– Skin shrinking and splitting due to dehydration.
– Small animals or parasites entering the body through thin skin.

Missing eyes and soft organs are explained by:
– Insects like blowflies and birds like vultures feeding on the eyes and entering the body through the mouth or anus.

The lack of blood is explained by:
– Blood collecting in the lowest parts of the body and breaking down.
– Blood outside the body being eaten by insects or drying up in the sun.

Surgical-like cuts on the skin are explained by:
– Skin stretching and splitting after death due to bloating or shrinking from dehydration.
– Scavengers or predators causing cuts, which may look similar to surgical ones.

Scientists have tested these ideas. In one experiment, a dead cow was left in a field for 48 hours. The cow’s skin stretched and split, matching the cuts seen on other mutilated animals. Blowflies and maggots also damaged the cow’s soft tissues, similar to what is seen in mutilations.

Other experiments compared how surgical cuts and predator-caused damage change over time. These showed clear differences between the two.

Some ranchers disagree with the idea that natural causes explain all mutilations. They say the animals were healthy and strong, making them unlikely targets for predators. In some cases, the animals were among the healthiest in their herds.

Some people think cattle mutilations are caused by two separate events. Most are the result of natural causes, like predation. Others are the work of people who harm animals for pleasure or sexual reasons. These individuals have attacked large animals like cows and horses.

In 1997, researcher Charles T. Oliphant suggested that some mutilations might be linked to secret research on diseases in cattle that could spread to humans.

Biochemist Colm Kelleher studied some mutilations and believed they were part of a secret U.S. government effort to track diseases like mad cow disease. He noted that the way organs were removed from the cattle matched methods used by scientists to monitor disease spread. Kelleher also said that sedatives and formaldehyde were found on some mutilated cattle, and scavengers avoided the carcasses, which matched government practices.

In 2014, Greg Valdez wrote a book based on his father’s files. He said his father never believed aliens were involved and thought the government was responsible. Valdez suggested the mutilations were part of a government test to study the effects of radiation from a 1967 nuclear test called Project Gasbuggy.

In the 1970s, a man named Edwards claimed the government was testing cattle parts to create biological weapons for use in Vietnam. He wrote to a senator about this and later disappeared. He reappeared in the 1990s under a new name, Dr. David Ellsworth, and worked on a language program in Mexico.

People who support the idea that the government tested weapons point to an event in 1968 when 6,000 sheep were killed during chemical weapons testing. The Army denied responsibility until 1998.

Other explanations

Some people have suggested that cattle mutilations were caused by satanic cults, aliens, or mythical creatures. Historian Michael J. Goleman has said that disagreements between ranchers and the federal government may have led to these strange theories.

A theory related to the idea that individuals with unusual behavior caused the mutilations is the belief that organized groups, such as cults, were responsible. Unlike the idea that individuals acted alone and randomly, the cult theory suggests that these acts were planned and part of rituals.

In July 1975, reporter Dane Edwards wrote about cattle mutilations and investigated the idea that a cult was involved. However, when the theory was traced back to a federal prisoner and no cult members were found, ranchers and law enforcement looked for other explanations.

People who support the cult theory believe that:
– The lack of blood at some sites might mean cult members collected it.
– Organs were taken from cattle for rituals.
– Unborn calves were removed from injured animals.

The cult theory became popular in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s, a time when people were worried about groups like the Peoples Temple and concerns about ritual abuse.

During this time, some people reported seeing groups of people in dark clothing near mutilation sites. For example, a forestry worker in Idaho saw people in black robes, and the next day, cattle were found injured nearby. Another time, a driver saw 15 masked people blocking a road in Idaho.

Law enforcement in several states, including Alberta, Idaho, Montana, and Iowa, reported some evidence that linked cults to cattle mutilations. However, the FBI and ATF could not find proof that the mutilations were part of rituals or organized actions. They could not explain why or how a group would perform the actions described in some animal autopsies, nor could they confirm if the strange findings were connected to the mutilations or caused by humans.

In many cases, the causes of the mutilations were not clear. Some were ruled as natural causes, while others were too decayed to study. Some claims were found to be false, such as a prisoner who lied to get better prison conditions or high school students who spread rumors as a joke.

Since 1967, reports of unidentified flying objects were linked to UFOs and flying saucers. In 1974, farmers in Nebraska said they saw UFOs on the nights their cattle were hurt. These sightings were seen as possible evidence of alien life. In 1980, journalist Linda Moulton Howe made a documentary called A Strange Harvest, claiming that cattle mutilations were connected to aliens, based on information from a person named "Rick Doty."

A 2013 documentary called Mirage Men suggested that the U.S. military may have created stories about UFOs to hide secret projects. The book Mirage Men, published in 2010, describes how in 1979, government officials met with UFO researchers, including Paul Bennewitz, who was investigating cattle mutilations. The documentary claims that government agents may have started watching Bennewitz closely after this meeting.

By 1988, Bennewitz claimed his wife controlled aliens. After he tried to lock himself in his home with sandbags, his family took him to a mental health facility, where he stayed for a month.

In 1989, UFO writer William Moore said he tried to trick Bennewitz into a mental breakdown by giving him false alien information. A declassified CIA document later said Moore and an Air Force officer named Richard Doty were involved in spreading false information about Bennewitz.

In 1990, a book called Out There: The Government's Secret Quest for Extraterrestrials by Howard Blum described how the government used fake documents to mislead Bennewitz.

Some folklore says that cattle mutilations were caused by creatures like the chupacabra. In 1966, John Keel, the author of Mothman, studied animal mutilations in Ohio with another researcher, Ivan T. Sanderson.

In popular culture

In 1982, researcher David Perkins wrote a book called Altered Steaks about the topic. In 1984, Bantam Books published a book titled Mute Evidence by journalists Daniel Kagan and Ian Summers. In 2014, Christopher O'Brian wrote a book named Stalking the Herd.

The 1977 British television show Alternative 3, which imitates a documentary, connected cattle mutilations to a made-up plan to move livestock to secret military bases on the Moon and Mars.

In the 1985 movie Spies Like Us, Dan Aykroyd plays a spy who pretends to be an alien to trick a Soviet missile crew. His character translates a Soviet story about aliens from a silver disk who examined an ox. In the 1992 movie Sneakers, Aykroyd appears as a person who believes in secret plans and connects aliens to cattle mutilations. The TV series The X-Files had episodes titled "Eve" and "Irresistible" that mentioned cattle mutilations. In Dulce, New Mexico, and other places, people have added drawings of UFOs to signs that warn about cattle crossing roads. The 1997 first episode of South Park, titled Cartman Gets an Anal Probe, mentioned UFOs and aliens being linked to cattle mutilations. The 2022 movie Nope includes a flying machine that eats livestock. The 2025 album Bloodless by Samia uses the idea of cattle mutilations as a general theme.