Background
On May 3, 1997 at approximately 11:30 pm, a NIDS investigator was contacted
regarding a report of an alleged mutilated bull at Arroyo Seco, New Mexico
near Taos. The NIDS investigator met the rancher on the morning of May 4.
According to the rancher, he last saw the 11 month old bull, a Hereford/Charolais
cross, alive on Wednesday, April 30,1997. He discovered the bull dead on
the morning of May 1, 1997 and did not report it until Saturday May 3. The
animal was found in a 4 acre lot adjacent to other acreage which the owners
use for pasture. The area where the animal was found is a populated ranching
area. The rancher explained that he had home bred the young bull and had
raised it from birth. The 115 head of cattle are a residential herd which
have been bred for over 3 generations on the same ranch. He also stated
that his cattle are moved to Tierra Amarilla, NM during the summer. The
rancher informed the NIDS investigator that he never treats with insecticides
and that the only care the animal received was a 7-way vaccine, which includes
protection against blackleg, when he was 3 months old. Therefore, insecticides
and blackleg were provisionally eliminated as causes of death for this animal.
The rancher stated that he had not seen or heard any aircraft flying in
the area around the estimated time of death of the bull. However, other
witnesses testified that they had seen a green light flying in the area
on the night of the bull's death. When the rancher first found the bull
on May 1, 1997 he noticed a hole in the rear of the bull and did not examine
it any further, thinking that it had died from bloat. Later the following
day, the rancher's son noticed a quarter sized hole on the right side of
the animal's neck.
Examination of the Area Surrounding the Bull
Investigation indicated that something had caused turbulence in the area
near the dead animal as cow chips and other debris were overturned. It appeared
that some type of heavy mechanical object had made indentations 150 feet
south of where the bull was found. The absence of other tracks further away
led to the hypothesis that the object had been airborne and had landed near
the animal. Tracks resembling gouge marks, sometimes containing "V" shaped
indentations, proceeded to where the carcass lay. These gouge marks appeared
to emanate from the object to the animal and then returned to the object.
The gouge marks were 5-6" deep in some places and appeared to have uprooted
the grass. The NIDS investigator had seen similar ground markings near a
mutilation in Dulce, New Mexico on April 24, 1978. The animal in that case
was also an 11 month old Hereford/Charolais cross.
Examination of the Animal
The young bull weighing approximately 400 pounds was lying on its left
side facing North at the corner of a 4 acre pasture near the fence. The
tongue was missing, it had been cut out by the root. This was confirmed
by cutting into the back of the mouth. The right eye was missing and a quarter
sized hole on the right side of the neck was seen, which appeared by visible
inspection to contain smooth edges. The margins were consistent with having
been cut with a sharp object. The penis and the testicles were removed through
the rear of the animal and the scrotum was intact. The anus was missing,
but appeared to have been damaged by scavengers. The NIDS investigator then
skinned the area on the neck around the 1'' diameter hole and noticed a
cavity in the underlying tissue of about 5" in diameter. There was charring
on the margins of the hole, the flesh appeared blackened, suggestive of
it having being burnt. In addition, a yellow powdery substance could be
seen in the hole and surrounding it. The bull was rolled over onto its right
side and after completely skinning the left side of the animal severe hemorrhaging
was found on the back and on the left front leg. The hemorrhaging was similar
to two other cases investigated by NIDS in New Mexico: Red River on February
22, 1997 and the Arroyo Hondo, on April 17, 1997. In addition, more of the
yellow powdery substance, which the investigator sampled, was found near
the scrotum area. Due to the extent of the decomposition no tissue samples
were taken. The 5" diameter hole in the neck, although not seen before in
cases investigated in New Mexico, was seen by a Colorado sheriff who informed
the NIDS investigator that it had been discovered in animal mutilations
in Trinidad, CO. Yellow powdery substance of similar appearance had also
been seen by the same sheriff in Colorado.
This preliminary report will be updated as more information becomes available.
Figure 1. Shows a V-shaped track found within 100 feet of the dead
animal. The inner part of the "V" is demarcated by a white strip on the
photograph. The hole in the soil at the end of the left hand arm of the
"V" is approximately 5 inches deep.
Figure 2. The arrow points to a 5" diameter hole in the animal’s deep
neck tissues that corresponded with a 1" hole in the hide.
Figure 3. The hide was removed from the back of the animal. The arrow
points to the extensive hemorrhaging found in the subcutaneous connective
tissue and in the musculary layers. Similar patterns of hemorrhaging have
been found in two other cattle deaths in New Mexico (see text).
