Who said Cattle Mutilations have stopped being reported?

[stonehart]

Yes. There have been quite a number of well-documented cases. The earliest I can find was from 1902. Here is an excerpt from the soon-to-be released Stalking the Herd:]
Australian researcher Michael Smith has spent considerable time researching newspapers for odd bits of mutilation-related arcana and he has uncovered a number of intriguing, early unexplained livestock death reports worthy of consideration. One article, from the October 18, 1902 edition of the Brisbane Courier, may be the oldest documented Australian cattle mutilation case on record:

'Reports have been received from the country at various times of cattle having been found with their tongues cut out, and the supposition has been that this mutilation has been inflicted by swagsmen and travelers [sic], who have come across the beasts dying from thirst and starvation, and have brutally cut out the tongues to secure a meal.

'The Chief Inspector of Police has, however, received a report from a mounted police patrol, which gives a much happier solution. This man, it appears, had been called in by a station-owner who had found quite a number of his cattle lying about dead with the tongues cut out it was noticed in each case that there were no marks of the animals having been shot or otherwise killed, though dead when found. Several had perished in creeks and gully holes.

'An examination of the heads showed that the tongues had not been removed in the ordinary way, through the gullet, but had been drawn through the jaws. It was also noticed that the lips and nose had in most cases been gnawed. One beast, apparently only just dead, was found with the tongue protruding through the teeth, and one-half of the member gone (sic). Returning, the next day the police officer saw that the whole tongue had disappeared, and from his observations he came to the conclusion that in this and the other cases, which had come under his notice, either Iguanas or bush rats were responsible for the mutilation of the bodies. Consultation with an experienced stockman in the same locality confirmed this.'

More modern Australia cases will be scrutinized later on, but some of our best-referenced pre-Snippy mutilation reports have occurred “down under.”

Thank you Chris.

I was just curious to see if there had been any down here.. but all the way back to 1902! .. I am looking forward to reading the whole book.

Thanks again

 

[pixelsmith]

I have seen deer with the same "mutilations" as these cows you all talk about. They look like all the other decaying and scavenged animals I have run across while in the woods.. they all get their tongues, eyes, anuses, etc eaten first... every one of them. To be honest I think the mutilation aspect is bullshit.

 

[stonehart]

I have seen deer with the same "mutilations" as these cows you all talk about. They look like all the other decaying and scavenged animals I have run across while in the woods.. they all get their tongues, eyes, anuses, etc eaten first... every one of them. To be honest I think the mutilation aspect is bullshit.

Don't sugar coat it pixel

 

[pixelsmith]

Don't sugar coat it pixel

so are all these woodland creatures getting mutilated like their domesticated friends?

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

I have seen deer with the same "mutilations" as these cows you all talk about. They look like all the other decaying and scavenged animals I have run across while in the woods.. they all get their tongues, eyes, anuses, etc eaten first... every one of them. To be honest I think the mutilation aspect is bullshit.

I agree that a sizeable percentage of cases are unusual-appearing scavenger action, but NOT ALL cases can be explained. We'll see if my book will force you to re-think your outright sniffy dismissal.

 

[stonehart]

I agree that a sizeable percentage of cases are unusual-appearing scavenger action, but NOT ALL cases can be explained. We'll see if my book will force you to re-think your outright sniffy dismissal.

As I have said this is an area of the paranormal that I have very little knowledge in so I keep a neutral stance on its validity... but I am interested to read about the subject.
Roll on the book release I say

 

[pixelsmith]

I agree that a sizeable percentage of cases are unusual-appearing scavenger action, but NOT ALL cases can be explained. We'll see if my book will force you to re-think your outright sniffy dismissal.

400 pages is a lot of reading. I hope there are lots of pictures. I assume you got a dead cow, laid it in a field with cameras on it for a couple weeks... you did do that didn't you?

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

400 pages is a lot of reading. I hope there are lots of pictures. I assume you got a dead cow, laid it in a field with cameras on it for a couple weeks... you did do that didn't you?

Yes, I have observed the entire scavenging process many times, and scientific papers have been done on this very topic. Like I said (and you ignored) a sizable percentage of so-called cattle mutilations are unusual-appearing scavenger action, but NOT ALL. Just because you think you have an easy one-size-fits all answer, doesn't mean you are right. There is plenty of scientific evidence that proves such casual, uninformed and dismissive opinions to be wrong in a surprising number of cases. 400 pages is too much for you? That speaks volumes .

 

[Wade]

400 pages is too much for you? That speaks volumes .

Ziiiiinnnnggggg !

 

[pixelsmith]

Yes, I have observed the entire scavenging process many times, and scientific papers have been done on this very topic. Like I said (and you ignored) a sizable percentage of so-called cattle mutilations are unusual-appearing scavenger action, but NOT ALL. Just because you think you have an easy one-size-fits all answer, doesn't mean you are right. There is plenty of scientific evidence that proves such casual, uniformed and dismissive opinions to be wrong in a surprising number of cases. 400 pages is too much for you? That speaks volumes.

I don't mind the zing.. I zinged first. Chris, I didn't ignore anything... I just figured you would conduct your own new field test for the book. And yes 400 pages is a lot of reading about cow mutilations which I am skeptical about it being anything paranormal or unnatural.... unless you have pictures too, I like pictures..

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

Stalking the Herd is about much more than "cattle mutilations." It looks at this so-called mystery objectively in a big picture context: cultural, religious and environmental, scientific, etc.
I will be hard pressed to do this in only 400 pages. And yes the book will have plenty of pictures, a color section as well. I don't need to conduct any field tests—they've already been done by scientists, law enforcement and other researchers. But, if you have a spare dead cow around, I'd be happy to help set it up in your back yard and videotape the fun and carnage. We should probably do it downwind from the house...

Here's the working PR blurb:
The Cattle Mutilation phenomenon is an on-going mystery that has endured for almost 50 years, and no definitive book has been written about this subject in over 25 years. What have we learned, if anything—countless reports later? Who or what is behind the death and disfigurement of livestock reported as mutilated around the globe?


Stalking the Herd is the first objective, in-depth examination and analysis of this controversial, multi-layered mystery and this book scrutinizes the various explanations that have been proposed over the years. Are the skeptics correct? Are these unexplained livestock deaths only due to predators and scavengers? Or is the military—government somehow involved monitoring “mad-cow”? Is it ritual “cultists” as some of the evidence would suggest? Or could it be ETs as some have proposed? Are aliens gathering genetic material for unknown purposes?


Regardless of who is responsible, what are the motivations behind perpetrating what may be the greatest unsolved serial crime spree of all time?


Stalking the Herd addresses these questions in-depth and also offers an objective look at the history of our incestuous, venerated relationship with cattle; domesticated 12,500 years ago from a single herd of 80 aurocks. Is there a connection between these ritualistic cattle deaths and humankind’s ancient practice of animal sacrifice? Why are there no Brahman cattle mutilations cases—not a single one? Especially in India’s 275 million cattle where Brahman cattle are revered to this day? And what about the thousands of pound of scientific forensic evidence that has been analyzed? What does the scientific evidence suggest?


Christopher O’Brien has devoted 20 years investigating and researching hundreds of these unexplained livestock deaths and, if some are real, assessing the potential implications for humanity. With the help of a handful of unsung “mutologist” proto-scientific pioneers, O’Brien has synthesized an insightful explanation that may help explain this puzzling mystery— a mystery that may have profound cultural, environmental and health implications for our rapidly-growing beef-eating culture.

 

[Tyger]

I don't mind the zing.. I zinged first. Chris, I didn't ignore anything... I just figured you would conduct your own new field test for the book. And yes 400 pages is a lot of reading about cow mutilations which I am skeptical about it being anything paranormal or unnatural.... unless you have pictures too, I like pictures..

I have to say, I like pictures, too - but not of cow mutilations. This is a case of Christopher O'Brien being in a win-some-lose-some, because I will not read a book on this subject that has 'lots of pictures'. Grf.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

I have to say, I like pictures, too - but not of cow mutilations. This is a case of Christopher O'Brien being in a win-some-lose-some, because I will not read a book on this subject that has 'lots of pictures'. Grf.

Most of the "pictures" will document human's relationship w/ cattle. From the Tassili cave paintings of robed, jewelry adorned cattle in 4000 BC to modern day Indian women wet-nursing orphan cattle w/ their own milk. There are a ton of very revealing images that show the depth and history of our symbiotic dysfunctional relationship w/ bovines. Bullfighter, rodeo clowns, early macDonald's ads, etc. Of course, there will be a lot of maps and graphs and scientific reports, etc

 

[toxicsurf]

Stalking the Herd is about much more than "cattle mutilations." It looks at this so-called mystery objectively in a big picture context: cultural, religious and environmental, scientific, etc.
.

But will you sign the book and include a sticker?

 

[pixelsmith]

Thanks for the additional information Chris. It sounds really interesting and I would read it. The additional photos sound awesome and not just your typical mutilated cow photos.

btw- I do have access to a cow (or a horse) when it dies and a place to video tape it as it gets mutilated.

 

[Randall]

Overnight Die-off of Elk in New Mexico
September 2013

@Christopher O'Brien ... Any comments?​

 

[pickles]

Why are there no Brahman cattle mutilations cases—not a single one? Especially in India’s 275 million cattle where Brahman cattle are revered to this day?

This is actually pretty fascinating. Cultures always have a reason for why they exalt something, whether it's animals, an individual or an event. This fact has relevance and it would be interesting to investigate it further.

 

[Randall]

Why are there no Brahman cattle mutilations cases—not a single one? Especially in India’s 275 million cattle where Brahman cattle are revered to this day?

This is actually pretty fascinating. Cultures always have a reason for why they exalt something, whether it's animals, an individual or an event. This fact has relevance and it would be interesting to investigate it further.

I can offer a couple of contributing factors for your consideration.

• Brahman cattle aren't as revered as you might think.
• India has an entirely different distribution of cattle and humans than in North America

Here is a related article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/world/asia/cow-thefts-on-the-rise-in-india.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The above reveals some relevant considerations, most notably that the cows in India tend to be scrawny animals that roam around a heavily populated landscape and are more likely to get rustled by the underground cattle market than mutilated and left for dead, and those that do keel over probably don't last long before they're noticed and hauled away. In contrast, the pickings in North America are in remote areas with a very low population density and therefore targeting them is a much less risky business. Which would you choose? The answer is obvious, and it seems that religious or cultural factors need not play any significant role.

 

[Wade]

Brazilian Meatpacker JBS Wrangles the U.S. Beef Industry - Businessweek