Six cows were discovered dead and mutilated in Texas with their tongues cut out and genitals removed, a local sheriff’s office says.
Ranchers discovered a mutilated six-year-old longhorn-cross cow alongside a state highway, according to an April 20 press release from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Her tongue was excised with “apparent precision” and “completely removed from the body with no blood spill.”
There were five other similar incidents along the same stretch of highway, the sheriff’s office said. Five other cows were left on their sides with their cut jawline exposed and tongues “completely removed.” Two of the cows were discovered with a precise circular cut where the anus and external genitalia had been cut out, according to the press release.
In all six cases, there were no footprints or disturbances in the grass around the bodies. “No predators or birds would scavenge the remains for several weeks after death,” the press release reads. (RELATED: Meat Industry Takes Heavy Hit As Up To 10,000 Cattle Die From ‘Heat And Humidity’ In Kansas).
Other similar cases have been reported throughout the country, the sheriff’s office said, and the department is collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to investigate.
Five bulls were found dead in Oregon in 2019 with their tongues and genitalia removed, the Associated Press (AP) reported at the time. The discovery led Colby Marshall, vice president of the ranch that owned the bulls, to speculate local “cult” involvement, according to the outlet.
A wave of mysterious cattle deaths hit the western and mid-western United States in the 1970s, causing panic among ranchers, AP reported. The animals’ tongues, genitals, ears and eyes were often cut off with the same precision reportedly found in the Texas cases. Over 10,000 cases were reported by the end of the 70s, according to JSTOR Daily. A former FBI agent responsible for heading the investigation on tribal lands said natural predators were most likely responsible for the wave of mysterious deaths, according to AP.
The phenomenon reportedly remains unsolved, and authorities are still investigating the cause of death for all six cattle in Texas.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately available for comment regarding the recent cattle deaths and ongoing investigation.