Cattle mutilations have been reported in the press for over a century. In the 1960s and ’70s, so many accounts of mysteriously mutilated cattle were reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation got involved. Theories abound on who, or what, is responsible for the cattle found with sex organs and other body parts removed — sometimes with surgical precision, and with no visible bullet wounds or tracks surrounding them.
Though federal officials closed the case and claimed that nothing other than typical predation caused the deaths, local cattle experts widely disagree. In at least one case, mutilated cattle were found propped up in unnatural positions.
In the past few years, more and more accounts have been reported in Oregon’s cattle lands. Below is a map of recent reports in the state: