by Sheryl Gottschall © 2024
Every field of endeavor has its controversies, and UFO research is no different. The question of the alien agenda has loomed over us for decades as “aliens” have infiltrated our homes and crossed our personal boundaries for a long time. Not all alien interactions are as benign as some would have us believe. The truth is there are indeed disturbing aspects to some UFO related encounters and one of those is the animal mutilation mystery which has been reported to have occurred throughout the world in Canada, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Canary Islands, Europe, the United States, and our own backyard in Australia.
Early Australian Reports
In 1892 a small article appeared in a Brisbane newspaper entitled “Horse Mutilation”. The article stated that a pony owned by Mr J. Back of Horseshoe Bend, was mutilated so badly it subsequently died. When discovered early on a Sunday morning the animal was dead and foul play was not suspected until the body was about to be removed and it was discovered it had received two cuts on the cheek and one on the neck. The floor of its stable was covered in blood and four inches of its tongue had been removed. (1)
In another news article dated 18 October 1902, it stated that reports of cattle being found with their tongues cut out had been received from various country regions. It was supposed that the mutilations had been inflicted by swagmen and travelers who had come across the beasts dying from thirst and starvation, and brutally cut out the tongues to secure a meal. The Chief Inspector of Police received a report from a mounted police patrol by a station owner who had found quite a number of his cattle lying about with their tongues also cut out. It was noticed in each case there were no signs on the animals having been shot or otherwise killed.
It was concluded that iguanas or bush rats were responsible for the missing tongues, a view supported by stockmen. However, since these reports emerged around the turn of the century, when the concept of alien life was not widely considered nor that it could be involved with animal mutilations, these cases could have been easily misinterpreted and their potential true nature overlooked. (2)
The Pinkney Reports
Cattle mutilations began to be reported more readily by Australian stockmen from the 1960s where their cattle were found stripped of flesh and the animals brains and sex organs bloodlessly removed. The late Australian journalist and author, John Pinkney, was an early reporter of these incidents and on one occasion he wrote about a stock hand who was “confronted with several incidents of mutilation raids.” The stockman said on this occasion while mustering, he’d seen weird orange coloured lights hovering over some of the cattle for about 25 seconds. The next day when he checked he found five of the cattle dead and cut up cleanly as if with a surgeon’s scalpel. The stockman believed it was UFOs that had stalked animals in the Julia Creek, Richmond and Winton areas causing these horrific deaths. (3)
Above: author John Pinkney
FBI Investigations in the US
The small number of reported Australian cases had also emerged in the United States around the same time, beginning in the US mid west on many small-scale cattle ranches. Law enforcement reported a wave of cattle mutilations in seven counties and within weeks, 38 reports of mutilations spread across 11 counties.
One of the earliest and most well-known cases occurred in 1967 in Alamosa, Colorado, involving a horse. The horse was found with its head and neck skinned, and the internal organs seemingly removed with surgical precision. Within 24 hours of the incident, in which the animal’s brain, lungs, heart and thyroid were cleanly cut out, it was reported that local superior court judge Charles Bennett witnessed three orange rings in the sky flying in a triangular formation at incredible speeds. Two sheriff’s deputies, meanwhile, reported being followed around by a floating orange globe. This case set the stage for many similar reports in the following years, leading to widespread speculation and fear.
FBI reports increased and in 1975 the FBI undertook an investigationproducing a report four years later which stated there had been an estimated 8,000 mutilations in Colorado alone. In most cases, mutilation wounds appeared to be clean and carried out surgically which was now also being recognized by Australian farmers. Mutilated animals were sometimes] reported to have been drained of blood and showed no sign of blood in the immediate area or around their wounds. One of the strange features that appeared was that often no flies were found swarming around the carcasses. Curiously in many cases, the animals were found with all of their blood drained. Numerous investigations were also conducted by law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, and independent researchers adding that sometimes strange lights were seen around the area where the carcasses were found.
The FBI report concluded that most cases were likely the result of natural predators. However, the report did not satisfy many who had witnessed the mutilations first hand. In recent years, some investigations have turned up new evidence, such as high levels of radiation around mutilation sites or unusual chemical residues on the animals. Despite these findings, there has been no definitive answer and the mystery persists. (4)
Back to Australia – New South Wales
During a two year period in the late 1970s, farmers found cows randomly andmysteriously mutilated and slaughtered. Barry Patch stated in a media interview that he found about thirty of his cattle, most which were about to calve, with their udders, tongues, ears, muzzles and jowls removed. An examination by the local vet was conducted but the actual cause of death of the animals was not determined. The vet found no evidence of bullet wounds, stab marks, needle punctures, poisons or snake bites to cause their death. He further stated that the tissue removed from the bone was done far more cleanly than with a knife. The farmer found some of his animals, “still had mouthfuls of grass and it was as if the animals had come to an absolute stop with instant death and no signs of a struggle”.
Above: Australian Farmer Stewart Graham (Image credit Today Tonight TV show)
The spate of mutilations that occurred near Casino were kept fairly quiet with police never unraveling the mystery. However, this was far from the first time the grizzly discoveries had surfaced in the region. Farmer and army veteran, Stewart Graham, stated in a media interview that years earlier in the late 1950s and early sixties, just a stone’s throw from the town of Lismore, an unsettling pattern had begun to emerge and farmers were poised to set up vigilante groups to guard their cattle against the same unseen threat.
Other reports included farmer, Heather Smith, who lost three of her cattle, finding them dead with their ears cut off, tongues cut out, tails cut off, and their udders removed, again, all with no sign of a struggle or blood. Farmer John Osborne lost 10 of his cattle too.
Above: Australian Farmer Heather Smith. (Image credit Today Tonight TV show)
The collective memory of the residents of the valley was of two dozen animals killed, and always being found with the same parts being removed. (5)
Victoria
In 2021, Victorian UFO researcher, Ben Hurle, received a report from a doctor who was walking on his neighbour’s property when he saw a cow lying on the ground. The animal was dead and had been cut around the mouth and the rear with something very sharp. The animal was discovered on a hill in an isolated location, with no animal or human tracks observed around or near it or any scuff marks caused the mutilated animal itself. The doctor who made the gruesome discovery thought the animal had been dead for about one week. When the doctor spoke to his neighbor, the neighbor said another cow had died on the property in a similar way. (6)
Far North Queensland
In early April, 2007 a man had travelled north to the Cape York Peninsula area looking for aircraft parts left over from WW2. He’d been scouting around the Lakeland Downs, Kowanyama and Hopevale Mission areas with some friends when he came across a large bull and two calves that were laying on the ground dead. Their cheeks had been cut away, their eyes had been cut out, parts of their ears, testicles, and stomach bag were missing, the top of a rear leg, and the backside was also removed. In various places the hair of the animals had also been peeled back.
All the observable cuts had been done with something cauterising the wounds that left no traces of blood anywhere. Although flies were buzzing around the carcasses it seemed that decay had not yet set in. The man thought that either the wounds had only recently occurred or the decaying process had been delayed somehow.
On inspection, the area around the animals was not disturbed and he could find no sign of a struggle nor any footprints in the area. The man had spent 24 years in the army being stationed in Cambodia, Namibia, Timor and Phnom Pen witnessing many types of wounds caused to flesh by all manner of weapons, but at no time had he ever seen any wounds that matched those inflicted on these animals. Added to this, he felt extremely uneasy and apprehensive being near the animals, as if something didn’t “feel right”.
The witness also met a sheep shearer who told him the story of a similar occurrence around 1948 to 1950. During this time the Vestey Meat Company grazed cattle in the area to provide meat for the guests of P&O cruise ships. Reports had been made to the company that 50 to 60 of their cattle stock had been found dead in the same area. Consequently, personnel had been sent to investigate and these investigators found the cattle had similar wounds inflicted on them caused by unknown causes.
Later on his trip the witness visited the Cape York Hotel in Queensland and was informed by locals that the indigenous population in that region knew about the animal mutilations not just performed on cattle but on kangaroos as well. The aboriginal people believed they were caused by the “spirit men” who walked among them. Consequently there are areas in the region that the aboriginal people will not travel near or through. (7)
Ipswich, Queensland
Farmer Chris Hughes, found two of his prize bullocks dead on his farm near Ipswich, west of Brisbane. Their muzzle was cut out, one ear removed, the tongue was cut out and their hind quarters were gutted on the inside. When shown photographs of mutilated cattle found in the United States, he confirmed the injuries to be identical to what he had found with his animals, particularly around the mouth area of the beasts. (8)
Above: Mutilated US animal photograph shown to Chris Hughes. (Image credit Today Tonight TV show)
Mackay Region
On 30 March 2023, UFO Research Queensland was contacted by a journalist from the Mackay Daily Mercury newspaper working on a story regarding a mutilated cow found on a graziers property near Eungella west of Mackay in Queensland. The report had come to light after the Mackay Daily News contacted the property owners, Judy and Mick Cook for an update on a previous animal mutilation report by them that occurred in on their property in 2018, where they had discovered one of their animals with its entire udder, ears and tongue removed, also with no blood and no signs of a struggle. (9)
The 2023 article stated that over a period of 18 years, the graziers had discovered 20 dead cows on their property with organs removed with surgical precision and without a trace of blood left at the scene. After inspecting the animals the local veterinarian commented that in his 40 years working in the industry, often with livestock, he had never heard or seen anything like it. (10)
On 4 April 2023, facilitated by the Daily Mercury reporter, I called Mick Cook to talk to him about these animal mutilations. Mick told me that his recent grizzly find of a mutilated cow actually occurred 12 months previously, and when he was near it he could smell a strange overpowering chemical aroma emitting from the dead beast. Having lived on farms all his life, Mick was familiar with the different chemicals used, particularly those of DDT in times gone by, plus the chemicals added to plunge dips that cattle are waded through to prevent and eradicate cattle fever ticks. Mick had personally experienced the effects of strong chemicals emitted into the surrounding air and how they can sting the skin, which was the case with this latest dead beast which had its tongue, jowl, one ear, testicles and anus removed, and emitting the effects of strong chemicals on Mick’s face.
Sometime later Mick returned to inspect the dead beast and found that it hadn’t been touched by predators, in fact, there were no marks on the ground or near the body including any animal tracks. The local wildlife had apparently stayed clear of making contact with the now rotting and disintegrating animal, although flies did swarm over the carcass. The other strange thing he noted was that there was a black substance now oozing from its hooves.
Mick stated to me that mutilated cattle had been found on surrounding properties including the Mt Dalrymple area, but property owners had been very hesitant to come forward to talk about their own losses of steers, bullocks and cows. Mick also stated that he and his wife Judy had often observed strange lights in the sky some kilometres from their property which descended to below the horizon. These mysterious lights were different colours and came down in rough country that, in Mick’s opinion, was impossible to access.
On the question of which animals were the most prevalent found in the deceased, Mick reported there were probably more female than male cattle found mutilated but there was no prominent breed that seemed to be selected. Mick is convinced that whatever had been targeting his cattle was not of earthly origin. (11)
Tasmania
On 16 March 2023, a decapitated wallaby was reportedly found on a vacant property at Margate, 20 klms south of Hobart, Tasmania, which led to concern among residents.
The image appeared online and some thought the remains looked too clean for an animal attack, and that most predators would have eaten the head. Another suggestion was that humans could have been responsible. A series of mutilated animals were found in the area with another decapitated found nearby on 27 February.
Veteran Tasmanian ecologist Nick Mooney gave a detailed assessment of the image but said it would be a “struggle” to determine whether the animal had been scavenged or killed without examining the body and surrounding landscape.
Ordinarily, he stated “a fit 10kg Bennetts wallaby would struggle when killed, leaving ground scratches and gouges on the body, and fur scattered on the ground where it was killed”.
He noted small amounts of droppings nearby, likely from forest ravens, but confirmed the species could not kill a wallaby, or break the skin, other than thin areas inside the leg. “If pushed, an eagle can kill such wallabies and like all carnivores they are enthusiastic scavengers. Eagles often eat part of the head, the brain is very sought after,” he said.
Because large dogs are very efficient at killing prey, Mooney suggested one could be responsible for killing the wallaby. “(They) can kill with a head bite but I have seen (Tasmanian) devils get lucky the same way. No doubt thylacines behaved similarly, but regardless there would be evidence of struggle.” (12)
Central Queensland
On June 6, 2023 a man who was leasing a grazing property reported to me that sometime around the end of May to early June 2023, he found the dead carcasses of two of his cattle with strange incisions around their jaw where the flesh had been removed with precision. He stated that there was no trace of predator prints around the deceased animals, nor any ground markings caused by the animals themselves trying to regain their footing. There were also no blood pools on the ground around the animals and he estimated the cattle had been dead for approximately one week.
He described the animals as fit and healthy 750 kg, two year old animals, which could not be moved easily. Both animals were bulls and shared a paddock with 30 other cattle, but only two were found deceased. It appeared that the deaths occurred at approximately the same time with no signs of struggle, no tracks of any sort, and in a very remote area of the property.
Above: Typical precision cuts. (Image credit: photos taken by grazier who wishes to remain anonymous)
There was a black cow that was mutilated as well, however he did not go into any great detail other than that she was 18 months old, healthy and found 100klm east of his father’s property. He said that the cuts were surgically precise. Tissue around the cheek was removed and a vet who had seen the cow was surprised how precise the cuts were. The man also reported a UFO sighting around the time of the mutilations. The man did not want the location of his property made public at the time because he didn’t want people intruding upon it. (13)
Explanations
Each case of cattle mutilation is unique, and determining the exact cause often requires detailed forensic analysis. While many explanations are grounded in more mundane factors, the mysterious nature of these events often leads to speculation and various theories. Some of these include satanic rituals, but in my opinion it would be far easier to select wild cats and dogs for mutilations rather than huge bulls on remote rural properties, which may cause local police to investigate bringing undue attention to those involved.
Another explanation is that secret government agencies are doing experiments and given that some cattle have been found to be tagged with marks that fluoresce under certain light conditions, that is a possibility. But why would secret tests be undertaken on animals found on private properties when they could easily be done in military locations?
As for the grizzly finds being the result of predators, it is commonly reported are no signs of struggle around the animals being found, and the cuts on the animals are very clean and precise as opposed to the tearing of flesh by predators.
Extraterrestrial interactions have also been proposed given that many of the animals seem to have been dropped or placed in the location where they were found, leaving no drag marks behind them indicating they were placed from above.
American biophysicists have examined the dead grass around the animals and found that they cannot explain why the cells exhibit similar changes at the mitochondrial level across different cases. Pathologists have examined the animal tissue and determined the cuts in the animals were performed with high heat but couldn’t determine the instrument used.
With each new case and investigation, farmers and vets across the globe keep ruling out wild animals being the cause of these mysterious animal deaths and despite the extensive research and numerous investigations, animal mutilations continue to remain an enigma. Ongoing research aims to better understand the patterns and potential causes of these incidents and advances in technology, such as improved forensic techniques and environmental monitoring, may eventually provide new insights into this mysterious phenomenon.
REFERENCES:
1) Telegraph Newspaper (Brisbane), 14 March, 1894. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/172548369?searchTerm=horse%20mutilation
2) Brisbane Courier (Queensland) 18 October, 1902. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19168916?searchTerm=Supposed%20mutilation%20of%20cattle
3) A Paranormal File by John Pinkney. 2000
4) FBI Records – The Vault https://vault.fbi.gov/Animal%20Mutilation/Animal%20Mutilation%20Part%202%20of%205/view
5) Today Tonight – Cattle Mutilations in Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3PFKTxdc6A
6) Reported to Ben Hurle – UFO-VIC
7) Reported to Sheryl Gottschall, UFO Research Queensland.
8) Today Tonight – Cattle Mutilations in Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3PFKTxdc6A
9) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-06/mutilated-cows-found-dead-in-country-town/10190736
11) Reported to Sheryl Gottschall, UFO Research Queensland.
12) Grim find on Aussie property after string of animal mutilations. https://tinyurl.com/2447krvn
13) Reported to Sheryl Gottschall, UFO Research Queensland.
UFO Research Queensland - Australia 