According to the Idaho Statesmen, officials are investigating a recent surge in cattle shootings and mutilations. In a story on their website, they state that:
Brand Inspector Lynn Gibson called it the state’s worst shooting-mutilation case in years.
“I don’t remember anything like it on this scale,” he said. “There have been cattle shot here and there, but just one at a time. It’s usually just one incident.”
There have been two incidents so far.
The first is thought to have occurred about April 12, southwest of Emmett. Three calves were shot with a small caliber rifle. One of them was run over with a pickup truck. A cow was shot and mutilated.
“They cut her hind leg and a shoulder off,” Gibson said. “They cut out her lungs and skinned off part of her forehead.”
The second incident is thought to have happened several days later in the same area. A cow was shot in the face. The bullet broke both of her jawbones.
“She couldn’t eat or drink or take care of her babies,” Gibson said. “Her tongue was infected, she was choking and she could hardly get around. She had to be put down.”
For more on this story, visit the Idaho Statemen online.
Posted by Haylie Shipp
