Texas-Madison County-A series of bizarre cow mutilations has left local law enforcement perplexed.
Six cattle from separate locations, pastures, and herds were discovered dead along a state highway, all with their tongues removed and the skin around their mouths cut away, according to a press release from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. Police reported that no blood was found at the scene.
The unsettling case first came to light when ranchers in Madison County, Texas, notified authorities after finding a 6-year-old longhorn-cross cow mutilated on their property.
Police described the cow as lying dead on its side, with its tongue missing and the hide around its mouth cleanly and precisely cut away. They noted that the meat underneath the removed hide was left untouched.
There were no indications that the cow had struggled prior to dying, with the surrounding grass undisturbed and no signs of footprints or tire tracks.
The sheriff’s office also mentioned that ranchers reported that neither predators nor birds would scavenge the cow’s remains, leaving it to decompose undisturbed for weeks.
Further investigation revealed five more similar cases involving four adult cows and one yearling, all found dead along a state highway between Brazos and Robertson counties in Texas. Two of these latter cows also had their anuses and external genitalia removed with a circular cut, made with the same precision as the cuts around the mouths of all the cattle.
The cause of death for all six cows remains a mystery
This is not the first instance of cows being found dead with their tongues removed in the United States. In 2019, five bulls were discovered dead in Oregon, with their tongues and genitalia removed. Additionally, in 2016, several cows in Georgia were found dead with circular incisions on their rear ends.
It is unclear if anyone was apprehended in connection with either of these events, but police are investigating all possible links.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is working with other agencies to find answers. They encourage anyone with information about the Texas cattle killings to contact them at 936-348-2755.
Sources:
https://news.yahoo.com/mystery-six-cows-found-dead-135137783.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-cows-death-tongue-madison-county-b2325253.html
