Cattle Mutilations in colorado

[Paradox74]

I had this article sent to me by email just a few hours ago:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9C7CUA80&show_article=1

Now, after reading this I came to the conclusion that there are other possibilities besides UFOs or Space Aliens (demons, spirits or super mutants with cloaking devices anyone?).

What are your thoughts on this article?

 

[Jonquill]

I think they died of natual causes and birds and small mammals ate the missing bits, but no ones going to read a newspaper acticle about a normal decomposing calf.

 

[shadron]

I have here a home video showing a bear and a moose. The bear chased and killed the moose in an Alaskan driveway before the video starts; it drags the adult moose several tens of yards. It then opens the chest and pulls out what appears to me (and the video taper) as the moose's heart. It takes the bear three paw motions and just a bit of biting to get it out; say 15 seconds effort (there might have been more during a video break before the start of the tearing action).

There are plenty of bears in Colorado, not to speak of coyotes, dogs and the occasional mountain lion. Ockam's razor would seem to say that a preditor did it.

 

[imjohn]

Our coyotes here in Colorado are wicked little beasties with sharp teeth.

 

[Cuddles]

It was suicide. Those cows mutilated themselves! Has anyone checked their rooms for heavy metal albums?

Seriously though, I liked this bit:

no signs of an animal attack

Well, no signs of animal attack other then the cows being killed and half eaten.

 

[Denver]

By next week, there will be a potential media splash regarding the Extra Campaign , which has turned in thousands of signatures to get the Denver City Government to create an Extra Terrestrial Affairs Commission. (The Denver Elections Division should have the signatures counted by end of day Monday, to determine if they are sufficient to put the initiative on the next ballot).

So I expect these issues to be somehow related in upcoming articles.

Preferably with the subject-line: "Udderly Moooronic."

 

[Bikewer]

I always wondered what it is that the aliens are supposed to be learning from removing selected bits from domesticated critters.
Or at least, what they would not already know from having done this dozens or hundreds of times previously....

"Oooshug, I really just need one more set of cow lips to complete my research!"

 

[TsarBomba]

Looking at the local news in Southern Colorado, it appears that not everyone has gone completely woo woo. The Humane Society, for one, is offering a cash reward for information about what was done to these cattle.

Humane Society personnel are apparently clear thinking and don't give a moment's thought to the "alien mutilators" drivel in the original story:

According to the Humane Society, calling attention to animal cruelty cases is an essential step in protecting the community. Law enforcement, prosecutors and the community should all be involved. In a statement this week, representatives with the Humane Society said that the connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented.

“Those who abuse animals can be dangerous to people,” said Holly Tarry, the Humane Society's Colorado state director. “Americans have no tolerance for violence against the creatures who share our world.”

I also found this nugget from the Pueblo Chieftain, the local newspaper of record in Southern Colorado. I would note that this statement does not appear to be a quote, and does not appear to be attributed to anyone, it is just put out there as a statement of fact:

Sightings of UFOs and strange, unmarked, black helicopters sometimes coincide with most cattle mutilation cases across the country.

Yes, you read that right. Black Helicopters.

 

[William Parcher]

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of anyone involved in three cases of cattle mutilation in Southern Colorado.

This is starting-off-on-the-wrong-foot because it suggests that the Humane Society believes or knows that humans killed the cattle. Nothing in the articles suggests that humans were responsible as opposed to wild or feral predators, or even natural death.

Three ranchers have recently reported that cattle on their property were mutilated.

The word mutilated suggests human agency and that is just wrong to use.

The cow's udders and reproductive organs had been surgically removed.

That is exactly what wild and feral canids do. They love to eat the milk-filled udder as well as the genitals. It's what they do, and it's quite well documented. In some cases the udder is the only thing eaten. "Surgically removed" is another worthless term which is not only false but suggests human agency again.

There is nothing in any of the articles that suggests anything other than natural predation and/or scavenging. Wolves don't live in southern Colorado and so this is likely to be the work of coyotes or domestic dogs.

"Those who abuse animals can be dangerous to people," said Holly Tarry, the Humane Society's Colorado state director. "Americans have no tolerance for violence against the creatures who share our world."

Tarry has no good reason to say this because there is no good reason to think that humans are involved in the cattle deaths. Contact State and University wildlife biologists, not Humane Society officials.

 

[kuroyume0161]

Our coyotes here in Colorado are wicked little beasties with sharp teeth.

This.

One must ask oneself a very, very simple question: Why would extraterrestial aliens travel millions of light years to check out our side of beef? That is, there are plenty of other non-domesticated animals so why only cattle?

 

[Soapy Sam]

I would expect aliens to be able to use the internet. If they really need to know how cows are put together , they might try Googling http://www.discoverthis.com/cow-anatomy-model.html

 

[Fiona]

Won't work, Soapy: babelfish is rubbish

 

[154]

I think it likely that life-long ranchers and investigating officers are probably capable of determining whether or not predators and/or scavengers had apparently been responsible for the kills or fed on the carcasses and further determining if the carcasses did show apparent unexplainable evidences which would defy common explanation.

One must ask oneself a very, very simple question: Why would extraterrestial aliens travel millions of light years to check out our side of beef? That is, there are plenty of other non-domesticated animals so why only cattle?

Many people do speculate that "extraterrestrial aliens" travelled "millions of light years" to get here but they have no basis for such assumption. At best, all that can be assumed or presumed is that unusual occurrences have been noted here. There is no reasonable justification for anything further.

There have been too many such incidents reported, investigated and documented to dismiss out of hand. Confidently presuming the rancher and the officers incompetent to make fair and reasonable observations and dismissing it as the work of common predators is also not a reasonable conclusion, in my opinion. "We do not know" is a simple and valid conclusion at this point. I believe something has been happening in this regard, but do not believe that it is by "extraterrestrial aliens that travelled millions of light years to get here."

 

[Denver]

Confidently presuming the rancher and the officers incompetent to make fair and reasonable observations and dismissing it as the work of common predators is also not a reasonable conclusion, in my opinion.

I think it is a reasonable conclusion that the hundreds of ranchers and officers who do determine this was a case of common predators, don't get any press time, and don't get flocks of ufo sites writing about them. And that the rare few who do make that claim (or say "I don't know"), could indeed be unqualified to determine the nature of animal carcass disposition. Or even, perhaps, have other motives for their statements.

 

[Vortigern99]

I think it likely that life-long ranchers and investigating officers are probably capable of determining whether or not predators and/or scavengers had apparently been responsible for the kills or fed on the carcasses and further determining if the carcasses did show apparent unexplainable evidences which would defy common explanation.

Appeal to authority ("Ranchers and police officials know more than me or you about these matters, so they must be correct that no predators or scavengers are responsible") and argument from incredulity ("I cannot believe that a rancher or police official could possibly make a mistake about this, or that journalists could erroneously report it, so it must follow that no predator or scavenger is responsible").

Many people do speculate that "extraterrestrial aliens" travelled "millions of light years" to get here but they have no basis for such assumption. At best, all that can be assumed or presumed is that unusual occurrences have been noted here. There is no reasonable justification for anything further.

No, "unusual occurrences" are not "all that can be assumed or presumed" here. We might also speculate that either the ranchers, police officials or journalists -- or all three groups -- have made mistakes in their investigation into the matter. Human error is a usual, commonplace, everyday occurrence.

There have been too many such incidents reported, investigated and documented to dismiss out of hand. Confidently presuming the rancher and the officers incompetent to make fair and reasonable observations and dismissing it as the work of common predators is also not a reasonable conclusion, in my opinion. "We do not know" is a simple and valid conclusion at this point. I believe something has been happening in this regard, but do not believe that it is by "extraterrestrial aliens that travelled millions of light years to get here."

Your opinion is riddled with logical fallacies and uncritical thinking. I agree with you that "we do not know", but beyond that, given our understanding of canine behavior, it is reasonable to speculate that feral canids (coyotes or wild dogs) are probably responsible.

 

[William Parcher]

I think it likely that life-long ranchers and investigating officers are probably capable of determining whether or not predators and/or scavengers had apparently been responsible for the kills or fed on the carcasses and further determining if the carcasses did show apparent unexplainable evidences which would defy common explanation.

When you say "investigating officer", I presume you mean police or other law enforcement. Some types of law officers or government folks may have had specific training in identifying cause of death for livestock. Nonetheless, there are situations where ranchers and law officers say one thing while specific trained professionals say something else. The media may be quick to report "mutilations without normal cause" but they seem slow or lax in reporting follow-up where professionals determine that cause of death and injuries was not unusual and certainly not paranormal.

Anyway, if say, only 2% of ranchers and law folks don't know what they are talking about when it comes to a specific cattle death/injury incident - then how many of these so called mutilation oddities are going to pop up in the news over decades?

At best, all that can be assumed or presumed is that unusual occurrences have been noted here. There is no reasonable justification for anything further.

There is no justification for the first sentence in this quote. It slips a foot into the door. It suggests that we must agree that there are unusual occurances. We do not agree to that. Just because some people say that something is unusual doesn't make it so. Much, if not all of this cattle mutilation thing is based on taking folk testimony and opinions at face value. Good Ole Joe said the udder was apparently removed with a surgical tool... and so it was removed with a surgical tool.

There have been too many such incidents reported, investigated and documented to dismiss out of hand. Confidently presuming the rancher and the officers incompetent to make fair and reasonable observations and dismissing it as the work of common predators is also not a reasonable conclusion, in my opinion.

Do this - find some official reports by professional wildlife biologists who declare that the death/injury of any animal was likely to be of paranormal, extraterrestrial or cryptozoologic (Bigfoot/Nessie/Chupacabras/Etc.) origin. If that stuff is happening, the professionals are going to be reporting it in official documents.

"We do not know" is a simple and valid conclusion at this point. I believe something has been happening in this regard, but do not believe that it is by "extraterrestrial aliens that travelled millions of light years to get here."

The woo and the credulous love the "we do not know" designation. So you don't think UFO ETs are bothering our cattle. In another thread, you did just announce that Bigfoot exists. Do you think Bigfoot is responsible for at least some of these cattle incidents?

 

[Segnosaur]

I always wondered what it is that the aliens are supposed to be learning from removing selected bits from domesticated critters.
Or at least, what they would not already know from having done this dozens or hundreds of times previously....

Probably the same thing they'll learn by continuously kidnapping and doing anal probes on humans.

Reminds me of a skit from the comedy series "Kids in the Hall"...
""We travel 250,000 light years across the universe, abduct humans, probe them anally, and release them. [All we've learned is] 1 in 10 doesn't really seem to mind"

 

[154]

Appeal to authority ("Ranchers and police officials know more than me or you about these matters, so they must be correct that no predators or scavengers are responsible") and argument from incredulity ("I cannot believe that a rancher or police official could possibly make a mistake about this, or that journalists could erroneously report it, so it must follow that no predator or scavenger is responsible").

I did not say anyone knows more than anyone else. I did not say anyone must be correct. I did not say that I cannot believe anyone could make a mistake. I did not say journalists did not erroneously report anything. I did not say anything must follow. Why do you intentionally misportray and distort my words and/or meaning? Are you committed to a position regardless of evidence? Have you made any attempt to verify evidence and testimonies in this incident or any other such incident?

No, "unusual occurrences" are not "all that can be assumed or presumed" here. We might also speculate that either the ranchers, police officials or journalists -- or all three groups -- have made mistakes in their investigation into the matter. Human error is a usual, commonplace, everyday occurrence.

I was speaking not only of this supposed incident, but of many such incidents. You are free to presume that every witness, every reporter and every investigator in every such incident is not as intellectually adept as you, but I do not.

Your opinion is riddled with logical fallacies and uncritical thinking. I agree with you that "we do not know", but beyond that, given our understanding of canine behavior, it is reasonable to speculate that feral canids (coyotes or wild dogs) are probably responsible.

I disagree, and based on this exchange already, have as little respect for your opinion and critical thinking as you apparently have for mine. Yes, short of personal examination of the witnesses and evidence, I would have to allow that it remains possible that dogs could be responsible for this incident, and even the misinterpreted "surgical" incisions, or some other such incidents and that the rancher and investigators are startingly inept in their observational and intellectual abilities, but I do not think that is likely.

I say "Huh, curious, I wonder..." You say "No, absolutely not!" Good for you.

 

[ExMinister]

One thing I don't get is why the predators don't eat the whole animal. Is it common for them to just selectively eat some parts and leave the rest? What about the claim there is no blood? Does that have a normal explanation in the wild, or does that make it more likely that deranged humans are involved?

"We do not know" is a simple and valid conclusion at this point. I believe something has been happening in this regard, but do not believe that it is by "extraterrestrial aliens that travelled millions of light years to get here."

Please don't say you believe it's ultra (extra?)-dimensional travel.

 

[tsig]

There have been too many such incidents reported, investigated and documented to dismiss out of hand.

How many is too many? I hear this same statement from UFO fanciers, Bigfoot believers and ghost hunters.