Cattle Mutilations

One of the enduring themes of UFOlogy involves cattle mutilation by aliens conducting some sort of long term biological study. The stories involve ranchers finding individual cows or bulls dead, with certain parts cleanly cut out of the carcass. No blood surrounds the body. No tracks lead to or away from the unfortunate animal, not even its own.

That was the subject of last night's UFO Hunters. What happens to these animals was unclear before the show, and equally so afterwards. The fellows on the show-- ranchers, a judge, a retired sheriff-- seemed perfectly sound, but if that were taken as proof, the reality of alien visitation would've been established long ago. Even solid people can have screwy ideas-- or simply be mistaken.

The show noted a correlation between the discovery of the animals and reported UFO sightings in the area. It also suggested the U. S. military might be involved, but insisted the phenomenon is worldwide in scope, which surely argues against any military angle.

The most interesting information in the show was not pursued. In 1994, someone in Salida, Colorado, followed a cigar-shaped UFO for about an hour on his video camera. That's an extremely long time as these things go. That much data could be a treasure trove for analysts. Perhaps in a future show.