Cattle mutilation / The FBI Files

Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision) is the apparent killing and then mutilation of cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances. Sheep and horses have allegedly been mutilated under similar circumstances.


A hallmark of these incidents is the surgical nature of the mutilation, and unexplained phenomena such as the complete draining of the animal's blood, loss of internal organs with no obvious point of entry, and surgically precise removal of the reproductive organs and anal coring. Another reported event is that the animal is found 'dumped' in an area where there are no marks or tracks leading to or from the carcass, even when it is found in soft ground or mud. The surgical-type wounds tend to be cauterized by an intense heat and made by very sharp/precise instruments, with no bleeding evident. Often flesh will be removed to the bone in an exact manner, consistent across cases, such as removal of flesh from around the jaw exposing the mandible.

Since the time that reports of purported animal mutilations began, the causes have been attributed variously to natural decomposition, normal predators, cryptid predators (like the Chupacabra), extraterrestrials, secretive governmental or military agencies, and cults. "Mutilations" have been the subject of two independent federal investigations in the United States

Charles Fort collected many accounts of cattle mutilations that occurred in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but the first allegedly strange death of livestock comes from near Alamosa, Colorado, in 1967.

Although the exact nature of mutilations varies from case to case, a typical mutilation might involve any or all of the following:

• The removal of eyes, udders and sexual organs very cleanly with surgical precision.
• The removal of the anus to a depth of around 12 inches similar in appearance to surgical coring.
• The removal of the lips and/or tongue deeply cut out from the throat.
• The removal of one ear.
• The removal of major organs (such as heart or liver) with no obvious entry/excision marks. Often, if the heart is missing, apart from no excision wound, the Pericardium will still be present and intact, with the heart missing.
• The stripping of hide and flesh from the jaw and the area directly beneath the ear to the bone.
• The removal of soft organs from the lower body.
• The presence of incisions and cuts across the body that appear to have been made by a surgical instrument.
• Unexplained damage to remaining organs, but no sign of damage to the surrounding area.
• A lack of predation signs (including teethmarks, tearing of the skin or flesh, or animal footprints) on or around the carcass.
• Lack of obvious scavenging.
• In many cases, a draining of the majority of blood from the animal. What blood is left exhibits color anomalies and may not coagulate for days.
• The animal will appear 'dumped' or dropped in a secluded area, with no animal, human or vehicle track(s) leading to or from the site. Some have been found draped over fences or in treetops.
• The ground under the animal appears depressed, as if the animal was dropped on the site from a height leaving an impact crater.
• The animal's bones found to be fractured with injuries consistent with being dropped.
• Strange marks/holes in the ground around the carcass.
• Other cattle avoid the carcass and the area where it's found.
• Eyewitness reports of aerial objects in the vicinity of cattle at the time of an animal going missing.

After coming under increasing public pressure, Federal authorities launched a comprehensive investigation of the mutilation phenomena. In May 1979, the case was passed on to the FBI, which granted jurisdiction under Title 18 (codes 1152 and 1153). The investigation was dubbed "Operation Animal Mutilation."

"The material concerning the Animal Mutilation Project contains accounts of animal mutilations which were reported during the late 1970's. The FBI became involved when fifteen mutilations occurred in New Mexico. Various theories concerning the origins of the mutilations were explored by the FBI, including satanic cults, UFOs, pranksters, and natural predators. The investigation failed to identify any individuals responsible for the mutilations."

Now the details of the investigation are now available under the Freedom of Information Act, and can be downloaded here:

http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/cattle/cattle1.pdf
http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/cattle/cattle2.pdf
http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/cattle/cattle3.pdf
http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/cattle/cattle4.pdf
http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/cattle/cattle5.pdf