By Tim Binnall
A pair of calves in Oklahoma are the latest victims of the mysterious cattle mutilation phenomenon and their owner is understandably outraged by their bizarre demise. The unsettling incident reportedly took place at some point this past weekend on Cody Zimmerman's ranch in the city of Lawton. While walking the property on Sunday to check on his animals, the man was aghast to discover two of his calves dead on the ground with their hearts, tongues, and genitals removed in what appears to be a particularly unnerving manner.
A seasoned cattle rancher, Zimmerman had never seen anything like the gruesome scene and expressed disgust over what had happened. Observing that neither animal appeared to have been shot, he theorized to a local TV station that, horrifyingly, "they were cut open while they were alive" and mused that "it’s just a real bad deal and evil." Noting that the livestock at the farm had been handed down to him by his father and, thus, the calves had something of a sentimental value, Zimmerman has offered a $2,500 reward to anyone who can help solve the case.
However, local authorities cautioned that solving the caper will likely be quite the challenge. Comanche County Sheriff Kenny Stradley, who is already investigating a similar case from June, explained that the perpetrators in both instances left no evidence behind and "it's almost impossible to catch these people unless you drive up on them and catch them in the act." As such, he asked the public to contact police if they see "somebody driving around slow and acting suspicious" near a ranch "so we can check out who they are" and, hopefully, unmask the culprits behind the cattle mutilations.