Investigating unexplained animal deaths for possible paranormal connections is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

That's why Barb Campbell has committed herself to the challenging and widely unknown profession as an unexplained animal death - or UAD - investigator.

The founder of the Saskatchewan Provincial Paranormal Research Centre Inc. (SPPRC) and a contributor on UFO Connection Radio, Campbell has now turned her full attention toward using forensic science to explain mysterious animal deaths.

Her most recent case involves the death of a male buffalo on a ranch located only a few kilometres south of Lloydminster. It was last seen alive on March 10 and its mutilated carcass was discovered on March 13.

"It looked like a partial job, his mouth and eye and all that were not touched," said Campbell. "His sex organs were removed and he had a total complete coring of his rectum."

There have been many instances of mutilations to livestock across North America, and in most cases it involves the removal of one or both eyes, the tongue, internal and sexual organs. The most recent reported case in Saskatchewan was earlier this month on a farm near Stockholm.

The first thing that struck Campbell at the scene of the dead buffalo was the absence of any footprints, tire tracks, or animal tracks leading to or from the carcass. There was also no blood evident and the buffalo's wounds were surgical in their precision, leading Campbell to rule out the possibility that this was done by animals.

She collected soil samples at the scene which were sent to a lab in the U.S., where they will be tested for a certain concentration of magnetic particles.

"If there's a specific pattern around where the carcass was found - say 60 meters in diameter - then we know there was something 60 meters in diameter above the animal at that time," she said.

What that object could be is difficult for her to say so early into the investigation, though there are several popular theories about livestock mutilations which could provide some clues.

Some believe the mutilations are done by the military, which uses livestock as target practice for their top-secret laser weapons. Campbell believes this is unlikely because the military could easily conduct the tests on its own land, far away from the prying eyes of the general population.

Another common theory is that cults carry out mutilations as part of their satanic rituals. Campbell has looked into that possibility, but based on her interviews with cult members she says they are as baffled by it as anyone else.

"Of course, their thinking is possible demons or dark angels, dark ones from beyond that are coming down and taking sacrifices," she said. "That's their kind of thinking ... I don't know, it's hard for me to believe."

For Campbell, the most plausible theory is that mutilations are the work of alien species, albeit ones whose motivations are open to speculation. One possible explanation is that the aliens are doing something similar to a safari, coming to Earth to steal body parts from animals which may have some value to them.

"We have hunters here which go on safaris and all they want to do is kill an animal for a horn ... what if this is some sort of exotic thing for an alien?" she said. "They've got to come down and grab an ear, a tongue, a cheek, a muscle, a sex organ - maybe they have a fetish ... I don't know."

As a scientist, Campbell cannot offer any conclusive explanations so early into the investigation. Much like Crime Scene Investigators, UAD investigators follow a very methodical and scientific approach. In fact, she believes they deserve more recognition among the scientific community, which has largely shunned the discipline.

"There doesn't seem to be any interest from the medical community here in Saskatchewan," she said. "I've approach the college (of veterinarians) for help and assistance, but hey do not seem to have any interest in this type of research whatsoever."