© The Pueblo Chieftain/Mike SweeneyTom Hall looks over the carcass of one of his cows at his Trinidad ranch Wednesday. The cow was killed last September but there was no trace of predatorial or human activity related to the cow's death.
Trinidad - At first, rancher Tom Miller thought the savagery wrought on his cattle was a cruel joke.
Mutilated cows and calfs. Field-dressed and missing ears, organs and eyes. Carcasses devoid of blood.
A second-generation rancher, it wasn't until 1999 that Miller said he started looking at the animal deaths differently, not as the product of twisted mischief or the feeding scraps of predators.
"At first I thought it was a prank, but there were no tracks, no blood. It looks like the carcass is pealed off, and it happens overnight," Miller said.
"There are just so many things that happen that doesn't seem like it's human. I know people think you're crazy, but there are so many things people can't explain."
Since '99, six cows and calfs have been mutilated on Miller's ranch northeast of here. Two calfs were mutilated in May and the day after meeting with a Chieftain reporter and photographer this week, he found another mutilated cow on his property.
Miller thinks the seventh death happened in the last week.
© The Pueblo Chieftain/Mike SweeneyChuck Zukowski recounts animal mutilations he's investgated at Tom Miller's Trinidad ranch Wednesday. Zukowski's been studying Colorado animal mutilations for nearly 15 years.
Chuck Zukowski has been investigating UFO sightings, paranormal cases and animal mutilations throughout the United States for 28 years.
A California native who lives in Colorado Springs where he makes his living designing microchips, Zukowski has investigated at least 24 mutilation cases in Trinidad and Southern Colorado.
In his cases, he's found little evidence to suggest human intervention or natural predators.
"You don't see any predator markings at all - bite marks, claw marks - and if you did it would be a clear giveaway," Zukowski, a former volunteer sheriff's deputy said.
"I don't see blood stains on the hides, which is ridiculous. Completely devoid of blood. Why would an animal carve and cut a perfectly round circle on one side of a head? Why would a scavenger do that? The lack of blood, unusual cuts, and there's no human evidence there - no foot prints, no tire marks."
Not everyone subscribes to the thought of extraterrestrial life. For some ranchers in the San Luis Valley they believe the deaths to be the work of the blood-thirsty "Chupacabra," a creature of Hispanic lore that preys on livestock.
Zukowski said some ranchers have seen black military helicopters hover over their cattle and later find a mutilated carcass.
Some may think Satanic cults are to blame, or such was the case in some of the earliest publicized mutilation cases in the '60s and '70s.
Whatever the thought or theory, mutilations continue to happen and the culprit(s) remain at large. And Zukowski, who volunteers his time to investigate, has linked commonalities that he says points to aliens.
"I believe, without a doubt, that there is life outside of the planet," he said, adding that the mutilators are "a highly intelligent predator."
"In the cases I investigate, there's no signs the animal struggled. In some cases, it looks like (the animal) was dropped there," said Zukowski, whose investigations can be
found on his website.© The Pueblo Chieftain/Mike SweeneyThe dew claw of one of Tom Miller's cows was found to be cored out when Miller discovered its carcass in September, 2012. The carcas also had an ear removed and internal organs removed in a similar, precise fashion.
He's found animals inside a depressed ring and in one out-of-state case, found a mutilated animal inside a fresh crop circle.
Zukowski collects soil both inside and out of the rings and has the samples tested at Colorado State University-Fort Collins.
"I'm seeing some kind of nutrients being altered in the soil. The soil inside the depressions are less soluble than outside the ring."
In one of the May cases at Miller's ranch, Zukowski said he picked up high radiation readings around a carcass found beside a tree.
Above the carcass, Zukowski said, he found broken limbs in the tree, which leads him to think the animal was dropped from above.
"I had some unusual radiation readings in a field at Tom Miller's place, and you could see where branches were broken where the carcass was found," he said.
While some ranchers may be scared, Miller said he's not, only more concerned for his herd. Years of drought have taken a toll and, looking down at the remains of a mutilated calf, he says: "That could've been $800."
After staring at the carcass for a minute, Miller looked up: "There's just so many questions no one can answer."
See the APFU videos on "youtube". Last time I looked there were 6 x 10 minute videos on the work of the Allied Pathologists Field Unit, a bunch of retired civil servants investigating animal mutilations in the UK. I was truly horrified for days after I saw this because of the implications. Cattle mutilations have happened in many if not most countries of the world. The technology to do this is not possessed by humans. The videos concentrate on sheep mutilations but the unknown technology is also applied to other animals in the UK like foxes and hedgehogs! I seem to recall seeing photos of these on the videos.
When it comes to animals it seems they are killed before being mutilated although when it comes to people this doesn't seem to be the case. Whoever is doing this doesn't like people too much it seems.
While as far as I am concerned the following is unsubstantiated rumour: at least 18 people have been mutilated in the UK in this way. It is common for the bodies to be found in trees. It is "covered up" it seems and I suppose I would cover this up too if I were the powers that be.....