The police officer who recently claimed that 96 animals had been mutilated in New Mexico was remarkably accurate in terms of the number of incidents that had been reported when this project began. However, after carefully examining the evidence cited in available reports, I have discovered that none of these cases could be confirmed as classic mutilations.
In fact, of the incidents investigated between 1975 and May 1979, I have found only two cases in which the animal in question was actually mutilated with a knife. Both incidents were investigated by the New Mexico Livestock Board. The first one, however, is not included in my list of 90 cases, since no official report was filed. Instead, information about this case was obtained in an interview with Pat Archuleta, supervisor of the livestock board, who told me that about four years ago he was summoned to a reported mutilation near Galisteo.
On-the-scene investigation revealed that a burro had been mutilated by a sharp instrument. Recognizing the animal as one he had seen several days before at a ranch south of Santa Fe, he questioned the owner about the incident. The owner told Archuleta that the animal had died and that he had taken the, body and dumped it off the highway near Galisteo. When asked about the knife cuts, the rancher admitted that he had made them himself so that it would be easier for scavengers to "finish off" the animal.
The second case involved a report of a mutilated cow in the Anton Chico area. Further investigation by the livestock inspector revealed that the cow had been killed by lightning and had subsequently been cut with a knife by a person who had been feuding with the owner.
These two mutilations, though obviously done with sharp instruments, are a far cry from the "classic mutilation" described in the literature. The other cases fit this description even less. In fact, in three incidents, the investigator determined that no mutilation had occurred. In the two cases which were documented, the animal was found dead, but none of its organs were missing.
In addition to the cases cited above 66 other incidents can be resolved, at least, tentatively, on the basis of the evidence provided in the reports (see Table 2). The 21 remaining cases, however, do not contain the details needed to determine either the cause of death or the mutilation.
In most of the "resolvable" cases, the evidence suggests death by natural causes and/or damage by scavengers. In fact, 14 alleged mutilations were immediately resolved by the investigating officers as scavenger-induced. Twenty-three cases (an additional nineteen incidents) cited evidence of bird tracks, animal tracks, or animal hair at the scene. In a "classic mutilation," as you may recall, animals and birds are supposed to avoid the carcass.
Although less conclusive, the following characteristics are much more reminiscent of the less precise, piecemeal activities of scavengers than the meticulous skill and organization attributed to the "phantom surgeons of the plains;"
Cause of death was determined in 26 cases, 15 of which also bore evidence of scavenger activity. Contrary to the lore surrounding the classic mutilation, there was nothing mysterious about these deaths -- nothing to suggest a high dose of radiation or exsanguination by highly trained surgeons. Most of these animals died from diseases such as blackleg. In a letter dated April 22, 1977, Dr. Donald F. Petersen points out that LASL has examined approximately 15 suspected mutilations with the following results:
We have made the observation that in most instances, gas-forming bacilli have been culture from tissues, and both the autopsy findings and the bacteriology are consistent with the conclusion that the animals died from blackleg.
In addition to death from disease, several cattle were fatally injured and at least two cows died while giving birth.
In 11 suspected mutilations, the animal had been reported dead for more than two days. In eight of these cases, the reports contain no evidence as to cause of death or scavenger activity. Rather, the nature of the mutilation is usually described, followed by the observation that the carcass was badly decomposed. Such a description, though not constituting evidence of scavenger activity, does argue strongly against labeling the mutilation a "classic."
In the first place, classic mutilations are generally supposed to decay very slowly. Secondly, the process of decay, especially if advanced, will distort any cuts originally made in the animal. To use the expression "surgical precision" when describing missing organs on a badly decomposed animal is a distinct contradiction in terms. Many veterinarians question the validity of results obtained from necropsies performed 24 hours after an animal's death. One wonders how much more questionable the opinions of a layman would be, especially if the animal in question has been dead for five days as in the case just cited.
In summary, of the 90 mutilations reported in New Mexico between February 1975 and May 1979, 69 (77%) can be explained, at least partly, on the basis of available evidence. Eighteen cases were resolved immediately by the investigators. An additional 28 "mutilations" were associated with scavenger activity. In 19 cases, the evidence cited was not detailed enough to infer scavenger damage. However, the information provided was sufficient to definitely rule out the verdict, . classic mutilation," for either the cause of death was known and attributed to natural causes or routine injury, or the carcass was too decomposed for tests. In short, the term classic mutilation" and all that it infers cannot be applied, with any justification, to the 69 cases just discussed. To do so would require a wild imagination coupled with an ability to totally disregard the facts. In the remaining 21 cases, the evidence presented was not sufficient to determine the cause of death or to assess the nature of the mutilation.