The Cattle Mutilations
In 1967, a horse in Colorado was found dead with its head stripped, and its owners said there were no tracks. Within a decade, ranchers across the US were blaming visitors from the sky.
What was reported
In September 1967, a horse named Lady was found dead on a ranch in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, with the flesh missing from its head and neck. Its owners said there were no tracks around it, and that the cuts seemed too clean for animals. The case was widely reported, and the horse became known as Snippy.
In the 1970s, reports of 'mutilated' cattle spread across the western United States. Ranchers found animals with eyes, ears or other soft tissue removed, and blamed UFOs, secret government experiments or cults.
Explanations offered
In 1980, an FBI-funded investigation led by a former agent concluded that the cases were consistent with natural death followed by scavengers, such as birds and insects, which go first for soft tissue, leaving neat-looking edges. Some ranchers and researchers remain unconvinced.
- When
- From 1967
- Where
- San Luis Valley, Colorado, USA
- Witnesses
- Ranchers, sheriffs and an FBI investigator
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Colorado