Modern day Mounties are on the trail of some old fashioned cattle rustlers in Alberta. Police say 59 mixed-breed heifers were snatched from a rural property near Czar, Alta. The animals are worth about $80,000 at current cattle prices.
The farmer noticed the animals were missing during a recent headcount. Ground and air searches over the 80 acres where the animals graze – as well as neighbouring properties – came up empty. And, police said there’s no way the livestock broke through a fence to escape. Livestock markets across the West have been alerted, but so far, none of the cattle have turned up to auction or at slaughterhouses, according to Corporal Dave Heaslip.
“The cows were also watered and fed by the owner who attended the lot twice daily,” Cpl. Heaslip of Alberta RCMP Livestock Investigation Unit said in a statement released Thursday. “Police suspect that the animals were taken by someone who knew the daily routine so evaded detection. Police suspect that the cattle were loaded out of the feedlot in a straight haul trailer capable of holding 60 head of cattle.”
The animals are tagged and bearing the “HOBBS” brand, which would make them tough to sell. If you know what happened to the critters, police would like you to call.
Photo RCMP
Comments