UFOs in the daily Press:

CATTLE MUTILATIONS CONTINUE

Seven mutilated animals in Yataí, totalling 21 in two months in the field.

Yesterday morning, livestock producer Luis Fernandez visited the Colonia Yataí police barracks to report cases similar to those which have been occurring with increasing frequency in our province with regard to cattle mutilations. When the case became known at the newsroom, "El Comercial" reported to scene. We were welcomed by the officer in charge of the local police post, senior subofficer Adolfo Salvador Valdez, who recounted what transpired at the property of Luis Fernandez, who at 11:00 a.m. presented the corresponding claim on the enigmatic deaths of 7 animals, identical to those reported in the media in different parts of the country.

The chief of the local office of SENASA at Mision Laishi, vetererinarian Ariel Llamas and his aide, followed by provincial coordinator Dr. Alcides Serochi, also accompanied by another doctor and two other persons, reached the site. With the arrival of the Sheriff in charge of the operation, they headed toward the field, 8 km distant from the police post along a rural road and over 60 km from the city of Formosa. They entered the site crossing an old washed-out road, swamps, mud, bridges and the magnificent scene of a horizon filled with aquatic birds. The entire landscape suggested that they were entering a location of difficult access, and even the 4x4 vehicle had trouble. After more than half an hour, they reached the central area of the ranch owned by Luis Fernandez. They waited for the arrival of Fernandez's son and serveral tenant farmers.Once there, both the police delegation and SENASA envoys labored jointly to look into the case. At that time, they had already brought an animal to the central area of the ranch for analysis, since it is impossible to transit the location on foot. They displayed all of the parts of a calf, and the looks of astonishment on the faces of the persons in charge of conducting the research were evident. The same forms of cauterization on the sides of the animals mouth, perfect incisions and no bleeding, the absence of an eye, it was all remarkable once again, due to the high skill with which "the Chupacabras" had done its work. As a tenant farmer remarked: "you can see that the critter knows a lot about cows."Dr. Ariel Llamas carried out a detailed examination of the head that the tenant farmers brought over in order that the SENASA technicians could see what have occured. He explained that they showed the same conditions that he found not long ago at Laishí: cauterization of the wounds, absence of an eye and the tongue, as if the latter had been extracted from the animals mouth through the underside of the mouth bone, with extreme care and precision.

Over 10 backwoodsmen scoured the fields in search of "something strange" or "that critter" without finding anything, "only the usual" in an immense field covered by washouts and swams and the animals of the area: constrictor snakes, curiyues, yacares, water fowl, pumas, bears, armadilloes and cows. The field also holds the animals of another person, a friend of Fernandez, totalling approximately 1400 animals on the site. Five of the ones mutilated during the course of this week belong to Roberto Rafael Rango and the remainder to Luis Fernandez. Both stated that "in the past two months 21 animals died under strange conditions."

After performing several studies, it was noted that the animals' hides presented a total lack of coloration, almost bordering on the transparent. Comparisons were made with other hides and it can see that the difference was complete, since the hide of a sacrificed animal is normally opaque and hard. The animals' flesh was brought to the central area of the ranch "to feed the dogs with" and it was an astonishment to all that not even the dogs, who are used to eating "anything they can get," would take no part of the meat.

It was also remarkable how swiftly [the meat] turned black, and "not even flies" came close to it. The explanation was not even remotely offered by the SENASA technicians on site, nor did they offer details about the event. They merely restricted themselves to corroborating Fernandez's claim, "looking in detail" at the evidence and to pour cold water over everything else. To the locals, "this is the handiwork of the unknown," since they were disconcerted at not being able to find anything after their exhaustive search. Fernandez made it clear that he had seen many strange things in his life, "but nothing like this... an animal bled to death in such a way I cannot imagine, nor can I understand why the dogs won't eat the meat. They way the hide looks, the incisions in the mouth and how they too everything out of the animal without it being noticeable at the site, and not even a sign of resistance."