UFOs in the daily Press:

Concern spread among some Pampan cattlemen of the Lihuél Calel department, who expressed their fear at the discovery of several repeated animal mutilations in their rural area.

GENERAL ACHA (Agencia) -- Cattlemen from a broad section of the Lihuel Calel department are concerned by the return of cattle mutilations. In an interview with El Diario, a young rancher whose property is located on Provincial Route 13, 60 km west of Cuchillo Có, and who requested anonymity, remarked that two mutilated cows and a calf were found on his property last year, being similar to the ones which achieved prominence in this and other provinces in 2002. The cattleman noted that there also occurred a case involving the mutilation of a wild boar cub.

Worried by the situation, he stated: "it seems that they’ve taken against me now, because in 15 days they mutilated six calves, all of them black, plump, weighing between 160 and 220 kg., which were in an open field. The last one was found last Thursday some 500 meters from the street and some 4 kilometers from the house, while I was away in General Acha. The same occurred on Friday with a sheep," he added.

When consulted about the condition in which the animals are found, and the type of mutilation presented, he explained that "some were male and others female, but similar incisions can be found in all of them -- perfectly [even] and cured, as though cauterized. They were missing their tongues, jaws, ears, eyes and hide in a strech from the front (sic) to the start of the chest. The females were missing their udders and the males their testicles." He later noted that "I turned one of these over to remove its ribs, but one of them, which was under the body, was cracked and was "mashed", as though it had experienced a powerful blow."

"I removed two ribs for the dogs, which eat it, but since it was hanging from a hook in the shed, [it emanated] a strong odor of ammonia and sulfur which became unbearable."He explained that his remaining animals grazed far from the mutilated one.

Upon discussing the hypotheses put forth by the local livestock producers, he stated that "some cattlemen do not believe that natural deaths are involved, nor mutilations by carrion animals and much less by the long-muzzled mouse. This is a subject that deserves far deeper study to put an end to it, as it affects us financially. Scientists from a foreign power could be involved, performing the mutilations for analysis. We base this on the fact that some "lights" have been seen over the area during the night."

Finally, he recalled that "a rancher from the area found that cow belonging to another pasture had been deposited on his property. For this reason we request whoever is responsible to look into these events and research them thoroughly."