Cattle and agricultural officials in Utah are offering a $2,000 reward for information that helps solve “malicious cattle deaths” that have occurred recently in Utah, Iron and Box Elder counties.
“We are deeply saddened and concerned over recent reports of criminal activity leading to the loss of several cattle in Utah,” Kerry Gibson, commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said in a news release. It’s not clear if the cow deaths are related.
All the deaths happened “over the last couple of weeks,” according to the release. The cows are all believed to have been fatally shot.
The most recent of these deaths occurred sometime last weekend in Box Elder County.
Rancher Jay Tanner, who lives in the Grouse Creek area, found a dead cow Wednesday. He thought the death was suspicious — and likely caused by a shooting — because the animal died in an area partially concealed by willows trees, and said that while it showed signs of being eaten by a predator, the wounds weren’t at “a normal starting point on the carcass.”
“Mr. Tanner was very gracious in giving everyone the benefit of the doubt that this could easily have been an accidental shooting, if it was a shooting ...,” according to the news release. “However, the fields were legally posted ‘No Trespassing’ [areas] and with other livestock in the area they should not have been shooting there.”
The dead cow was a mother raising a calf, but the release stated that "the calf is of the age that it will survive on its own.”
The release added that people shooting recreationally in rural areas should use caution and know what is beyond their target.
The UDAF, the Utah Farm Bureau and Utah Cattlemen’s Association pooled funds for the $2,000 reward, hoping to aid the investigations, the release states.
“Any loss of cattle is devastating to our ranching community,” said Leann Hunting, the UDAF’s Brand Bureau Chief. "Anyone with information — hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and others — to report any suspicious activity or observations that lead us to a resolution of these crimes.“
Anyone with information should contact the Utah County Sheriff: (801) 851-4000; Iron County Sheriff: (435) 867-7500; Box Elder County Sheriff: (435) 734-3800 or Hunting the UDAF’s Brand Bureau Chief: (801) 538-7100.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s 2017 census, there are approximately 800,000 head of cattle in Utah with an average value of $1270 each.
