Cattle ranchers in Cartago have been finding the slaughtered remains of their prized animals strewn across the fields. Such was the case with Don Vernon Montero Lopez, a dairy farmer from Buenos Aires de Pacayas, who recently set off looking for some of his missing  Holstein cows. He found them crudely slaughtered a few hundred meters away, according to community newspaper Mi Cartago.

Rustlers in Costa Rica were once sophisticated in their nefarious approach to stealing cattle, almost like the cat burglars or jewel thieves depicted in Hollywood thrillers. They used to quietly lead the animals away at night, across farm fields and on to awaiting trucks to lead them away to a clandestine slaughterhouse or to meet with a fence, a special dealer in stolen cattle who always had cash on hand for the rustlers.

The image of the suave cattle thieves is now in the past. In the case of Mr. Montero, his dairy farm is located in an area that is difficult to get to, therefore he suspects that the perpetrators must be familiar with the area, although their approach is clumsy and butcher-like. According to Mr. Montero, evidence indicates that these rustlers are slaughtering the animals alive, a cruel violation of animal protection laws in Costa Rica. It is this field-butchery that will probably yield the rustlers more years in prison than the theft itself.

Mr. Montero also mentioned that the four Holstein cows were expected to deliver calves in two weeks.

The National Service of Animal Health and Welfare (SENASA in Spanish) and the Office of Judicial Investigations (OIJ) have been alerted, and Mr. Montero has asked Fuerza Publica to conduct late night patrols of the area, as well as roadblocks to ensure that clandestine beef is not being transported. He turned over bloody clothing and butcher tools to the authorities. He is also interested in conducting his own mounted patrols along with other farmers. These patrols will require that members carry firearms for protection, as the rustlers are believed to carry them as well.

Source: Donald Cerdas Sanchez, MiCartago.com