By Tim Binnall
An Argentine farmer is understandably unnerved after one of his horses seemingly fell victim to the cattle mutilation phenomenon. According to a local media report (warning: graphic image), the strange case occurred earlier this month near the community of Colonia Chica when the man discovered the downed animal and immediately suspected something was amiss. What initially left him scratching his head were the horse's wounds, which consisted of cuts said to be "surgical and precise."
Additionally, despite various parts of the animal's body being sliced and diced, there was nary a drop of blood around the creature that had been completely exsanguinated. Also baffling to the farmer was that it appeared the horse was stunned by the deadly attack, with no signs that it put up a fight. "The animal did not defend itself or have any reaction," he observed, "they always kick or leave a trace of the struggle."
As if all of that were not weird enough, the farmer noted that there was no indication of a human presence, such as footprints or tire tracks, at the scene of the slaying. Yet another hallmark of the cattle mutilation phenomenon, the man marveled that "it's very strange" that typically voracious scavenger animals have refused to feast on the creature's carcass. Finally, as in cases in the United States and elsewhere, experts and authorities are bewildered by what happened to the farmer's horse, and the perpetrator is unlikely to be brought to justice.