Cattle Mute Controversies
Posted by: Nick Redfern on June 15th, 2012
For those who may be interested, you can find a new article from me on the ever-controversial issue of cattle-mutilations over at Mysterious Universe.
But, as the readers of a website – namely this one! – that is focused on Cryptozoology, some of you may well say: So what?
After all, while the cattle-mute issue is certainly a bizarre and long-lasting one, it’s not really crypto-themed is it? Well, no. Not at all, in my view. And, indeed, my article focuses on the idea that the mutes are not the work of aliens who enjoy a tasty steak now and again, but have far more down to earth – and very sinister – origins.
But, as I noted in a chapter of my 2008 book, There’s Something in the Woods, I once interviewed a New Mexico-based woman who had developed a remarkable theory about cattle mutilations: that they are the work of giant insects! And when I say “giant” we’re talking about eight-foot-wide spiders, Them!-style ants, and much more. The story was as bizarre as it was entertaining. And, for all its many flaws and unlikely angles, it was actually very well thought out.
She even had an answer for the so-called “Black Helicopters” that people sometimes report in relation to the mutes. They are not helicopters at all, the woman assured me. Rather, they are gigantic, flying ants. And the presumed, fast-turning rotor blades of the helicopters are actually the wings of the creatures. The monstrosities are mistaken for the dreaded black helicopters because they’re usually seen at a distance and flying high, I was assured.
‘”ET Landing pod” marks on the ground are actually the tracks of the multi-legged creatures. Marks on the cows are not evidence of the actions of “alien scientists”, but are where the insects have injected the cattle with paralyzing substances to render them helpless before attack. And did you ever wonder why some of the alleged aliens reported in “abduction” experiences seem to resemble a Praying Mantis? Well, now you know!
And, of course, there was a conspiratorial angle to it all: the government secretly knows all about these giant insects, but – fearful of what the public reaction will be if the truth is revealed – they prefer people to think the killings are the work of aliens, cults, predators, and even the government itself!
And so it went on and on.
Thus, one enigma – cattle mutes – becomes intertwined with another one – Cryptozoology – while the Ufologists scream “No!”. No wonder I sometimes feel confused…
About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
You can’t handle the truth! If it weren’t for a dedicated team of “Fringe”-like special agents, the cattle would have overthrown us years ago!
Makes me think of “Them.” 1950’s classic…
If we had giant insects, then we’d definitely have something crypto to work with…however, I’ve got an acquaintance named Jose…Quervo I think his last name is…who will definitely turn a helicopter into a giant flying ant…or maybe that was Mezcal…Jose always gets blamed for everything…
@Springheeledjack
Your comment reminds me that when I was a child, I used to look upside down at Chinook helicopters and pretend they were giant caterpillars crawling across the sky.
I seem to recall a documentary in the recent past that explored the limits of arthropod size from a structural standpoint, and dashed the notions of B-movie sized monster bugs.
Perhaps someone here can remember that documentary and the specifics better.
Remember that the giant dragonflies of prehistory are giant in comparison to what we are used to, but compared to the scale of a human they are not monstrous. and they are the product of an epoch with an extremely high oxygen content in the air compared to now. Arthropod size does seem to have fluctuated with atmospheric oxygen levels.
In your Mysterious Universe article that is linked up above, you wrote that Anton Dilger was killed by German spies. But in the wikipedia article on him that you linked to, it says he died of Spanish flu. Granted it’s wikipedia, therefore not the most reliable source, but they usually go for the more controversial angle on things like this, or point out that there is controversy connected to certain facts. Which account of his death is the more accurate? And if he was killed by German spies, is there objective facts supporting this, or is it subjective speculation?