"Some residents of this area, including the 
       three-year-old appaloosa's owner, claimed 
       Snippy was a victim of a flying saucer after 
       his carcass was found with flesh stripped 
       from the head and back" (New Mexican, 
       Oct. 14, 1967).

       "The mystery surrounding the death of the 
       appaloosa from Alamosa deepened Monday 
       with the disclosure that a Denver pathologist 
       took a belated autopsy on the horse and found 
       the brain and stomach cavities to be empty. Ms. 
       Lewis said the doctor sawed into the brain 
       cavity and found 'absolutely nothing' and 
       opened the stomach expecting to find remains 
       of digestive organs, but found only a 'little 
       powdery residue.'"

       "Subsequent examination by a Denver 
       pathologist revealed that the flesh had been 
       cut with such precision as to preclude the 
       use of a knife. The examination also excluded 
       the possibility that predators had been 
       responsible for the animal's death" (Lebelson 
       1980: 28).

       "Bacteria, birds and coyotes were responsible 
       for the absence of organs in the abdominal 
       cavity, Dr. Adams said. Predators had eaten 
       away part of the horse's rump, exposing the 
       cavity, he added. It was normal under the 
       circumstances that the brain cavity was devoid 
       of fluid, he said. Because all tissue was gone 
       from the skull, the opening in the back was 
       exposed to the air. Since the brain, after death,
       liquefied in hours, the fluid evaporated quickly 
       in the warm prairie air he said. It was at least 
       30 days after Snippy's death before anyone 
       examined the carcass, and the longest the fluid 
       could have remained would have been two 
       weeks, Dr. Adams said.



       'I know it's going to pop the bubble.' Dr. Adams 
       said, 'but the horse was not killed by a flying 
       saucer. Dr. Adams said his findings at this

       point are speculative, but 'there was some 
       evidence that severe infection had been present 
       in the right flank area. That can kill a horse in a 
       short time.' Dr. Adams also said there was 
       evidence that the skin in front of the shoulder 
       had been incised. This could mean, he said, that 
       someone found Snippy down and suffering and 
       cut his throat to end the pain. Dr. Adams said the 
       incision could have attracted birds and other 
       predators which stripped away the flesh from the
       neck and head" (New Mexican 1967).

       "During our investigation of the cattle 
       mutilation problem in Colorado, the CBI 
       laboratory examined approximately 40 hide 
       samples. of these, two were found to have 
       been cut with a sharp instrument. In a 
       six-month period, our agents spent 1,557 
       man-hours on this investigation, which 
       included undercover operations. We were 
       never able to identify any person or persons 
       as being responsible for these, so-called, 
       mutilations. The scientifically based evidence 
       obtained points to cattle which died of 
       natural causes being attacked by predators."

       "The Banner telephoned the Euless and 
       Arlington, Texas Police Departments on Monday
        to verify the missing person report, and were 
       told that no reports were on file. The Colorado 
       Springs, Colorado Police Department stated that 
       a report had been filed, and was canceled on 
       Saturday afternoon, December 8th" (Brush 
       Banner 1975).

       "Investigators in the Cascade and Madison 
       Counties Sheriff's Offices have reported that 
       'very sharp instruments were used.' Although 
       the claims have been made, there has apparently 
       been no laboratory examinations to confirm 
       them."

       "We met with the Sheriff in Cascade and 
       surrounding counties. All I saw was slides --
       it wasn't convincing. You can't tell anything from 
       a slide. No laboratory reports were offered."

       "Hubbel said his laboratory had looked at 35 
       and that 'we have found nothing suspicious, 
       nothing uncommon... In one case the lips were 
       gone, the rectal area gone. The animal had been 
       killed by lightning but we had to look hard to 
       prove it."

       "Analyses performed by the Animal 
       Diagnostic Laboratory at Oklahoma State 
       University revealed the presence of drugs in 
       three animals -- succinycholine in the horse, 
       santonin in a yearling bull, and mescaline in 
       a bull calf."

       "Santonin is used as a wormer. A rather 
       dangerous drug, it is no longer on the market. 
       This doesn't mean it is no longer available 
       locally, for many older Benton County residents 
       do their own veterinary work using supplies 
       they have on hand."

       "It was a stallion the way I understood it. 
       You're the first one that's ever mentioned to 
       me it was castrated the day before."

       "Upon interviewing the owner, the mystery 
       was quickly cleared up. He told me that a 
       young boy, who periodically exercises his 
       horses, discovered the dead calf one day while 
       out riding. As a favor to the owner, he dragged 
       the calf up to the house so that he could find it. 
       The boy forgot to inform the owner about what 
       he had done until several days later. By that 
       time, the Sheriff's office had already 
       investigated the incident" (Owen 1980: 16).

       "It was found sick in the pasture by the 
       owner, who moved it to the barn where it was 
       treated by a local veterinarian. It died shortly 
       afterwards of blackleg. Around the same time,
       the same farmer discovered the mutilated 
       carcass of a yearling bull which had been dead 
       for several days. The animal was examined by 
       the veterinarian and investigated by officers 
       from the Sheriff's department, who took 
       photographs not only of that animal, but also of 
       the dead cow in the barn" (Owen 1980, 15).

       "The evidence... in my opinion is so strong 
       and factual in my concluding of the deaths 
       and dismemberments and/or mutilations 
       were caused by natural conditions, including 
       malnutrition, anemia from parasitism, 
       weather stress; and both predatory and 
       scavenger animals and birds."

       "All investigations that have been completed 
       have indicated death due to natural causes, 
       death due to disease.' In no case has the 
       observation and opinion of task force 
       indicated man as a primary .factor in death 
       or mutilation."

       "The special investigation section of the 
       Oklahoma Highway Patrol continued to 
       monitor the cattle death phenomenon closely 
       for approximately a year after out formal 
       report. Although there were some new 
       reports, there were no cases that would 
       cause any official modification of our existing 
       report."