Source El Diario de La Pampa August 7, 2002 Contradictions Emerge In Reporting Animal Mutilations "There exist no orders to cease accepting reports on cattle mutilations," said the chief of Regional Unit 1, Sheriff Inspector Juan Carlos Gorris, as well as the Assistant Chief of R.U. IV in the town of 25 de Mayo, Deputy Sheriff Osvaldo Olie, in regard to public statements by rural livestock producer Julia Cavanah, who said: "Local police do not take down reports involving mutilated cows, because there are orders from above [not to do so]."

"Under no circumstances can we stop accepting reports, because we are obligated to act. The judge will determine later on if a crime should be investigated or not," said Gorris.

On this issue, the Chief of R.U.1 indicated that "today (meaning yesterday) I was in touch with the chief of the Teln Dependency (deputy sheriff Hector Bucher) and I asked him to go to the El Nauco ranch, 120 km away from said town, to make the pertinent inquiries." While adding that the did not have Bucher's report in hand, he pointed out that "no one has gone to the sheriff's office to file a report on these cases."

He then explained that El Nauco ranch is 50 hectares in size, and in this regard, "part of it falls under the jurisdiction of RU1 (at the Teln Sheriff's Office) and the other under RU IV (the Chacharramendi police station). The officer in charge of RU IV, Osvaldo Olie, indicated that "we are in the middle of an investigation. We still do not have official information to give out, because we're just finding out what happened."

Julia Cavanagh is the daughter of the pasture field's administrator, located some 70 km west of Chacharramendi, where she said that since June 20th to date, "six cows and four bulls have been found mutilated."

Translation (C) 2002 S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Gloria Coluchi.