RCMP continue to look for about 20 calves stolen from a private pasture north of Neilburg, Sask., sometime between the last week of November and Dec. 3.
Const. Gary Lariviere with the RCMP detachment at Cut Knife, Sask., is familiar with farm machinery thefts, but hasn’t seen this before.
“It’s a first for us,” he said. “It’s the first call I’ve had in my six years here.”
Lariviere said the calves’ owner saw vehicles in the pasture but thought they belonged to an oil lease company.
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“He didn’t think nothing of it until Dec. 3, when he was going to brand and tag them,” Lariviere said. “The next thing you know they’re missing 19 to 20 calves.”
The calves are Herefords, Red Angus, Black Angus and Charolais. They had no brands or ear tags.
Dale Chibri, a purebred rancher in the area, said it’s not unusual for the occasional animal to go missing.
“Everybody periodically misses a calf or two out of the pasture, but you don’t know if they died, or wildlife got them, or two-legged wildlife, but it’s never significant.
“Twenty calves, that’s huge,” he said. “At the price of calves right now, that’s a big chunk of change. Probably $80 to $900 a calf, that’s $16,000 to $17,000 (worth) of cattle. That’s a lot of money.”
Police suspect the calves were loaded in a trailer, possibly pulled by a one-ton truck. There is no description of the truck or trailer used in the theft.
Lariviere said there are no signs of forced entry.
“They just drove up, loaded them up and took off. It’s pretty ballsy,” he said.
Lariviere said cattle owners should take precautions to protect themselves.
“Just make sure your cattle are branded and tagged and be wary of lights in the darkness and check it out. You never know what it might be.”
Anyone with information about this or any other crime should contact their nearest police service or local RCMP detachment.
They may also call Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
