Cattle Mutes and a Movie

 
My new Mysterious Universe article is an odd one. It focuses on a few weird parallels between (A) the cattle/animal mutilation phenomenon and (B) a fairly obscure British sci-fi/horror movie (starring horror-legend, Peter Cushing) that was released before the mute issue began (or, at least, before it is believed to have begun).

Here's how it starts...


"Back in 2003, when I was promoting my then-new-book, Strange Secrets, I was interviewed by BBC Radio. This was just two years after a catastrophic outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK that absolutely decimated the nation’s cattle-herd. Since one chapter of my book dealt with the matter of official files on cattle mutilations, the host wanted to focus on this particular topic, but chiefly from the perspective of the mutes having a down-to-earth explanation, rather than one of extraterrestrial, 'satanic cult,' or supernatural origins.

"During the course of the show, we got into the matter of Strontium-90 – a radioactive isotope that is produced via nuclear fission and which has a half-life of close to 30 years. Was it possible, the BBC host asked, that the mutilations could be due to clandestine, government programs checking on the cattle-herds? The purpose: to determine the extent to which they might have been affected by exposure to Strontium-90, from (a) nuclear tests undertaken in the 1950s and 1960s; and (b) the Chernobyl disaster of April 1986?"

A Monster-Sized Anniversary

Over at Mysterious Universe, I have a new article that tells a very weird story- but one that is little-known outside of the UK - of a series of events that began in Wales a quarter of a century ago this week. How would I describe it? Maybe like "Animal Mutilations meet the Lambton Worm!"

Here's how the article begins:

"Twenty-five years ago this very week, a  deeply strange series of events kicked-off in Rhayader, which just happens to be the oldest town in mid-Wales. The location for all the unsettling weirdness was highly appropriate, since the town and its immediate surroundings are steeped in centuries-old myths, legends, fables and folklore. On top of that, the area is peppered with ancient, standing stones, which were carved and put into place by the ancients.

"Numerous axe-heads, many dating back more than 5,000 years, have been unearthed from the green fields of Rhayader. On top of that, back in 1899, on the town’s Gwastedyn Hill,  a wealth of fine, gold treasures and jewels was dug up. It was a discovery that led to theories that the priceless find had once been the belongings of a long-dead, 5th century princess – one Rowena, who was the wife of a local and ruthless ruler of that bygone era, High King Vortigern."

And here's the complete article...

Death on Dartmoor...

Not long ago, I reported on what was described by the British media as a sinister example of the ritualistic killing of a pony on the wilds of Dartmoor, England. You can find the post right here.

Well, we are now assured that it was all down to nothing stranger than natural causes.

You can read the new revelations and conclusions here (but I also recommend you take note of the comments that follow the article...)  

Animal Mutilations in the UK

Late last year, Jon Downes' CFZ Press published my book Wildman: The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the British Bigfoot.

One of the chapters in the book is titled Mutilations and Anomalous Animals. It deals with a highly controversial topic: namely, the conjuring up of supernatural beasts - of a distinctly Bigfoot-like nature - via the ritualistic slaughter and sacrifice of animals.

A number of cases of animal mutilation and apparent sacrifice that I detailed in Wildman occurred in the English county of Devon, specifically on Dartmoor, and specifically during a full moon.

And, it just so happens that the wilds of Dartmoor have a long history of hairy man-beasts in their midst.

Well, it transpires that there is a brand new case of animal mutilation - and apparent sacrifice - on Dartmoor, which also occurred under a full moon.

You can find the story right here.

As the Falmouth Packet's new article notes:

"A Satanic cult is suspected of being behind the grisly death of a pony, found mutilated on Dartmoor after a full moon. Police have appealed for the public's help after the two month old pony was found dead on moorland at Yennadon Down, Dousland Yelverton by a horse rider at around 6.50pm on Tuesday. A police spokesman said that the pony appeared to have been 'deliberately mutilated' and officers are investigating the possibility that the body had been left in 'some kind of ritualistic way.'"

In Wildman I told the story of a woman named Jane Adams, a devotee of Wicca, who I first met in a Wiltshire Crop Circle back in August 1997.  As I specifically note in the book, Adams revealed to me that she possessed "personal knowledge"– as she specifically described it - that a certain group of occultists had engaged in sacrificing animals "near a stone circle in Devon some time ago."

"Some time ago," as I explain in the book, was 2006, when other mutilations were occurring on Dartmoor.

The purpose of the killings and sacrifices, Adams claimed, was to try and conjure up, from some ethereal netherworld, both "a black cat" and a creature that would most certainly fit the description of the British Bigfoot and which would then duly perform the group’s dark bidding.

Certainly, it's a very bizarre story, indeed, one made even weirder by the fact that we now - unfortunately - have yet another incident that might very possibly have resulted from the controversial actions of the exact same group of occultists that Jane Adams referred to, and which I cited in Wildman last year.
 
 

The Cult of the Moon Beast

Over the years I've done more than a few investigations into strange and disturbing mutilations of animals in the UK - much of which was prompted by the fact that, as a kid, I lived only about 5-minutes from where the very controversial saga of George Edalji (pictured below) went down. In other words, as the Edalji affair was known all across the little villages of the area I grew up in, I was exposed to the phenomenon from an early age.

But, we're not talking about attacks by so-called "Alien Big Cats" or anything along the lines of cattle mutilations.

Rather, we're talking about ritualistic sacrifice and the summoning up of strange and bizarre beasts as a consequence and result of those sacrifices.

In my 2008 book, There's Something in the Woods, I detailed a series of such events that occurred in Devonshire, England in 2006; and my 2012 book Monster Diary reveals my findings on an ancient Scottish group - the Taigheirm - that got up to similar things in centuries-past, and which may still exist.

One of the weirdest stories that falls into this category came to me in 2000 by a guy named Rob Lea. It's a very odd and lengthy saga filled with conspiracy, werewolves, slaughtered sheep, and much, much more.

And Rob's story is the focus of my latest Mysterious Universe post.

Mutes on the Moor...

There's a new post from me at Mysterious Universe that encompasses a wide range of Fortean weirdness and that begins like this...

"If there is one thing I like to highlight when it comes to cases of a definitive Fortean nature, it’s when they – largely, at least - get forgotten about. After all, it’s vital we keep the old events alive, if for no other reason than to see what we may be able to learn from them. There’s a classic example – for me personally, anyway – which springs firmly to mind and which contains absolute key ingredients of a whole host of puzzles: animal mutilations, Men in Black-type telephone interference and hassle, UFOs, and a wild and mysterious location. It all took place more than thirty-five years ago, but it is an affair that is still talked about in hushed and whispered tones by those involved and those who still remember it…"