Horse Deaths Spark Theories
David Montero
Rocky Mountain News, CO
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Calhan, Colorado (US):
Something struck rancher Ralph Lewis as strange while he stared at 15 horse carcasses lying in between fences on the barren hillsides:
There were no vultures circling and coyotes hadn't devoured them. "If they'd just died of old age, the coyotes and vultures would've torn them to pieces," Lewis said. "And we've got some big vultures out here." And so, one of the bigger mysteries to hit the outskirts of this small town on the plains continued two weeks after six horses were found dead out at Ned Sixkiller's place and another 16 were discovered at William DeWitt's ranch four days ago.
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See Archives:
Sixteen more horses found dead
Officials Puzzled by Deaths of Six Horses, Mule
Strange Sickness Affecting Horses In Ennis
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With the deaths has also come the wild speculation as to what caused such a thing. There is no shortage of rumor.
A young couple with Montana plates driving by Judge Orr Road - close to where the DeWitt horses were found - speculated that ice bullets were used to kill the horses. It made sense to them because while the El Paso County sheriff's investigators found puncture wounds in the carcasses, no bullet fragments had been found. Sitting at Curly's Place, a small bar in Calhan, Mel Gammill wasn't so sure about ice bullets, but she believed poison pellets were used to shoot the horses.
"I think somebody doesn't like horses and is poisoning them," she said, nursing a Coors Light between drags on her cigarette. "I truly believe that." Her husband, Jerry, nodded. He wasn't buying the official line that had been developing in recent days, that weather or lightning killed the horses. He noted one of the horses was still on its knees and, from a distance, appeared to be grazing on the brown grass.
Gammill said that was evidence the horse was sick from poison and had just dropped to its knees and died. "Lightning," he said, "that's bull." Not so fast, local veterinarians said Tuesday. Vet John Heikkila said he "is fairly confident" the animals were killed by lightning. And Robert DeAngelo of the Calhan Veterinary Clinic just down the road from DeWitt's ranch, said weather was likely the cause. DeAngelo thought the animals might have suffocated while walking through a heavy snow seeking shelter. He said gunshots were out of the question because a single shot would have scattered the horses before someone could have fired off enough rounds to kill that many animals. "There is so much rumor flying around it's ridiculous," he said.
"The big concern out here is that somebody is shooting horses or poisoning animals. The answer to that is no." Lewis said he could buy into the lightning argument because he had 15 heifers die that way about 15 years ago.
But his only problem with the vets' assessments is that lightning strikes usually happen in the spring and summer, not the fall and winter. Still, as he leaned on his big truck, Lewis said he wasn't taking any chances. He corralled his horses together at night to keep a closer eye on them.
Oct 26, 2005
David Montero
Rocky Mountain News, CO
____________________
Calhan, Colorado (US):
Something struck rancher Ralph Lewis as strange while he stared at 15 horse carcasses lying in between fences on the barren hillsides:
There were no vultures circling and coyotes hadn't devoured them. "If they'd just died of old age, the coyotes and vultures would've torn them to pieces," Lewis said. "And we've got some big vultures out here." And so, one of the bigger mysteries to hit the outskirts of this small town on the plains continued two weeks after six horses were found dead out at Ned Sixkiller's place and another 16 were discovered at William DeWitt's ranch four days ago.
____________________________
See Archives:
Sixteen more horses found dead
Officials Puzzled by Deaths of Six Horses, Mule
Strange Sickness Affecting Horses In Ennis
____________________________
With the deaths has also come the wild speculation as to what caused such a thing. There is no shortage of rumor.
A young couple with Montana plates driving by Judge Orr Road - close to where the DeWitt horses were found - speculated that ice bullets were used to kill the horses. It made sense to them because while the El Paso County sheriff's investigators found puncture wounds in the carcasses, no bullet fragments had been found. Sitting at Curly's Place, a small bar in Calhan, Mel Gammill wasn't so sure about ice bullets, but she believed poison pellets were used to shoot the horses.
"I think somebody doesn't like horses and is poisoning them," she said, nursing a Coors Light between drags on her cigarette. "I truly believe that." Her husband, Jerry, nodded. He wasn't buying the official line that had been developing in recent days, that weather or lightning killed the horses. He noted one of the horses was still on its knees and, from a distance, appeared to be grazing on the brown grass.
Gammill said that was evidence the horse was sick from poison and had just dropped to its knees and died. "Lightning," he said, "that's bull." Not so fast, local veterinarians said Tuesday. Vet John Heikkila said he "is fairly confident" the animals were killed by lightning. And Robert DeAngelo of the Calhan Veterinary Clinic just down the road from DeWitt's ranch, said weather was likely the cause. DeAngelo thought the animals might have suffocated while walking through a heavy snow seeking shelter. He said gunshots were out of the question because a single shot would have scattered the horses before someone could have fired off enough rounds to kill that many animals. "There is so much rumor flying around it's ridiculous," he said.
"The big concern out here is that somebody is shooting horses or poisoning animals. The answer to that is no." Lewis said he could buy into the lightning argument because he had 15 heifers die that way about 15 years ago.
But his only problem with the vets' assessments is that lightning strikes usually happen in the spring and summer, not the fall and winter. Still, as he leaned on his big truck, Lewis said he wasn't taking any chances. He corralled his horses together at night to keep a closer eye on them.
Oct 26, 2005
