Close Encounters of the Mute Kind

Close Encounters of the Mute Kind

Apr 20th in UFO Phenomenon by Nick Redfern

The recent posting of the FBI’s “cattle mutilation file” to its new website, The Vault, has led to a rejuvenated flurry of debate on the nature of, and purpose behind such mutilations – even though the FBI actually declassified this particular collection of documents way back in 1989, and which I published in their entirety in my 2003 book, Strange Secrets. Nevertheless, the fact that the mute-file is getting a new lease on life is a very good thing. But, one of the issues that has long puzzled me is the assumption on the part of many that such weird killings of animals only occur within the borders of the United States. In reality, this is far from the case…

On April 11, 1977, no less than fifteen wild ponies were found dead at Cherry Brook Valley, Dartmoor, Devonshire, England, by a Tavistock storekeeper named Alan Hicks, who had been crossing the wild and desolate moors with his children. It was not until mid-July, however, that the media began reporting on the incident in-depth. Newspaper articles in my possession demonstrate that the story traveled as far as South Africa; however, consider the following story, extracted from Britain’s Western Morning News of July 13, 1977:

“Fears that the mystery deaths of fifteen ponies near a Dartmoor beauty spot were caused by visitors from space were being probed by a Torbay team yesterday. Armed with a Geiger counter, metal detectors and face masks, four men are investigating what leading animal authorities admit seems a ‘totally abnormal happening,’ and are hoping their equipment will throw a new light on the three month old mystery. While other investigators have looked for signs of malnutrition, disease or poisoning – or even gunshot wounds – the four men are seeking proof that extra-terrestrials were responsible for the deaths.”

The newspaper continued: “‘If a spacecraft has been in the vicinity, there may still be detectable evidence,’ says the Team Leader, Mr. John Wyse, founder of the Devon UFO Center. His team is investigating the Postbridge mystery because the ponies’ deaths have similarities with unsolved cases in the United States. Many of the Dartmoor ponies – all found within a few hundred yards of each other in the Cherry Brook Valley below Lower White Tor – had broken bones. ‘Horses and cattle have been found in the United States in strange circumstances with the bones smashed or the bodies drained of blood,’ said Mr. Wyse. ‘Our members have already made a preliminary investigation and we know the bodies are now decomposed, but there may still be some evidence of an extra-terrestrial visit.’”