Six longhorn cattle were removed from a pasture in Wheatland County
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Alberta RCMP photo
The Alberta RCMP is asking for the public’s help to find those responsible for livestock theft.
A thief or thieves stole six longhorn cattle from a pasture near Highway 564 and Range Road 262 in Wheatland County on Aug. 22 or 23, the RCMP said in an Aug. 24 press release.
Those responsible for the crime likely used a truck and trailer, the RCMP says.
The livestock were a mix of red/black steers and heifers and weighed about 600 pounds (272 kg) each.
Alberta’s average cattle price as of June 1 was $230.42 per hundredweight. This means each stolen animal was worth around $1,200.
The animals had purple management tags but were not branded.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the RCMP Livestock Investigations unit at 403-701-1462. People can also report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
If the thieves are caught, they could face jail time.
“Every person is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years or is guilty of an offense punishable by on summary conviction,” if they steal cattle or deface a brand, Section 338 of the Criminal Code of Canada says.
RCMP already recovered some stolen cattle earlier this year.
In March, Alberta and Saskatchewan RCMP charged a 48-year-old man with stealing cattle in Alberta and transporting them to Saskatchewan.