When writing about the paranormal, it is very important for readers to understand what some of the researchers’ experience. This will give everyone a good basis to understand this phenomenon as we talk about it.  

My first experience was just on such an occasion. I should mention that I am a boy from Tulita with little to no knowledge of farm or ranch life in any way. The following will give you my observations.

It all started with my meeting with Fern Belzil, from St. Paul, Alta., a former champion cattle breeder of Herefords and cattle mutilation investigator. He was a gracious man with a deep respect and affection for cattle. He hated seeing animals mistreated and could not understand them being mutilated. This was something beyond him, a perfect teacher and mentor. 

We met at a paranormal conference where he did a very interesting presentation on cattle mutilation. Fern was very approachable, friendly and the quality I really liked about him was if he didn't know, he said so. Very common-sense sort of man, no nonsense and down to earth.

During one of our conversations, we talked about my film-making background and asked if I would like to see a cattle mutilation. 

"Yes", I replied, and this was my entry into the world of paranormal.  

Hearing about UFO's, Sasquatch, etc. is different than when you see it in real life. My first experience, finally, was something unreal to see.

I received a phone call several weeks later from Fern asking me to meet him in St. Paul. My co-worker, Carol, travelled with me. Carol grew up on a farm east of Edmonton and she knew many things about that farming life and lifestyle. Farming was something I did not know much about.  

Fern met us in St. Paul and from there, we headed off to the farm where we met the farmer, his wife and their dog. We were led to the field where the dead bull lay. The thing both Carol and I remember the most was the eerie silence and not a sound from the birds, which was very unusual. No singing or chirping. They were just perched in the grove of trees near the animal. It was as if they had witnessed something traumatic and did not know what to say or sing.

The farmer and his wife were in a state of shock as it was hard to fathom what they were seeing. They explained that the farm dog never raised an alarm when the mutilation took place. This was very troubling as dogs are usually the first line of defence and hear everything, but nothing that night. 

The other important thing we learned is that the predator animals like the coyote, foxes, ravens etc. would not come near the animal when they died like this.  They would not attempt to eat the animal or come near it.

The air was heavy with uncertainty as Fern began his investigation. First, he tested the dead animal for radiation with a Geiger counter. The readings came back immediately positive for radiation where there should be none. Fern began to take measurements, take photos and walk around the deceased animal observing everything. All the while, the farmer, his wife and dog watched in eerie silence and were not sure what to say.  

High strangeness in front of me and I didn't know what to say, neither did Carol. We could only watch. 

When Fern finished his investigation, we approached the animal for a closer look. The first thing that stood out was the absence of blood and no apparent wounds, punctures, bullet wounds, etc. and the strange cuts on the head and other parts of the body. In cattle mutilation, cuts on the head are always on the same side: one ear is cut, one eye and the tongue are gone. The second sets of cuts on the body were as dramatic as the sex organs were cut off the bull and if it were a cow, the organs were also removed methodically.  

We found out later this was done by laser and with precision. Was this supposedly done in the middle of the night in a pasture?  Fern did not believe this as the cuts were too straight and not hurried like a thief in the night. Who could kill a bull in the middle of the night?  Where was the blood? Where did it go? There should have been gallons of it but there was none  Who did it and for what purpose? 

A strange and unnatural death. Lots of valid questions with no answers other forces at work here. A strange harvest.

Fern explained the cuts to us: the ones on the head reflected the health of the animal and the ones on the body were not clear to him. Fern told us about an incident that occurred in an earlier investigation where a cow's udder was found. No cow, just the udder. The remaining herd was checked and no missing cows but a spare udder? Very questionable. Not sure of what to think but things happen like this. 

The experience brought up many questions and very few answers. It was originally thought that occultists were doing ritual killings but on reflection, RCMP and other police did not know what to make of this. It wasn't part of their training or experience. 

This is a mystery wrapped up in a mystery, but I will give you my knowledge about this troubling phenomenon: there is a season for cattle mutilation from April to the end of October. Strange lights are seen in the sky, unmarked black helicopters are seen, and the killings begin. It seems as if it is done in complete silence except being watched by the farm animals as in a silent horror movie.  

The cuts on the animal were explained to Fern by a veterinarian. The big problem is how could a kill scene be so clean? There should be gallons of blood but not a drop. Very strange. The vet said whoever did this kept the animal alive until the heart pumped all the blood out of the body. There is no noise reported when this occurs, all done in silence. What is going on and why is it beyond me and others?

Fern was a elderly man who I owe a world of thanks for teaching me to think outside the box and to look at things in different ways. I used to ask him who was doing the mutilations?

He never said aliens were responsible but pointed his right hand into the sky

One more story about Fern: he had met a man from Las Vegas who owned an environmental company that could analyze soils, chemicals etc. He wanted to help Fern with his investigations and requested that anything that needed to be analyzed be sent to him. Fern sent him a piece of cow hide where the laser had cut the animal for analysis. The answer came back that the cut is from a laser but there was no carbon footprint, and we don't have those kinds of lasers on Earth.

Fern has since passed and cattle mutilations continue to this day. We are nowhere near the answer. Fern passed on to me that mutilations are not confined to cattle but other animals like horses, sheep, goats, foxes etc. There have even been reports of a human found in Argentina with mutilation cuts like cattle.