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| Would you steal this steer? Photo: longhorndave, Flickr |
Law enforcement officials are blaming current economic woes for the resurgence of a very old-fashioned crime: cattle rustling.
Cattle farmers across the South are coping with an uptick in livestock theft that they claim could endanger their livelihoods. According to the Alabama Department of Agriculture, the state this year has already surpassed the number of cattle theft incidents recorded in 2008, with more than 200 cows swiped since January.
"They're getting the cattle, taking them and selling them," explains Billy Powell, executive vice president for the Alabama Cattlemen's Association.
Powell believes the rise in cattle crime reflects the desperation of some rural Alabamians. As anyone who's ever wrangled cattle will attest, cows are strong, dumb and feisty, which makes them notoriously difficult to move. There's a reason Hollywood assumed it took guys like John Wayne to get the job done.
"It's a lot easier to steal ATVs and riding lawn mowers," Powell says.
"But with the meth labs and all that, they're stealing anything that they might sell."
Although a cow's worth can vary tremendously according to its age, size and pedigree, Powell estimates an 8-month-old calf would fetch about $500 at market.
"What has happened is they'll have a pick-up truck, they'll steal a trailer and then they'll steal the cattle," Powell says.
Powell's organization has asked the state's sheriffs and district attorneys to help stem the trend, and next week plans to issue recommendations based on their suggestions. The association will urge lawmakers to increase the penalties associated with cattle theft and call upon average Alabamians to help patrol their hometowns.
"Folks out in the country are usually kind and warm in greeting their neighbors, but they need to be as suspicious as their city cousins when someone comes riding down the road they don't know," Powell says.
Still, Powell admits much of the responsibility lies with the ranchers themselves: Few states east of the Mississippi now require cattle owners to brand their livestock, meaning the vast majority of cows and steers are unlabeled and unregistered.
So brace yourselves, southern cows: There's most likely a season of ear-tagging, hide-branding and tattooing ahead.
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