Hawaii Rancher’s Cattle Shot And Killed
Authorities in Hawaii are investigating the killing of a Maui rancher’s cattle in what appears to be another senseless act of animal cruelty.
Paige De Ponte told Hawaii News Now she discovered a dead pregnant cow with an arrow in its neck over the weekend. That makes the fourth incident of cattle killing on her ranch in less than three months. She lost a bull in September, a heifer on Thanksgiving and another heifer last week, before the latest cow over the weekend.
“This last one on Saturday was really heart wrenching because she was with a bull. We call him ‘MJ’ and she was one of his cows and he was crying for her to get up and when he couldn’t get her to get up, he went over and was pawing at the ground and nudging her to get up and he just laid down with her and was howling. It was awful to watch,” De Ponte told Hawaii New Now.
De Ponte and her children own Triple L Ranch, which is a working cattle ranch that also features tourist attractions such as guided horse-back ranch tours. De Ponte also operates Bully’s Burgers, a food truck located just below the ranch that “serves up 100% Natural, Certified Organic, Free-Range All Beef Burgers, right from the ranch’s cattle herd,” according to the Triple L Ranch website.
In 2020 ranchers in multiple states have reported cattle killed in what authorities describe as reckless acts of cruelty. A Utah official said in August at least 19 head had been killed in the state since April. The Utah Cattlemen’s Association offered a $20,000 reward for information regarding the shooting of five cattle owned by a Mayfield rancher.
In North Carolina, four pregnant Angus cows were fatally shot in late July near Waxhaw, the Charlotte Observer reported.
In South Dakota, four Charolais cattle were shot the first week of August in Brookings County, the Brookings Register reported.
Last spring, two cows were shot and killed with a bow and arrow in Wagoner County, Oklahoma.
“This is senseless killing, and it needs to stop,” rancher Eric Lyman, who lost cows in Utah, told the Sanpete Messenger. “We’re willing to pay rewards, and we just ask people to keep their eyes open and report anything that looks funny to the authorities.”
Russell Faatz, who ranches near Manti, Utah, said, “This year, the shootings have really picked up. If people need the meat, that’s one thing, but to let it sit there and rot, that’s just stupid.”
