Skip to content

Calves shot and left for dead in central Alberta

Bashaw RCMP investigating three shootings
25521182_web1_210614-RDA-calves-shot-dead-lacombe-county-shooting_1
Three calves were recently shot dead in Lacombe County near Mirror. (Photo from Facebook)

Bashaw RCMP are investigating the shooting of three calves killed about a week ago in different farmers fields in the Mirror area.

Lacombe County councillor Brenda Knight said one of her calves was killed in a field about 1.5 km from her farm.

“It’s just very disturbing and shocking,” Knight said.

“We’re all just trying to wrap our heads around this. They seem to just be taking pot-shots from the road and killing innocent animals. I don’t know what’s going on.”

She said hunting season was over so she didn’t think a hunter was to blame. The calf was shot once with a rifle, and it was not a clean shot, so the animal would have suffered.

“It’s an absolute act of cruelty. It’s very frustrating and sad. It’s people’s livelihood too. We sell those calves in the fall.”

Related:

RCMP lay cattle rustling, drug and firearm charges in central Alberta

She said the calf was born in the spring so it was too small to be worth shooting for its meat. It was just left dead in the field.

Another recent crime in the area involved a vehicle that rolled. The driver then stole a tractor in a field, drove it through gates and fences, before police made an arrest.

“A lot of nonsense going on,” Knight said.

Related:

Lacombe County fends off cyberattack

Lacombe County councillor Ken Wigmore, who is also with Red Deer/Lacombe Rural Community Crime Watch, said crime watch members were alerted to the calf killings.

“We have about 200 people on our fan-out system. There is always stuff going on,” said Wigmore about rural crime.

But shooting calves is a something brand new for farmers to worry about, he said.

“I can’t see that they’re just going to do it in that area.”



szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter