Gates: On this episode of "expedition x..."
Torres: Wow, that is big.
...My team investigates a new wave
Of bizarre deaths in eastern oregon.
Marshall: I've never seen anything like it in my life.
It gives me goosebumps.
A mysterious killer
Lurks in the shadows.
[ alarm sounding ]
[ whispering ] it's that way. So is something over there?
Yes. [ exhales heavily ]
But is it man...
What is this?
Ho...Ly...[bleep] [ geiger counter chirping ]
...Beast...
[ cows lowing ]
...Or something else?
They're moving. They're moving. They're moving.
Whoa, whoa!
Easy now!
My name is josh gates.
In my travels, I've experienced strange things that defy logic
And made me question everything.
Oh, my god.
Now, I've put together a team
To investigate the stranger side of the unknown.
Let's go!
Phil torres is a scientist who hunts for rational explanations.
Jessica chobot's paranormal research
Has made her a true believer.
Phil, do you see that?
I just saw something run across.
Together we're searching for answers...
What is that?
...To the world's most extraordinary mysteries.
This is "expedition x."
-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com
Captions paid for by discovery communications
So case we're tackling today is something that has been
Baffling experts in the pacific northwest --
Not bigfoot.
[ quietly ] damn it.
Actually, it's something much more disturbing.
We're talking about cattle mutilations.
So, we've all heard of this right?
You know, these are otherwise healthy animals
That are suddenly found dead,
No sign of a struggle,
Often with these strange surgical-like cuts
And organs removed.
Yeah, what I love about this as a biologist
Is that it is real.
Like, this isn't just anecdotes or a fuzzy tape.
There are these giant four-hooved chunks
Of evidence left behind
That we could actually analyze scientifically, right?
Well, alright, but isn't that part of the problem --
The fact that scientists and investigators
Have been looking into this for decades
And they still can't explain it?
Right. The first explosion of cases
Happened in the 1970s. In that decade alone,
21 different states
Reported significant cattle mutilations,
And now whatever's causing it
Seems to be back in the state of oregon.
Gates: Since 1973, over 10,000 head of cattle have been butchered
In a way that has baffled researchers.
Even the leading law enforcement agency in the country
Has investigated.
In may 1979, federal authorities
Launched a comprehensive inquiry
Into the cattle mutilation phenomenon.
The fbi issued their final report in June of 1980,
Saying the deaths were most likely the result of common
Predators consuming the soft tissue of the carcasses.
It's a conclusion that has remained contentious to this day
Because every year since, ranchers discovered dead cattle
With a variety of organs removed with surgical precision,
Often with their blood drained, no signs of struggle,
Or any other real clues left behind.
No footprints, no tire tracks, no disturbances.
One of the most popular theories is also one of the wildest --
That these attacks are a direct result
Of extraterrestrial visitation.
Believers point to reports of unidentified flying objects
Spotted around the time of the mutilations,
Leaving many to wonder if there's a connection.
On top of that, recently released data
Confirms that the state of oregon
Has the second-most ufo sightings in the country.
It has even been proposed that cattle mutilations
Are part of sinister cult rituals,
A top-secret government operation,
Or the work of some unknown cryptid.
With a new wave of strange incidents
Unfolding in eastern oregon, time is of the essence.
Not only are the ranchers frustrated,
But they're also scared of what might be lurking on their land.
So, there have been a number of recent cases in oregon,
But there is a ranch in eastern oregon
That just saw five head of cattle slain,
Seemingly drained of blood with their organs removed.
So this is happening currently?
Yeah, this is happening right now.
Wow. I think this is
A huge opportunity for us
To go out there and see for ourselves what's going on,
And I need you to promise me
That you'll be at least a little open-minded to the fact
That something unexplained is happening out there.
But, jess, there are so many natural possibilities
To consider out there.
I mean, what if these things are bloating in the sun
And just ripping in a way that looks precise?
Crows are even known to remove specific organs
When scavenging on carcasses.
So, what if the fbi did nail it all those years ago
And solve the case? Okay, fine.
But then, what killed the cows in the first place?
I mean, these are healthy cattle, and a bunch of crows
Aren't going to take down a bull.
Well, this is exactly what I want the two of you
To try to figure out,
And I do think we need to explore
All of the leading theories.
Absolutely, but I think for me
The predator angle just makes the most sense.
We got to dive into that.
And I think we have to tackle the ufo theory.
I mean, you think cattle mutilations
And you immediately think ufos.
I mean, it's even in our pop culture.
It's on t-shirts with the ufo
Sucking a cow up into a ship. Yes.
And so, I want to know why?
Is there any evidence that connects those two things?
Absolutely, and I think the last thing
We do have to consider is people.
Is there a possibility that all of these mutilations
Happened at the hands of individuals?
And this current case in eastern oregon
Offers us this really unique opportunity
To investigate something that's happening now.
Yeah, I'm psyched. Yeah, let's get out there.
Okay, let's do it.
Gates: My team hops a flight
And travels 2,900 miles
From new york to portland, oregon,
Then it's a 4 1/2 hour drive southeast to a ranch in seneca
And the scene of a recent slaughter
That defies explanation.
Look at this area. Eastern, oregon,
It is high desert
And absolutely cattle country.
In eastern oregon,
Cattle is king.
The vast ranges here may not be suited for farming,
But it is perfect for grazing herds.
The cattle industry contributes $900 million
To the state's economy,
And any threat to that is a direct attack
On the livelihood of these communities.
So what do you think is causing all these cattle mutilations?
One of the best lessons I've learned as a biologist
Is just knowing how unexpected
And fascinating nature can really be.
People are encountering a part of nature
That they didn't know existed...
Maybe there's a new predator or a new scavenger around here
That's eating them in an unusual way.
...So they lean towards the supernatural
Or the something else.
You're talking about ranchers here,
Ranchers that have been here for generations.
They've definitely seen a dead cow
That has been scavenged. So for them to say
That they don't know
What is causing these mutilations
I think is very interesting and something
That we really need to pay attention to.
I will agree.
There are a lot of unanswered questions here
And a lot of weird stuff. Yeah.
Alright, see what we find out here.
Yep.
Jess and phil arrive at the ranch to meet
With colby marshall.
He's been working with cattle his whole life,
Having been raised wrangling the herd
On his family's property, and he was working here
Is the vice president of ranch operations
When bulls just recently started turning up dead.
What did you see there? It was really a surreal scene.
I come upon this critter
And he's laying there and there's no bite marks,
There's no froth, there's no struggle,
And there wasn't a drop of blood.
That is -- that is so weird. That's so weird.
And not only is there no blood at the scenes,
But then the testicles and the penis
And the anus and the tongues are missing.
I've never seen anything like it in my life.
So, if you had found one of those cattle
That looked mutilated, that would've
Stood out to you? Absolutely.
But you found five in two days. Correct.
What do you think it is? Possibly a cult group.
-Hmm. -Wow.
There's some very important reason
Why they are harvesting
Those organs from a live animal
That's out free-range,
And the type of group that would do
This kind of activity is very close-knit.
Have cults been known to be in this area?
This is an isolated,
Very remote part of the united states.
This is a place where people can come
To become unknown, if you will
Not be noticed. Correct.
Gates: For decades, there's been a long-standing rumor
That cults and satanists
Could be responsible for cattle mutilations.
Many believe it's the direct result
Of the so-called satanic panic,
A mass media scare that led to frightful accusations
And trials against satanists
In the '80s and '90s.
In oregon alone, by 1990,
Local law enforcement was investigating over 300 crimes
Believed to be linked to the occult,
Including cases of ritual sacrifice against animals.
So maybe the idea isn't so outlandish after all.
We took actions by bringing in law enforcement
That could investigate
And hopefully give us some answers.
So what do they have to say? Well, at the end of the day,
They found nothing.
Torres: These ranchers lost $7,000
For each mutilated animal,
And all they have to show for it
Or some truly horrific
Crime scene photos.
You can see where all of those organs have been taken,
But without actually causing any damage to the abdomen.
They knew what they were doing, and they knew how to do it.
I wonder if a scavenger came by
And tore at those organs.
This right here is the part of the animal
That scavengers love to get to,
And nothing is touching this carcass.
Hmm. That is completely odd.
It gives me goosebumps.
It would be great if we could see the location
Where you found the first bull.
Is that possible? Absolutely.
But there's some rugged terrain.
But there's a way to get there.
♪♪
Now, this is how you get around the country!
Watch it here!
Gates: Colby leads the team on atvs for a 10-mile ride
To the remote crime scene, where phil and jess
Plan to set up their own investigation.
Alright!
This ranch sprawls 140,000 acres...
Hey, buddy! ...Making it easy to see
How something could happen to one of these animals
Without anyone witnessing it,
Whether the culprit be man, beast, or otherwise.
[ whews ] this the spot?
This is the spot.
We found the first bull here,
We found the next bull kind of on down the stream,
And then we found three other bulls upstream
From where we are right now. Well, we're kind of
In part of it, then. This is perfect.
I feel like this would be a good spot
To set up camp if you are okay with us being here.
You guys are welcome to camp out here on this ground.
I just want you to be careful tonight.
Why?
Well, we don't know what's out here.
Gates: This location is the epicenter of the five recent mutilations,
So the team hurries to set up camp before nightfall.
They'll investigate this area at night
When most cattle mutilations take place to try to find out
Who or what may be lurking around this ranch.
What's known here -- mountain lion, bear, bobcat.
What's unknown here
That I think may be leaving signs
That the ranchers don't know is wolf.
They've been seen three counties north of here
But haven't been detected here in decades.
And check this thing out. It's called the foxpro.
Uh-huh. It's incredibly loud speaker
With the catalog of wild animals you can call in,
Including wolf.
So, what you're telling me is
We're drawing wolves towards us.
That is the plan,
But to keep us extra safe
Or at least let us know what's coming at us, I have these.
So it's basically like a laser trip wire --
Anything crosses that,
It's gonna trigger this,
Which we can keep at camp.
So will at least have a good heads up
If something is heading our way.
Awesome. So I'll get a heads up
That I'm gonna die soon
Instead of just surprised with it.
'cause I hate surprises. Exactly.
I don't want you to be surprised.
Fantastic.
Alright, well, if you're set here,
Then I'm gonna take a quick sweep of the area.
Colby's so convinced
That there's something cult-like happening here,
So I just want to do a quick run
And see what I can see. Alright, be careful out there.
♪♪
Torres: While jess canvases the area,
I'm setting up a series of infrared trail cameras
Between the laser trip wires.
So, if we do drawn in a predator
That may be responsible for these mutilations,
We can capture photographic evidence.
Chobot: I take the quad to cover more ground,
Looking for anything out of the ordinary.
After a couple of hours, I see a vague white shape
That cuts through the darkness.
Oh, [bleep]. What's that?
So I put on a pair of night-vision goggles
For better visibility.
♪♪
What the hell is that?
That is not normal.
Oh, [bleep]. What is this?
Okay, yep.
This is extremely creepy.
Torres: Jess, you got something?
Uh, yeah. Definitely got something.
There is a skull of some sort
With blood on it.
♪♪
That is not normal.
Oh, [bleep]. What is this?
Torres: Jess, you got something?
Uh, yeah. Definitely got something.
There is a skull of some sort
With blood on it and then a pile of bones
Next to a bunch of beer bottles
And a [bleep] paw
With fur on it lying next to this skull.
Yikes. That's pretty creepy.
I'm not sure what I'm seeing here,
But it's definitely creepy --
The blood, the paw, all of it.
Somebody's been back here.
I just feel like you should head back to camp.
Let me collect the stuff then I'll head back.
Copy that. See you at base camp.
Chobot: The ranchers here are convinced that some sort of cult
Could be involved in these bizarre slayings,
And based on the scene that I just discovered,
Maybe they're right.
Check out what I found.
Whoa! Yeah.
Okay. Uh... Look at that.
Horse skull.
Alright, well, this was right next to it.
This could be a fox 'cause the claws are out.
Generally with canids, they're out.
With cats, they're retracted until they put them out.
Well, here, look at the pictures.
Tell me what you think.
And there's that pile of bones. Oh, my gosh.
Yeah. Those teeth.
And then we've got the beer bottles
Spread out all over the place.
It definitely looks like, you know,
Trash was left behind.
First off, these are not cattle remains.
That's important. I mean, look at this.
Horse skull, I don't know, road kill paw,
And beer bottles.
It's just so random.
People in town know
That the cattle mutilations happened here.
Maybe some teenagers come out, have some beers,
Bring something that looks creepy...
And have a creepy night. Yeah.
I could see you doing that as a teenager, jess, let's be real.
I absolutely did that very thing when I was younger.
You make a good point.
Satanists don't leave beer bottles around.
If they're offerings, they're offerings,
And they're supposed to be placed,
You know, importantly.
Someone who's capable of this,
I don't see them being capable
Of killing a living bull
And cutting off its you know what.
Yeah, I would agree.
Chobot: The empty beer bottles thrown around here
Suggests that this is not the scene of a ritual.
It does prove one thing -- in such an expansive property
People can easily trespass
And do whatever weird bit of business they want
Without getting caught.
What we got with the rest of our equipment?
I've got trail cams set up to take images of anything
That's passing through this kind of narrow area.
[ shrieks ] whoa. Geez.
There's a spider on you. Where is it?
It just crawled down your arm. Sorry.
That's a daddy long legs, jessica.
Sorry. Well, I wasn't expecting it.
There we go. That's cool. Ah!
No! I'm good! I'm good! Jess, did you know...
I'm good! No. ...That daddy long legs
Is the most venomous spider in the world?
[ sighs ] they are the most venomous?
No, they're not. They're absolutely harmless.
Is it on me? Jess, can you check?
[ sighs ] [ bleep ]
I think it's off. Yeah, I think it's off.
Oh! [ screams ] what?!
[ bleeping ]
Okay. [ groans ]
I just don't like spiders. Okay.
Just don't look behind you and we'll be good.
[ sighs ] god, that's not cool, dude.
What did you set up and what are we doing tonight?
Basically, I have the entire perimeter
Set up with that laser trip wire.
So if anything crosses over there,
We will get notified here.
With this, each one of these numbers
Corresponds to a different sensor that I have.
Gotcha.
Torres: I've set up the laser trip wires.
In a box pattern surrounding our base camp.
In addition, I've also placed a series of trail cameras
All along that path.
If anything crosses this motion sensor,
We'll get a photo of it. Okay.
But to get something to approach,
That's why we got the foxpro.
This game caller is a high-definition speaker
That sends out a wolf howl that can be heard
As far as 10 miles away.
So if there are wolves anywhere within that range,
I'm hoping they'll respond.
[ quietly ] okay, you ready?
[ quietly ] yeah.
[ wolves howling ]
[ whispering ] oh, that's scary.
[ whispering ] okay, let's listen.
Torres: Wolves howl to advertise the size of their pack,
Warn each other of danger,
And to find other wolves.
If these pack predators have returned to the area,
Then free-range cattle could make for ideal prey.
[ howling continues ]
That thing is freaking loud.
If any wolf is around here,
They heard that.
Hearing anything? No, nothing yet.
♪♪
[ howling continues ] for the next hour,
We send out the virtual wolf call,
But so far, we haven't gotten a response.
[ howling continues ]
[ howling in distance ]
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Did you hear that? I did.
I think I heard one. [ howling continues ]
There it is.
That could be a mile, 1 1/2 miles away.
[ sighs ]
But... [ alarm sounding ]
[ bleep ]
Hit number four.
That's over here. It's that way.
Does that mean it's close?
Sensor's about 100 yards out.
I think that's not that far off. No.
So is something over there?
Yes. [ exhales heavily ]
I have a trail cam set over there...
Okay.
...And I think it's worth checking.
You want to go out there?
Whatever crossed that sensor, we should have a photo of it.
I mean, for all we know, it's a deer.
I want to know.
[ groans ]
Alright? Alright, yeah.
Torres: Something tripped sensor number four north of camp.
With cougars, bears, coyotes already confirmed
Hunting in these hills,
We need to stay alert.
Yeah, it's on this tree. See it?
Oh, yep. I see it.
Let's check it out.
Alright.
Moment of truth. -Alright.
[ normal voice ] we got something.
Alright, let's bring this back.
See what we got on the card.
Torres: If a wolf pack has migrated to this ranch,
It strengthens my theory that predators
Could be preying on the cattle here.
Okay. Moment of truth here.
What do we got?
Look at that! Holy [bleep]. There it is.
Big head. Thick tail.
That's a wolf.
There's a predator that lives here
That is capable of taking down a 2,000 pound bull
And they hunt in a pack. And we've established
Something that they didn't know here before.
This is big. I hear you,
But that still does not explain
Why there's no blood anywhere these carcasses are found.
Admit it. There's still so much more
We need to explain to find out what happened here.
It's true.
Chobot: Having survived the night and with proof
Of not only human activity
And pack predators operating on the ranch,
We have to prioritize our efforts.
While both humans and predators
Are capable of killing an adult bull,
This isn't just a case of some dead cattle.
So we definitely were able to prove
That there's pack predators out here.
Oh, yes. That still doesn't
Explain to me
What is making those surgical cuts
And why is there no blood.
Well, there's an entire science of people studying
How things decay in nature
And specifically how bugs
Will eat away at rotten flesh.
Maybe even leave something
That looks like a surgical incision.
So, I say we set up a scientific experiment
That might be able to show us where the blood went, etc.
Okay. I think that's a great idea.
Alright. We got a plan.
I like having a plan. Yeah.
It's like we almost know what we're doing for once.
Torres: To put my theory to the test
That insects may have been responsible
For the anomalous wounds on the cattle,
We need to record how a dead bull naturally decomposes
In the same environment.
Colby was able to put me in touch with a rancher
That has a bull that just passed away.
The rancher agreed to take it to a remote location
For little science experiment
That just might break this case wide open.
Wow, that is big.
You can put him down here! This looks good!
-Ohh. -Oof...
Ah... Wow.
Alright. Thanks.
Look at that.
Ohh. Wow.
Look at this thing. Already, we have flies
Coming around the tongue,
Some are on the eyes. Yep.
We know there are predators out here.
We know there are scavengers out here.
Then the flies come in
And the maggots kind of clean up the work
And these fly maggots eat the dead tissue.
They release enzymes to really be able to break it all down,
And in the end, it looks almost like surgical precision.
I'm telling you, that's what we're gonna see here.
How about you take the anus. I'll take the front.
Dude.
It's my experiment. I get to...
Well, I'm used to working with a butthead, so...
Ooh.
Torres: To execute my plan, first we're going to set up
A series of time-lapse cameras around the carcass
To capture a 360-view of the decomposing bull
For at least 36 hours.
We'll compare the images of this dead bull
To the images of the mutilated animals on colby's ranch
To see if a combination of scavengers, insects,
And natural decomposition
Can produce similar results.
Alright, if we get the exact same thing
From natural causes,
Then case closed. We solved it.
If we don't, then we're right back on my side.
There's more going on here than just scavengers and bugs.
We'll see. Alright.
Chobot: While phil's experiment could explain potential natural causes
For the strange wounds found on the cattle,
I want to run down a potential otherworldly culprit.
One of the most famous
And admittedly most dramatic theories
Is that these mutilations are connected to ufos.
The fact is, there have been countless sightings
Of unidentified flying objects
Observed in close proximity to cattle mutilation sites.
Even in this area, dozens of eyewitnesses
Have recently reported ufos,
And I've tracked down one local man,
Who's managed to actually capture them on camera.
How you doing? Hi.
Kainan jordan recently filmed a grouping of strange lights
Flying just 40 miles south of the grisly crime scene
At colby's ranch.
Thanks for meeting us out here. You're welcome.
So you've seen some pretty strange things
In the sky lately. One night, I was up here
Just filming a blood moon
When I noticed some orange lights
Coming up over the horizon
And moving across the desert that way.
I filmed them for probably about an hour.
Chobot: The lights that kainan captured on camera
Were seen around the same time
As the recent cattle mutilations,
And I don't think that's a coincidence.
Can we see the video you took of them?
Yes, absolutely.
Alright, let's check this out.
And these couldn't possibly be cars
Or anything driving along the horizon?
There's no possibility that they were automobiles.
Oh, that is weird.
Look at that! I don't know what that is.
Gates: Recent cattle mutilations have left residents
In eastern oregon gripped by terror.
And with unidentified flying objects reported
And filmed in the same area around the same time
As the recent wave of attacks,
Phil and jess have decided to investigate
If these phenomena are connected.
Alright, let's check this out.
Oh, that is weird. Torres: Look at that!
I don't know what that is.
Jordan: That red light was always there.
They just all originate here and travel this way.
They're not flares because they move on their own power.
They're completely silent, so they're not jets.
That is so strange. That is so bizarre.
What do you think you're seeing there?
I have no idea.
They're not any kind of aircraft that I'm familiar with.
Have you heard of any correlation
Between when the lights show up in the sky
And the cattle mutilations? Yes.
A lot of people can't really come up
With any other explanation but some sort of alien encounter.
Now, without direct evidence,
I can't say for sure.
Chobot: Our investigation is now covering both carcasses
On the ground and lights in the sky.
So we set up a call with josh to get him up to speed.
Hey, guys! How are you?
Hi! Hey! Good.
How's the investigation going?
It's going really good. It's going great.
We managed to confirm
That wolves have returned to this area.
I mean, no question of pack of wolves could take down a bull,
But it doesn't really account for the lack of blood
Or tracks or these surgical wounds
That people have seen. I'm doing an experiment.
Basically, we managed to track down a bull
That had died recently.
We got some cameras on it to just wait
And see what nature does
To see if it matches what the ranchers
Have been finding with the mutilated cattle.
Okay, that's a great idea and super gross.
So gross. If we could get that camera
Any closer to that bull's butt,
It's just -- ohh, it's disgusting.
Ohh... You guys thought
This was gonna be a glamorous job.
No, this one's definitely...
Not that.
What other leads are you following?
So, we have a lot of eyewitnesses
That report unexplained lights in the area.
A lot of people suspect
This might be ufos or some sort of object
That's unexplainable that are coming in
And taking care of these cattle for some unexplained reason.
Yeah, I mean, I think you have to tug on that thread.
It is the most famous association
With these cattle mutilations.
And to that end, I have some kind of exciting news, actually.
There is a brand-new report
Of unidentified lights in the sky
And it took place over a ranch
Just outside of burns.
That's where eye-witness kainan
Said he saw lights in the sky.
They're also reporting that five calves also went
Missing the same night.
Just disappeared? Yes.
That's strange. Okay.
I mean, this is a big opportunity, right,
Because this is happening right now.
If you can be there while this is happening,
You might be able to document what's actually causing this.
And to give you a hand,
I'm gonna send you a little bit of backup.
I'm gonna send you these gps tracking collars.
You can fit those to calves that are out there right now,
And it'll track their vitals -- their blood pressure,
Body temperature, heart rate, any of that stuff.
So if anything happens to stress these animals out,
You'll be able to know about it in real time.
Wow. Okay. That sounds perfect.
Gates: These ranchers have agreed to let the team investigate,
But their cattle are part of a free-range heard
Roaming on a 500-square-mile area.
Time is of the essence,
So I've arranged a helicopter
So phil and jess can get a bird's-eye view
And answer one very important question --
Where's the beef?
Woman: Helicopter 2-0 [indistinct] taking off
Alpha taxiway parallel 3-4.
Whoo!
♪♪
Torres: Now that we've located the herd,
We race to the ranch where a couple of cowboys
Lead us on a two-hour ride back into the frontier
So we can tag some cattle with some very cool tech.
♪♪
-Check it out. -Oh, yeah.
I see them. -We got them.
Cattle and calves. This must be the spot.
Alright, so I've got the tracking collars in my backpack,
So I think we're good to go.
Man: It might get kind of wild. If they start to take off,
You might kind of get ahead of them and hold them.
Alright, we can do that. Alright, will do.
Torres: The cowhands will rope the calves,
And jess and I will have to rush in and collar them.
Good shot, cowboy.
This is dangerous work.
This process can agitate the herd
And lead to a stampede.
Adult bulls can run up to 35 miles per hour,
And a collision at that speed
Generates nearly 4 tons of force.
So we need to move fast... -Go, go, go!
Go get a collar on her! -...And watch our backs.
You got him? Yep.
As we tag these calves,
We can use the data from the collars
To see if something or someone
Is targeting them.
We'll be notified immediately
If there's a rapid change in their vitals.
♪♪
So having tagged the calves, we head back into town.
At this point our investigation,
There's still a lot of dots that need connecting.
So, we've tracked down one man
Who claims to have all the answers.
Chris o'brien -- author of "stalking the herd:
Unraveling the cattle mutilation mystery"
Is one of the world's foremost experts on the phenomenon.
He's investigated thousands of cases
With law enforcement, ex-military,
And ranchers for 30 years.
Hi! Hi, chris!
Hey, guys. Thanks for meeting with us.
Torres: Chris believes he not only knows
Who's piloting the mysterious crafts
Seen during these mutilations,
But also their shocking motive.
Alright, so I'm dying to know these theories that you have
Behind the cattle mutilations.
What do you think it is? Well, we're dealing
With something that's really scary.
And the government is involved.
Gates: The team is investigating the recent wave
Of cattle mutilations in eastern oregon,
And expert chris o'brien has a unique theory
That not only accounts for unidentified flying objects
Reported around the time of these attacks,
But also a shocking human agenda.
I think at the core of the phenomenon,
There's something strange going on.
I think there's a secret governmental group
Using military technology helicopters
And flying around mutilating livestock.
Torres: What, you're saying our government is doing this?
I am absolutely convinced
That we've had almost 400 helicopter sightings
By ranchers around mutilation sites.
That can't be an accident.
I got to say, the whole government conspiracy angle
Sounds a little just crazy to me.
Why would they want anything to do with cattle?
I think they're deathly afraid of radiation contamination
In the groundwater and in the food chain.
If you go downwind and downstream,
Weapons enrichment facilities, nuclear power plants.
That's the areas you'll find where there's
The heaviest concentration
Of cattle mutilation cases.
Gates: While chris' theory might sound far-fetched,
The u.S. Government has been monitoring radiation levels
In cattle since the dawn of the atomic age.
On July 16th, 1945,
The united states tested the first atomic bomb in history
At the trinity test site in new mexico.
And just five months later, the u.S. Army
Purchased 75 head of cattle
From local ranchers to study the effects
Of radiation exposure on the animals.
Why would the government not want us to know
About a risk to our food supply?
Because it's the beef industry.
It's the largest income producer in agribusiness.
They do not want people
To question the safety of beef.
So, chris, if these are covert operations,
Where are these government helicopters coming from?
Well, I think if you look at the areas of high incidents,
There's always some sort of government facility,
A military base nearby.
Chobot: Chris' theory is definitely intriguing,
And it's our job to put it to the test.
If the recent cattle mutilations
Are the result of top-secret government tests
On contaminated cattle,
There has to be a paper trail.
And since the vital signs on the calves are still normal,
We head to the harney county library
To pore through the local archives for hours,
And we get a hit.
We find evidence from 2020
That radioactive waste
Was dumped illegally near arlington, oregon,
North of our location.
Wow, that's huge.
Super recent. Not too far from here.
Uh-uh.
Torres: Looking at a map of the watershed,
From arlington, water flows south right into this area
And possibly with contaminated water.
And if those cows are drinking that water...
The more radioactive they become?
Essentially, yeah.
Wouldn't surprise me at all, then,
That the government's trying to cover something up.
I thought this theory was absolutely crazy.
And the more I look into it, the more I say
It's not quite as crazy as I thought it was.
So was the government really worried
About deadly contamination in the livestock here,
And have they use stealth helicopters
To drop in undetected
And carve up prize bulls to perform overt tests
To detect harmful radioactivity?
Maybe it's not so crazy after all.
Turns out the ranches we've been investigating
And where unidentified lights have been seen
Happen to have a government connection.
Jess, you're not gonna believe this.
Looking at the map, you know what's
Five miles away from here?
An abandoned air force base. Are you serious?
It's no longer in use,
But that's what chris was saying
Gets used for, like,
Black ops-y-type operations. Yeah.
I think I should go check out the air force base tonight.
Okay. And I think you should
Stay on the cattle.
Keep an eye on the transmission
Because if they start going wild,
We know something's happening tonight.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
Torres: While jess heads out to the ranch
To keep an eye on the herd,
I'm taking a closer look at this military base
To see if I can find any evidence of recent activity.
Whoa...
♪♪
[ wind whistling ]
The wind is literally howling.
This place is so creepy.
Gates: Phil's arrived at burns air force station,
Five miles southwest of burns, oregon.
It was built in 1955 as a cold war-era radar station
But was decommissioned in the early '70s
For being abandoned, it's making an awful lot of noise.
So, one of the best ways to detect recent military activity
Is actually to detect radioactivity.
A lot of the top-secret helicopters
Will have strontium in the blades
Or other radioactive materials in their night-vision cameras.
So, I brought along a geiger counter,
And maybe we'll be able to detect something
That says someone's been here and we'll get a hit.
♪♪
Chobot: The gps coordinates sent from the tracking collars indicate
That the herd has moved close to the edge of the ranch.
So I'm monitoring their vital signs
From a safe distance on an access road
That bisects the property -- not too close to spook them
But close enough to get to them if I have to.
If there's a spike in pulse, respiration, or blood pressure,
That means they're stressed by something or someone.
And if that happens, hopefully I can get a look at what that is.
And I'm covering all my bases.
So what I'm doing right now
Is setting up an industrial camera
That can see in the infrared spectrum.
Anything that crosses in front of this camera,
Even if I can't see it with my own eyes,
Will be caught on this.
Torres: While jess tracks the herd and records the skies above,
I'm looking for any evidence of a possible government footprint
At this abandoned base.
[ wind whistling ]
Oh, look at up here. Look at this.
This almost looks like a landing pad right here.
One...Two.
That, to me, looks like helicopter skid marks...
Or some sort of craft landed here.
All the dust blew away.
[ geiger counter chirping ]
Oh, wow.
Listen to that.
This whole area, we're getting hits.
[ chirping faster ] here we go. Here we go.
Wow.
This is not your normal background radiation.
This is a big hit.
Ho...Ly...[bleep].
Normal and safe background radiation
Is typically in the range of 25 to 75 cpms,
Or counts per minute.
I'm picking up readings at over 1,000 cpms.
Something has definitely used this base recently.
Wait, what's that noise?
It's like a metallic sound.
Did you hear that?
I don't see anything in the sky.
Holy [bleep]!
Oh, something is definitely freaking them out.
Their vitals are just skyrocketing.
I want to get a little closer. Hold on.
♪♪
Oh, they're moving. They're moving. They're moving.
[ cows lowing ] they're moving.
Whoa! Whoa! Easy now!
Jess and phil are following a lead
On potential top-secret government testing on cattle.
Look, there's been no shortage of conspiracy theories
Surrounding all sorts of secret government programs for decades.
But once in a while, history reveals
They're based in truth.
In 1977, documents were discovered
That revealed the cia actually funded
A series of human mind control experiments
Under the moniker "mkultra."
First approved in 1953,
Mkultra experimented with drugs like lsd
As well as hypnosis,
Electric shock, and sensory deprivation...
...All in an attempt to develop interrogation procedures
That might, say, encourage a confession
From an otherwise stubborn detainee.
Which of course begs the question --
What other top-secret projects don't we know about?
Chobot: Wait, what's that noise?
Their vitals are just skyrocketing.
Oh, something is definitely freaking them out.
I want to get a little closer. Hold on.
♪♪
Oh, they're moving. They're moving. They're moving.
[ cows lowing ] they're moving.
Whoa! Whoa! Easy now!
[ panting ]
[ buzzing sound ]
You hearing that?
It's like a low hum.
[ radio blips ] chobot: Phil, are you there?
Torres: Yeah, come in.
Something's freaking out the cows.
Wait, we got something?
I heard a strange noise,
Their vital started skyrocketing.
The calves are going berserk.
They all took off. I tried to catch them.
They're moving too fast.
We got something. Let's go.
Alright, I'm coming your way.
Torres: Hopefully, whatever's spooking the cattle
Isn't dangerous or armed.
So what's going on?
I was out there sitting and monitoring the cattle,
And then out of nowhere,
I hear this weird noise.
Wait. Low hum-type thing? Yes!
And the kettle take off. But the good thing is,
This sucker was running the entire time.
So I'm hoping we caught something maybe on this.
Chobot: I set up the infrared camera on the access road
Pointed to the patch of sky
Just above the herd's location before they took off.
So I'm hoping there's something in the footage
That can explain what spooked them.
Alright, here.
Oh! Did you see that?! Oh!
Oh, look at that! Oh...My...Gosh.
Holy crap!
Look... Oh, look at it turn!
What -- it just stopped and moved!
Is that a satellite?
I mean, a satellite can't turn like that.
Chobot: I did not see that while I was out there at all.
Chobot: I'm blown away.
We both hear a strange humming sound from different locations,
Cattle are running for their lives,
And now we have a confirmed unidentified object in the sky.
Did we just film what's responsible
For these cattle mutilations?
We've got it recorded.
That is undeniable.
We got something recorded.
I mean, it seems like something in the sky
Spooked the cattle,
But we have no idea what that is.
Torres: There's no doubt jess caught something on camera,
But it's impossible to say what it is,
And I'm not giving up on mother nature just yet.
A couple days ago, we set up a series of time-lapse cameras
On a decomposing bull.
Okay. Alright.
Ready for this? Yes.
Alright, so, this is from the front camera.
If I'm right, a combination of scavengers, insects,
And natural decomposition
May have produced similar anomalous wounds
On our dead bull
Just like at colby's ranch.
Look at those flies!
Wow. That is gross!
It's like a blanket of bugs.
Tons of bird activity
A lot of flying maggot activity,
At the eyes and the tongue
And the mouth. Yeah.
Just like what I expected to see
Insects and scavengers
Immediately targeted the soft tissue.
Within a few hours,
They are completely gone,
Just like I predicted
So this is...
Ahh, phil! You got to warn me
Before you just flip to a different image.
This is encouraging, but when we switch cameras,
I'll confess I'm a bit disappointed.
You can see just the bloating of the body separating him.
Just poufing him up like a big macy's day parade float.
What I'm seeing here is that it actually doesn't look like
The images of the mutilated cattle.
Like, not even close.
I got to admit, this isn't the result I was hoping for
So you don't think it's natural?
You think it's something else.
I got to follow where the evidence leads us.
It's saying that something else is going on here.
The whole government conspiracy thing
Sounds pretty crazy to me,
But what I don't know is how anybody else
Has the resources to pull off
Taking down five bulls in this way
And doing it without anybody finding out.
I'm fully buying into chris' theory.
I think this is the government doing it
To keep tabs on the food supply.
Gates: The recent events in eastern oregon
Have re-ignited one of america's most head-scratching
And gruesome mysteries.
But after phil and jess' investigation,
A more complete picture of what's really going on here
Is coming into focus.
First, phil made a significant discovery
That wolves have returned to the area.
Packs have been known to target and kill cattle
And are undoubtedly responsible for some of the attacks,
But other mutilated cattle do not show signs
Of having been taken down by large predators.
A controlled experiment indicated that insects
And natural decomposition can look unusual
But it did not produce the same surgical wounds
Seen in many cases.
And while local ranchers believe that cult activity
May be to blame, the team found no definitive evidence
Either here or in researching other cases.
This leaves the strange correlation
Between these incidents and unidentified lights in the sky.
Are there really stealth helicopters --
Part of some shadowy government conspiracy --
Or something else entirely?
At this point, it's impossible to say for sure.
For now, ranchers will keep a watchful eye on their cattle,
And residents will keep looking to the skies.
With trail cameras still deployed across the ranch,
In time, we may just capture definitive proof
And close the case once and for all.
For more information on "expedition x,"
Head to discovery.Com/expeditionx.