An organized group appears to have targeted a northeast Georgia farm in an attempt to steal a herd a cattle this week.
Sgt. Daren Osborn of the Union County Sheriff’s department reported the attempted theft Wednesday, “I received a call this morning of an attempted theft of cattle that occurred in Towns County,” he explained. “This occurred around midnight and the thieves were scared off by the owner, but the cattle were caught in his barn and apparently awaiting the arrival of a truck to load them.”
Osborn warns other herds in the area may be targeted, “As the price of cattle rise this may start occurring more frequently in this area as it has in Tennessee and Alabama.”
Local farmers should take precautions, “A good thing to do is place game cameras up around your barns or catch lots,” Osborn says.
The Georgia Extension Service offers the following advice to protect your livestock:
Be observant. If you see a person or vehicle that catch you as being out of the norm, write down a description, get the license plate and make and model of the vehicle. If you observe grain in your pastures or corals, and you did not place it there, take note. Be observant, because in isolated areas, it may not be a single theft, but multiple occasions. Call your neighbor and see if they have seen anything. Do not feel guilty about calling the Sheriff’s Office and leaving a tip on their non-emergency line.
Close and lock gates. Open and unlocked gates are an attractive opportunity for predators looking for weaknesses in your security.
Keep equipment put up and away from roadways where it can be easily accessed. Keeping cows in pastures away from handling equipment will also decrease thieves’ ease of access.
Monitoring often, but on a random timetable, deters thieves who are trying to pattern your routine.
Permanent identification on the stock themselves. Eartags are good until they are cut out. Ear tattoos are great until the ears are cutoff. Branding tends to be one of the only tamper proof identification methods that you can place on your stock. A high tech approach would be placing microchips under their skin.
Once the theft has taken place, all is not lost. Report the incident immediately and as accurately as possible: how many animals, relative age, identifying characteristics, peculiar observations, etc.
If you’re the victim of cattle rustlers, contact your local sheriff and all the area livestock auctions and alert them to the theft immediately.
