UK farmers blame UFOs for sheep mutilations

Ten years or so worth of sheep mutilations in a select area of Shropshire County are leading some to speculate that the strange cases are the work of extra-terrestrials.

Shrewsbury, UK - Farming is still a viable economic pursuit in Shropshire County, where Shropshire sheep are making a comeback. A report from the area Monday said some farmers in the Shrewsbury area have been finding some of their sheep dead and strangely mutilated. The report goes further, blaming extra-terrestrials for the strange damage. UFOs are not alien in Shropshire. The latest reported sighting took place in July 2009. Researchers investigating the alleged mutilations said they have witnessed strange lights in the sky at night. Phil Hoyle is one of the people pointing the finger at aliens. Hoyle and colleagues created the Animal Pathology Field Unit, and the men have been investigating animal mutilations in Great Britain since 1998. About 16 members of the Animal Pathology Field Unit, in Shropshire to investigate the mutilations, have reported seeing unexplained lights in the skies in the Shropshire area during the past month. Hoyle described what he saw as being a laser light show fit to rival a scene from a Star Wars movie. The mutilations are different for different sheep, although the common thread appears to be the precision involved in the mutilations. Some sheep were found missing eyes and brains, while others were missing the flesh from only one side of the body. Other sheep have been found with missing organs, but only very slight incisions had been made. Previous cases seen in Great Britain include at least one case where a sheep has been reportedly found with skin and flesh stripped from one portion of the face. Shropshire has become renowned as a UFO "hot spot" because the area has had more sightings in the past 40 years than other parts of Great Britain. One of the most notable sightings occurred in 2008. A soldier captured video footage of what was described as a "fleet of objects" in the sky in Shropshire. Most animal mutilations are eventually blamed on animal predation or unknown humans. However the mutilations have come about, the phenomenon is disturbing, and as long as the cases remain unsolved, wild theories as to the cause will continue to arise. An American group, National Institute for Discovery Science, has linked suspected animal mutilation cases in the United States with Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy. A paper put out by the group states "... Overall, the evidence suggests that animal mutilations are a long-term, covert, prion disease sampling operation by unknown perpetrators who are aware of a substantial contamination of the beef and venison food supply." Founded by billionaire Robert Bigelow, the National Institute for Discovery Science was created to explore the paranormal, as well as mysteries such as UFOs. That organization no longer exists. In 2008, Bigelow turned his sights to creating inflatable space stations. His new company, Bigelow Aerospace, is still going strong. Crop circles are another strange phenomenon common in the United Kingdom. While this phenomenon is also not well explained, it is not as frightening and and there is even a tour available.