By John Francis,
Bruce Peninsula Press
The Forbes family’s cattle operation has more than two thousand cattle, spread over a number of properties on the Bruce Peninsula and further afield. One small part of that operation is fifty four cows plus the calves they bore last winter, grazing in a field on Cape Chin South Road.
In an interview, Richard Forbes explained that on Thursday, November 13, he heard that shots had been fired near that field on Tuesday night, so he swung by Cape Chin South Road to make sure his cows and calves were OK.
They weren’t. Three of the cows had been shot in the head. Miraculously, none of them had died.
These are valuable animals — all three are nursing this year’s calves and all three are pregnant with next year’s calves.
After a very expensive veterinarian visit, all three cows have received treatment. Two are already out of danger and the outlook for the third is cautiously optimistic after surgery to remove three bullet fragments. Further (expensive) vet visits will be required before these animals return to robust health.
Forbes notes that a person was apprehended in the area in the wee hours of Wednesday morning and charged with alcohol and gun offenses. But he points out that there is only circumstantial evidence to suggest a connection. The bullet fragments recovered to date are too misshapen to be analyzed. An entire bullet is still lodged in the neck of one of the animals but it is too close to the jugular vein to be safely removed. The veterinarian says that the bullet will shift over time; he hopes to be able to remove it in a month or so. Forbes speculates that ballistic testing of that bullet might offer the proof needed to lay further charges.
He does not expect any help will be forthcoming to cover the thousands of dollars in vet bills he will incur.
What upsets him more than that is that it (apparently) took an hour and a half for police to arrive on scene after the report of gunfire.
But what upsets him most of all is the prospect that the shooter may not be convicted. If a person can drive around shooting cattle in the middle of the night and get away with it, that makes cattle farmers very nervous.
The Bruce Peninsula Press contacted the Ontario Provincial Police to request additional information; however, no response had been received by the time this edition went to print.
