Theft of calves prompts warning from police about rural crime

CALVES STOLEN IN TWO incidents at an Atwood-area farm has Ontario Provincial Police warming rural property owners to be vigilant.

On August 24, Perth County OPP received a call from the farmer reporting the theft of two Holstein calves (black and white in colour). The investigation revealed that sometime between 12:05 a.m. and 9 a.m. on August 24, unknown persons attended onto the farm property and removed the two calves from their individual hutches. The calves were most likely loaded onto a covered pickup truck.

One of the calves was a heifer (female), weighing approximately 150 lbs. It had a tag in both ears with the number 272. The second untagged calf was a bull (male), weighing approximately 200 lbs.

It was the second theft of calves from the same farm in the past nine days. The earlier theft occurred between 9 p.m. on August 14 and 10 a.m. on August 15 when two Holstein calves, one weighing 100 lbs. and the other weighing 120 lbs., were stolen from their hutches.

Police remind rural property owners that they are especially vulnerable due to their isolated locations. The theft of generators, tools, agricultural equipment, fuel from farm bulk tanks, vehicles with the keys left inside, and now animals, seems to be an all-too-common occurrence, they say. Farmers are urged to increase their farm security and be aware of who enters onto their properties.

Anyone with information about these stolen calves or who knows their whereabouts is requested to contact the Perth County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), and you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.