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Mutilations Probe Disappointing Examination of the first quarterly report sub- mitted in cur famous $50,o00 cattle mutiiation probe would indlcate results to date can be described at best disappointing.The worst might be to suggeat it's a waste of the taxpayers' money.. In summary, chief investigator Ken Rommel, at salary of $2s.o0o a year. gave interviews to television stations and newspapers, talked with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, corfirmed support from a numer of state agencies (which he had tlready) and checked out three suspected mutilations in his first five weeks on the job. That cost about $2,s00 in salary plus unknown expenses. The report says the investigations into the three cattle deaths (one each in Milaga, Coyote and Tres Piedras) were ou complete, although one Albuquerque newspaper quoted Rommel as saying all three were caused by predators.. . But lo and behold, a mutilation reported in Truchas Saturday morning. only several hours after the animal's death and probably the freshest in-. cident to date, had yet to be checked out by 4 p.m. Tuesday --' more than four days later. Our '-Desert. Fox" hadn't made it to Truchas, the state police hadn't responded, the livestock inspector was not to be seen and the only explanation our district at- torney (he's the one who got the $50,o00 grant) had was "lt was a weekend.". We must advise our cattle mutilators that the game is played oniy five days a week - we rest on weekends. Now fellows, there is a tremendous amount of interest in this subject as evidenced by the turnout. for the Albuquerque conference conducted by New Mexico's Sen. Harrison Schmitt. Additional proof is the fact that the feds coughed up $50,o00 to look into it. While the public can't expect a solution in the first six weeks of act!vity. for pete's sake they can expect more than that skimpy one-page report issued Jast week. And they can expect, for the money they are putting out, for someone' to show up to in- vestigate reported muttlations. But as one optimist remarked cheertully: "Look At it this way: it's only $50,o0o. It couid have been fsmillton