Where's the beef? How RCMP investigate cattle rustling

Cattle rustling might sound like a thing of the past, but RCMPreported a case of three calves stolen from a pasture southwest of Regina near Ormiston, Sask. last week.

Officers say it happened at 3:30 a.m. CST. A farmer spotted two people taking three calves, each less than a week old, from his pasture, placingthem in a truck. The rancher followed the truck but was unable to keep tailing the suspects.

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Saskatchewan RCMPdon't have a special unit dedicatedto track missing livestock, but each of its detachments investigate thefts.

Corporal Christian Reister is with the RCMP in Alberta, and he serves as one of twodedicated livestock investigators there.Reister says it's not alwayseasy finding cattle after they've been taken, but new and old technology helps.

"The industry has changed a lot. We have the ability to trace livestock, for example. We still rely upon brands, identification as it relates to brandingand brand records," Reister said. "We can track most movements with livestock [in Alberta] by tracing brands."

He says eartags used for food safety tracking are also helpful for identifying missing and stolen livestock.

Reister says around half of Alberta ranchers still brand their cattle, and he expects that number is likely similar in Saskatchewan.If missing cattle aren't branded, it can be just as difficult as finding a stolen vehicle with no plates or identification number.

Who's stealing cattle?

In the case of the stolen calves this week in Saskatchewan, Reistersays it can often be muchmore than just a crime of opportunity, because people need to be able to physically move the cattle.He says often, as with any other crime, there's usually some kind of connection between rustlers and their victims.

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"A cattle rustler has to have access to some kind of livestock trailer and a truck, usually a set of panels or maybe a horse or a quad to round those livestock up, and then they have to have a place to store them or market them," he said, adding that people alsoneed experience to be able to take and handle farm animals.

"The other thing is, baby calves, especially if they're a day or two old, they're much easier to contain and you can grab them physically and carry them or drag them and throw them in the truck," he said.

Reister says calves in particular are very marketable, at around $400-$700.

"A lot of times, producers, if they have a cow that loses a calf, they're always looking for one to purchase to adopt onto that mama cow," he said.Cattle rustlerssometimes keep the calves, ormaysell them onlineon websitessuch as Facebook orKijiji.

Cattle rustling not a thing of the past

Cattle theft isn't rare on the prairies. Every year, Saskatchewan Livestock Services says between760-1,000 head of cattle go missing in the province for a variety of reasons, from wandering away totheft.

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In Saskatchewan, 74 producers reported missing 668 cattle in 2016. There was a sizeable jump from 600 in 2013 to 1,000 in 2014.Reister says the numbers have stayed relatively close to the average in Alberta in the past two years.

"I do know that in Saskatchewan, when the price of cattle increased drastically, that same year there was a proportional (spike)," he said. "I'm not sure what happened in Saskatchewan in 2016 but here in Alberta we've stayed relatively in line with [the average]."