Latest news with #KerriHiggs
CBS News
10-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Mysterious deaths of 15 cattle frustrate Colorado rancher, authorities: "They started flopping over and dying"
As much as she would like to forget it, May 8 remains an unforgettable day for Kerri Higgs at the XO Cattle Company in Colorado. She, a self-professed animal lover, and her rancher husband woke to find three of their cattle dead in Elbert County. There was no obvious cause or reason. That afternoon, as the couple brought the animals to an area closer to the house where they could be monitored, another dozen cattle fell. "They started flopping over and dying," Higgs said. "It was pretty bad." Kerri Higgs Fifteen animals were gone within one day. Five weeks later, no one can tell her why they died. "It's beyond frustrating." It's enough to make her question her profession. And also whether her emotional attachment to the animals is a wise one. "We don't want to do it anymore. Those cattle ... we were supposed to have them for 10 years." The dead are from a group of heifers -- first-time mothers who had recently calved or were about to. All of them home grown and raised. Some of their calves died, too. A local veterinarian arrived in time to watch the last animal pass. That was the one on which an on-site necropsy was performed. The vet did not take the whole carcass or the head for further testing. Blood tests have so far been inconclusive. More is being done by the state veterinarian's office, Higgs said. Two inches of rainfall fell in this rather arid area in the days immediately before the deaths. Rain formed pools of water which the animals drank from. So far, nothing has come out of testing. And, again, officials are running low on samples to test, per Higgs. Kerri Higgs Last week, personnel from Colorado Energy and Carbon Management came out out to the XO Cattle Company's property. They flew drones which measured the air for excess carbon emissions or materials from oil and gas production. They also took soil samples. So far, nothing. On Monday, people from Colorado State University's Extension Service planned to walk the pasture for any sign of noxious weeds. The animals that died were from a group of heifers -- first-time mothers who had recently calved or were about to. Some calves were among those that passed away. Thirteen survived but are now orphaned. Mykel Kroll of Fremont County's Office of Emergency Management said three different laboratories are still working on the possible cause or causes. "We're not getting any conclusive results. Everything is close to (acceptable health) limits. We're running out of boxes to check." He said the estimated loss to the operation is $5,000 per head. "We are all scratching our heads. Maybe we don't find out the cause," he empathized. "I like to help people. I like to get results. (But) we don't have anything. Are they're always answers? No." The Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are also seeking answers, according to a CDA spokesperson. Higgs, however, accepts the possibility she may never know what killed the animals. "At this point, no. I won't be surprised. Somebody's dropped the ball, I don't know who." But she won't give up just yet. "We're going to keep going. It just stinks." An online fundraiser has been set up to help the family financially.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Mystery as 15 cows suddenly drop dead on remote Colorado cattle ranch
A pair of Colorado ranchers were left distraught when they did a routine check on their cows, only to find three had dropped dead. By that afternoon, eleven more had died. The death toll hit fifteen by the next morning. That was in early May. The grieving couple is still desperately looking for answers. At first, Kerri Higgs and her husband thought that their cows may have been exposed to noxious weeds which are wild plants that can be harmful to crops and wildlife. Kerri Higgs told Cowboy State Daily that while sad, it's not uncommon to lose a cow or two that way: 'We were going to deal with it, because that's what happens sometimes.' But after more than a dozen cows had passed on May 8, they knew there had to be a different answer. The family noted that the majority of the losses had been first-time heifers; female cows who were experiencing their first pregnancy. The others were a steer and a yearling. As the family watched their herd suffer, some died on their own and others were put out of their misery by Higgs's husband. She noted that one in particular was having seizures and falling down as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. 'It's just the strangest thing. My husband has been a cowboy his entire life and he said he's never seen anything like it,' the Fremont County resident said. Despite the loss, Kerri Higgs (pictured) and her family have decided to keep searching for answers and keep ranching Following their herd's death the couple turned to a local veterinarian and the county sheriff. At first, the veterinarian diagnosed brain swelling, pointing to sulfate poisoning from a nearby oil well. But as of May 22, tests of the water troughs and rain puddles came back negative. Higgs turned to the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) because she noticed a stench coming from the oil pad. The ECMC sent drones over the property to check for gas leaks around the affected cows, but she has yet to see the results. Higgs is also interested in sending the cows for necropsy to get an even more thorough evaluation on what may have happened. Curiously enough, cows kept in another pasture miles away were completely unaffected, which leads Higgs to believe the cause was environmental. 'Now we just need to know where it came from,' she wrote on her GoFundMe page to raise money to cover the financial loss of so many cows dying in one day, 'most likely the land that we have leased.' Not only did their deaths cause heartache, but the family estimates an immediate loss of $50,000 to $70,000, not including vet bills they've already had to pay. Higgs said they'd expected to have those cows for up to 12 years each. 'In my opinion, we're out a quarter-million dollars because of all the calves we're never going to have from them,' she said. To top it off, 13 of the remaining 15 cows lost their mothers to sudden deaths. Despite the loss, Higgs and her family have decided to keep searching for answers and keep ranching.
