Modern Mysteries
Mystery as grass kills herd of cattle
By
T.K. RandallJune 27, 2012 ·
22 comments
Image Credit: sxc.hu
15 cows were found dead in Texas after munching on grass that had suddenly started producing cyanide.
The hybrid grass had been growing at the ranch for over 15 years without any problems before the incident happened, the herd had been moved in to the field to feed and within hours most of them were dead or dying. "That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying," said ranch owner Jerry Abel.
In an effort to get to the bottom of the mystery research was carried out to find out what was in the grass that could have killed the cows. Preliminary tests revealed that the grass had mysteriously started to produce cyanide. "Coming off the drought that we had the last two years ... we're concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this," said vet Gary Wagner.
Scientists are now investigating the case and others like it in an effort to determine if the grass has experienced some form of unexpected mutation.[!gad]The hybrid grass had been growing at the ranch for over 15 years without any problems before the incident happened, the herd had been moved in to the field to feed and within hours most of them were dead or dying. "That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying," said ranch owner Jerry Abel.
In an effort to get to the bottom of the mystery research was carried out to find out what was in the grass that could have killed the cows. Preliminary tests revealed that the grass had mysteriously started to produce cyanide. "Coming off the drought that we had the last two years ... we're concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this," said vet Gary Wagner.
Scientists are now investigating the case and others like it in an effort to determine if the grass has experienced some form of unexpected mutation.
The grass is a hybrid form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel's 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.
Source:
CBS News |
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