The police, the RSPCA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are investigating a mysterious case in which 14 beef cattle were found dead in a derelict cottage near Stroud, Gloucestershire.
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The bodies were discovered packed into the cottage on Friday. The hunt was sparked after the cows, which included Charolais and Belgian Blue breeds, disappeared from a 28-strong herd belonging to a local farmer in Woodchester, on 14 July.
Officials say that as yet they are still unsure how the animals died, however they are believed to have suffocated. Gloucestershire police inspector Les Pritchard told BBC news: “It’s not clear how the cows became trapped in the cottage.”
It is suspected that the animals had been stolen and hidden for sale at a later point.
