Rimrock cattle issue update

 RIMROCK – Unbranded cattle roaming public lands belong to the U.S. government.

That was one piece of information learned in the aftermath of a free-ranging cow dying on private property in Rimrock as described earlier in The Verde Independent (“Cow carcass left to rot in neighborhood symbolic of unbranded range cattle,” Sunday, June 19, 2022).

While neighbors complained the Arizona Department of Agriculture had stopped communicating with them about the problem of free-range cattle wandering into and damaging their property, the department had picked up at least one calf three days before the article’s publication.

But the gears of progress were still slow to turn within the Department of Agriculture or any other agencies to assist the residents of Beaver Creek.

ARS Title 3-1296 states: An owner who knowingly permits range livestock, except unweaned animals running with their mothers, to roam and feed upon the ranges of this state without being branded and marked as provided by law, is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

The statute provides the accountability of any ranch and may also be considered a theft deterrent of inspected, valuable and claimed livestock. However, unbranded cattle took over the area, wandering from yard to yard. Neighbors said they could get no accountability from the owner.

As previously reported, neighbors had to chip in for the removal of a rotting carcass from a vacant yard, due to the overwhelming smell, maggots and swarms of flies surrounding it. This had been in addition to the homeowners shoveling daily piles of excrement from their lawns. Most have extensive property damage, without state restitution for the destruction.

After offering a possible solution to allow residents to sell off the healthier, unbranded cattle that stumble into their yards, Department of Agriculture Capt. Janelle Lincoln explained that would be stealing.

“Unmarked cattle belong to the U.S. government” Lincoln stated. When asked why the government would allow its own property to trespass on private properties, she had no comment that day, (at the time investigating a Phoenix man who was charged with more than 60 counts of animal cruelty).

Robert Smook, spokesman for the Agriculture Department, said the agency returned to pick up more cattle July 2 and again July 8.

“The Arizona Department of Agriculture along with the help of the community were able to set up pens at the Beaver Creek School, where 22 cattle have been trapped and permanently removed,” he said. “Only three cattle remain with the owner at this time. The cattle have not left the owner’s property since July 8, 2022.

“The Department will continue to monitor these cows and we sincerely thank the community for their help in resolving this matter.”

Beaver Creek School had already become a focal point when cattle were seen on its campus.

“Aggressive bulls have become a real danger around here” said residents Jina Peterson and Annette Bloomfield. Some of these unclaimed bulls migrated to school property and were spotted grazing there. Risks of children being harmed were the community’s greatest concern.

Peterson is also a qualified expert in wildlife rehabilitation. She spoke up about the possibility of various illnesses being transmitted from free-range livestock.

“This has become a serious health risk. Leptospirosis (Swamp Fever) and even [bacterium causing] Anthrax are transmittable to humans through cattle,” she said. If left untreated after a bite from a rabid bat or raccoon, an entire herd could potentially be carriers of rabies through cross-contamination.

Restitution for neighbors whose property was damaged by the cattle and recent sightings of unbranded strays have yet to be addressed.