{"id":30927,"date":"2013-09-03T08:38:27","date_gmt":"2013-09-03T13:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=30927"},"modified":"2013-09-04T12:33:58","modified_gmt":"2013-09-04T17:33:58","slug":"audio-slideshow-texas-cattle-rustlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2013\/09\/03\/audio-slideshow-texas-cattle-rustlin\/","title":{"rendered":"More on Texas Cattle Rustling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dhb3rj_mC2Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<em>Audio slideshow by Reporting Intern Ann Choi<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Cattle rustling, the age-old crime of stealing livestock, might seem like something for the history books. But, as our readers and listeners <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2013\/08\/20\/cattle-theft-on-the-rise-in-texas-despite-tougher-penalties\/\">learned last month<\/a>,\u00a0 Texas ranchers are seeing an increase in stolen cows, even as the number of cattle dwindles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The report generated a lot of interest. It went viral online and was featured on NPR&#8217;s All Things Considered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">But, as is often the case, we still have more of the story to tell. This time in pictures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Click the player above to view an audio slideshow of photos snapped on a recent reporting trip to Giddings, Texas and hear the NPR report. Peruse the text after the jump to learn more about black market bovines, and the people we met while reporting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"MsoNormal\">Head Count<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_30934\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/PIC-1.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-30934\" alt=\"PIC 1\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/PIC-1-300x223.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/PIC-1-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/PIC-1-620x461.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Mose Buchele<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"> Paulie Sanchez takes a head count of his cattle using a feed bag and a pickup truck.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Paulie Sanchez, a rancher in Giddings, Texas, takes a headcount of cows at his ranch in not by using a horse or lasso \u2013 but with a pickup truck and a feed bag.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m gonna put the sack of feed between my legs here. Draw \u2018em out and they\u2019ll come,\u201d Sanchez said<b>. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In a flash, he\u2019s grabbed the feed bag from the bed of the truck, and is back behind the wheel &#8212; throwing food out the window.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s all it takes,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The animals that seemed so sleepy just seconds before, now spring to life. They charge the truck, and one even head butts it. But once the food\u2019s on the ground they settle down. Sanchez circles the herd taking mental note.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0\u201cThey\u2019re all here. That\u2019s 33 of \u2018em. 33 Cows and 33 calves,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It\u2019s a routine Sanchez runs through to make sure his cows aren\u2019t lost or stolen. Ranchers saw a dramatic jump in cattle theft last year. In Texas and Oklahoma over 10,000 cows and horses \u2013mostly cows- were reported missing, up 40 percent increase from the year before.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"MsoNormal\">A Thief, not a Rustler<b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"> <\/b><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_30936\"  class=\"wp-caption module image left\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"Doug Hutchison is a Special Ranger commission by the texas DPS to investigate cattle crimes.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/IMG_2532.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-30936\" alt=\"Doug Hutchison is a Special Ranger commission by the texas DPS to investigate cattle crimes.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/IMG_2532-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/IMG_2532-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/IMG_2532-620x465.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\"> <\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Doug Hutchison is a Special Ranger commission by the Texas DPS to investigate cattle crimes.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Doug Hutchison, a special ranger who works cattle cases in Texas, said rustlers have been busy, although he uses a different name.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cWe\u2019re kind of slow to use the term cattle rustler, because that kind of has a romantic sound to and a thief is just a thief. You know it\u2019s just a sad situation,\u201d Hutchison said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Hutchison blames the rustling rise on two crises plaguing parts of rural America: drought and methamphetamine use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Not enough grass for cattle to forage, and the skyrocketing price of hay skyrockets forces ranchers, faced with new expenses, to cut their herds. Since 2011 ranchers have cut cattle herds year after year in Texas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">These cut cattle herds could go for thousands of dollars, which makes the herds, a valuable and appealing target for people looking into feed their methamphetamine addiction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0\u201cNot always but I would say the majority of these cases are driven by the meth community. Cause they know it\u2019s some quick cash,\u201d Hutchinson said.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"MsoNormal\">Economic Hardship<b> <\/b><\/h4>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">A stolen cow is tough to transport, trade and difficult to prosecute. Last year, authorities only filed cases 46 cases against rustlers. Law enforcement would have the best chance to recover the cattle at an auction.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30938\"  class=\"wp-caption module image left\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"Nina Nygard is a market inspector, also known as a &quot;brand inspector.&quot;\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/pic-21.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-30938\" alt=\"Nina Nygard is a market inspector, also known as a &quot;brand inspector.&quot;\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/pic-21-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/pic-21-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2013\/09\/pic-21-620x465.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Mose Buchele<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nina Nygard is a Market Inspector, also known as a &quot;Brand Inspector.&quot;<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The Giddings Livestock Commission holds its auction every Monday. \u00a0The bidding \u2013 happens up front. \u00a0But the real action is in the holding pens where Nina Nygard, a brand inspector, makes notes on every animal that passes through.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI\u2019m looking for ear marks, horns, brands. Anything that makes them look distinctive,\u201d Nygard said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">If a cow goes missing, Nygard will be on the lookout for it. If she sees something unusual about a cow, she\u2019ll notify law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t know I guess I\u2019ve been doing it so long I see brands on everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Nygard agrees that a lot of cattle are stolen for drugs, but she also blames one final factor: continuing economic hardship in rural parts of the state. In either case, it means the thefts could continue to rise along with the price of a cow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Audio slideshow by Reporting Intern Ann Choi Cattle rustling, the age-old crime of stealing livestock, might seem like something for the history books. But, as our readers and listeners learned last month,\u00a0 Texas ranchers are seeing an increase in stolen cows, even as the number of cattle dwindles. The report generated a lot of interest. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[60],"tags":[61,199],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30927"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30927"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31008,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30927\/revisions\/31008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}