Μake us preferred on Google Police are investigating after two cows were shot and killed and seven calves were stolen from a livestock farmer in the Taygetos mountains of southern Greece.
The incident was reported in the area near the Vasiliki forest in Exochori, in the West Mani region, by a 52-year-old livestock farmer from Kardamyli.
The farmer discovered what had happened on Friday when he went to check on his animals. He found two cows dead from gunshot wounds to the head. Of the eight calves that had been in the area, only one remained.
Second incident involving the same farmer
According to the farmer’s complaint, the incident is the second similar case involving his animals in the same area within two years.
Around the same time last year, unknown perpetrators shot and killed some of his animals with a shotgun and also stole young calves.
The farmer filed a complaint against unknown perpetrators with the West Mani Police Department at the time. Following the latest incident, police have launched an investigation to identify those responsible.
Authorities are examining, among other things, vehicle movements in the area in recent days. According to the complaint, each of the stolen calves weighed more than 150 kilograms, leading to the assessment that a large vehicle or vehicles would have been needed to remove them.
The farmer also believes the perpetrators may have taken advantage of the ongoing hunting season so that the gunshots would not attract particular attention. That assessment has not been confirmed by authorities.
Losses estimated at more than €30,000
The family estimates that the financial loss exceeds €30,000, according to the farmer.
Raising the animals is the family’s livelihood and a business the farmer has operated for about 30 years. He said he has brought his animals to the Taygetos mountains for around three decades without facing a similar problem until recently.
He now says he has suffered the loss of animals for a second consecutive year, causing significant financial and emotional strain for his family.
Family calls for those responsible to be found
The farmer’s wife told MessiniaLive that the incident had caused anger and frustration, emphasizing the work and income represented by the animals.
“It is the hard work of my husband and my son. It is their daily struggle, their livelihood, the hours they work and the sacrifices they make,” she said in her account of the incident.
She added that the animals were “not simply numbers or a financial loss,” but living creatures the family cared for every day.
She called for those responsible to be identified and brought to justice, asking:
“How long? How long should people who work hard and honestly have to live with the fear that the same thing will happen again tomorrow?”
