A Concordia man lost 36 of his cows. Now he’s short almost $40,000 in potential income.

Heath Burt says he’s reached out to the Cloud County Sheriff’s office but has struggled to get answers.

“To try to get the ball rolling even further, I called the state attorney general’s office [which] has a unit that they call the cattle brand inspectors, and they’ve been extremely helpful,” said Burt. “These cattle could be anywhere right now with modern transportation they could easily travel the roads, the highway and be out of the state.”

According to the protocol, until the sheriff asks the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for assistance in the investigation, the KBI can’t do anything to help.

To get to the gate that leads to the pasture, you need to drive down miles of rural roads, leaving Burt to wonder how someone could have stumbled upon his cattle.

Even though it’s common to lose a cow to natural causes, Burt’s neighbor Lance Champlin says he is shocked at the amount stolen and irritated that someone is doing this. Champlin has had cattle stolen before, but they were never found.

“I have not a whole herd [stolen] like he’s had,” said Champlin.

Now he’s using this experience to encourage other cattle owners to check on their cattle more regularly.

“You hear about [stolen cattle] and think, thank god it wasn’t you,” said Burt. “Until you check your pastures and realize it was you, you don’t ever hope to find yourself in this situation.”

Burt says he is offering $2,000 to anyone who can help bring his cows home.

If you have any information about the cow’s whereabouts, you are asked to call Burt at (316) 518-7754, the KBI at (785) 338-0554 or the Cloud County Sheriff at (785) 243-3636.