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ELKO — The Elko County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting of 22 cows near Swales Mountain northwest of Elko.

Undersheriff Clair Morris said ranch hands discovered the injured or dead animals late Monday afternoon. Five of the cows had died, and 17 others were injured, Morris said. All of the animals had gunshot wounds.

The cows belonged to at least two different ranchers, Morris said.

“It’s pretty devastating to the ranchers. If you lose (almost) 25 cows, it’s a huge loss of money,” he said.

Often the motive of cow killers is unclear, Morris said, especially if there are no signs of butchering at the scene, such as the case with this killing.

“To just go out and shoot them and leave them there is beyond me,” he said.

A couple of detectives and brand inspectors were investigating the scene on Wednesday. So far, the suspect is unknown.

“We’ll do what we can to see if we can find out who’s responsible,” Morris said.

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