GARDAÍ in Co. Donegal are investigating after a farmer discovered one of his calves appeared to have had its tongue cut out.
The farmer from the Greencastle/Moville area today revealed what had happened to host Greg Hughes on Highland Radio’s Nine til Noon Show.
He said he entered his cow shed on Wednesday morning to find the calf’s whole tongue had been removed with a clean cut, indicating it hadn’t been bitten off or caught on anything.
He said the possibility that the tongue was deliberately cut out was a line of enquiry being pursed by gardaí.
“You have to ask yourself, what kind of a sick individual would do something like this?” he said.
The farmer said the vet had not seen anything like it before and had agreed the tongue looked as though it had been sliced.
He added that the vet had managed to stitch up the animal but it was now having trouble feeding.
“It’s heartbreaking to watch it, he’s up trying to suckle the cow, and the cow’s there trying to make him suckle,” he said.
“He can get the teat into the mouth but that’s as far as it goes.
“He’s getting upset and she’s getting upset, everyone’s getting upset to watch it, it’s not a nice thing to be watching.”