Cattle rustling numbers increase in Saskatchewan

It's serious business when farmers and ranchers lose livestock, especially when a single cow is worth as much as $2,000. The number of missing cattle is going up in the Prairies.

In Saskatchewan, there was a sizeable jump from 600 in 2013 to 1,000 in 2014. Most are reported missing in the area northwest of Saskatoon.

Cpl. Christian Reister, who investigates missing livestock for the RCMP, said this yearthere have been a lot of cattle disappearing.

"Speculation amongst investigators, as well as producers, is that the increase could be actual thefts or it could be better management practices by producers because the value of cattle has increased so much," he said.

With higher prices, producers are keeping better records and noticing more losses.

• Cattle rustling alive and well in the Canadian West

Reister said cattle rustlers must have a special skill set.

"He has to be able to handle livestock. He has to have access to portable panels.... He often has to have access to a truck and a trailer," Reister said.

The rustler must also have a means to keep the animals and a way to sell them, specifically because most cattle are branded.

"You can't haul them to an auction mart in western Canada because they are all brand inspected," he said.

With that hurdle in the way, Reister said many of the cow thieves end up butchering the animal in the field. In those cases, often the death isn't reported until months later, making the investigation for RCMP much more difficult because by that time predators have fed on them.

"Ultimately if we do find [the thief], sometimes it's neighbours looking out for neighbours. Sometimes it's them trying to sell," Reister said.

"We do find them and they are prosecuted."

He suggested producers count livestock as often as possible and report any missing livestock immediately. He said it is also good practice to check your fences and if you see a fence has maybe been cut and repaired, or there are new staples that you didn't put there, then immediately count.