Ranching Gone Wild: Wyoming Ranchers Bleach Penises on Neighbors’ Cows

Being a neighbor is a unique position to be in. There is always some form of sharing and agreement that has to happen between neighbors. Most of us figure out a way to cooperate with our neighbors, but occasionally you hear a story that reminds you that it can be tricky.

"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" is how it's stated in the King James Version of the Bible. Mr. Rogers said "It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?"

Get our free mobile app

So imagine this happening between neighbors. A father and son own a big Wyoming cattle ranch and the neighbor next door has hundreds of cows that keep getting through a damaged fence onto their property. It goes on for a few years. The neighbor doesn't take action like the father and son would like, so, they do something to get the neighbor's attention.

The thing they do is push 195 cows through a branding chute and put bleach spots on them, including penis shapes. These kinds of marks can drop the value of the cattle. This technically can count as property destruction and this destruction was valued at over $140,000. Buying a bleached cow isn't super favorable.

The case started on June 21, 2023. Each man faced up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines, but the charges have been dropped according to the Cowboy State Daily as "the judge didn’t find sufficient evidence to advance the case to the felony-level court."

On November 27, 2023, the Cowboy State Daily reported:

A Crook County, Wyoming, judge has dismissed property destruction charges against a pair of ranchers accused of bleaching penis shapes and other markings on their neighbor’s cows.

Get our free mobile app