Ranchers in Cowley County report dozens of stolen cattle

COWLEY COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) - Over the last month, ranchers in the Atlanta area say they’ve had cattle stolen in the middle of the night.

“Full total within a ten mile radius within the last month and a half, we had sixty heads stolen,” said Bob Cook, one of several ranchers who have lost cattle to this thief.

Bob says he’s angry, his neighbors are angry, and that the community has no patience for thieves.

“If people would put as much effort into making an honest living instead of stealing they’d be all right,” Bob said.

The Cowley County sheriff’s department says that with the rising price of beef, cattle are becoming more and more valuable. They say that’s likely the reason the thieves are taking these animals, but the ranchers losing their cattle say this puts them in a dire financia