UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN

We have the unique opportunity to speak with Richard Bonenfant, Ph.D. a retired research scientist and lecturer who is now dedicated to the investigation of phenomena that lie on the fringes of scientific understanding. Prior to his interest in cattle and animal mutilations, Dr. Bonenfant's research career at Albany Medical Center Hospital and the New York State Department of Health was centered on the study of birth defects in newborn children. With advanced degrees in anthropology and psychology, Dr. Bonenfant served as an adjunct professor at Siena College in Loudonville, NY and City College in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Bonenfant most recently retired from the Veterans' Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, and Richard is likewise credited with publishing several professional articles on near-death experiences.

Agent D - Richard, I just finished listening to a podcast with Randy Maugan's Off Planet Radio on Animal mutilations and was impressed with the depth of the discussion on the topic in that interview. We will assume the readers here on The Object Report blog have a basic awareness of animal or cattle mutilations and likewise are aware that an ET angle might be involved here.

Richard - Thank you for your gracious introduction Agent D. Hearing it makes me seem larger-than-life. Actually I come to the subject at hand with only limited knowledge of the phenomenon of animal mutilations. Therefore, my interpretations may appear naive to those more experienced with this ongoing mystery. I plead for patience as research leads me into deeper levels of entanglement with various aspects of this complex phenomenon. My hope is that previous experience as a medical research scientist can add some understanding as to the purpose and method behind these mutilations. Okay, I guess we can now proceed to chip away at the problem.

Agent D - Cattle mutilations and half cat mutilations have been going on for quite some time, and there is an incredible consistency spanning decades where cattle tissue around the mouth and anus is removed very precisely and at times without any traces of blood. Do we have a theory why these two areas of the cow are consistently the focus of tissue removal?

Richard -That's an interesting observation Agent D. Like most organisms, human beings are consumption machines. We take in food, digest it to sustain ourselves, and remove waste matter that serves no purpose in this process. Of course this is but one functional aspect of existence but a very fundamental one. Without absorbing the nutrition of food, we would soon become extinct. The mouth initiates this ingestion process, the digestive tract sorts out what can and can't be used, and the final segment of this tract discharges waste that is toxic to our bodies. This leads back to your initial question. The organs you mentioned, the mouth and the anus, are the alpha and omega points of the process. Therefore, as an environmental epidemiologist, I would say that whatever agency is responsible for animal mutilations has an interest in what is eaten, absorbed, and discarded by cattle and other animals from the environment in which they live. In other words, it suggests to me a kind of environmental monitoring less the moral implications of the methodology being used.

The techniques and instrumentation used in these mutilations imply a technological sophistication far in advance of current technology. This is immediately evident in what is medically termed exsanguination or the removal of blood from the body. In most cases, the carcass contains little or no trace of blood. It's almost as if some pump-like device had been inserted into the circulatory system in a way that would completely drain the animal of its blood with little or no wastage. This is no mean feat in a clinical setting, let alone in some remote natural environment without the advantage of surgical devices. Then, there is the evidence of laser-like incisions creating portals through which internal tissue and organs are removed. To do this would require some kind of device be inserted into the body cavity which could break down collagen, the main component of connective tissue, such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, blood vessels and guts in order to remove them from the body cavity through the small portals previously mentioned. This process would basically turn organs to mush from which it would be suctioned out from the body cavity. One example, is the creation of a small aperture in the skull through which an animal's brain are suctioned out from its skull. While I have no knowledge of what is currently being done in highly advanced medical research facilities, I seriously doubt that such capabilities were available over the past duration of animal mutilation events. Therefore, to answer your question more concisely, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that the technology necessary to carry out these mutilations lies far in advance of our own.

Agent D - Linda Moulton Howe has been researching cattle and half cat mutilations for over three decades, having been the first reporter to cover cattle mutilations in fact, and she continues to cover these ongoing mutilations from a journalist's perspective. Your approach to cattle mutilations is from that of biological interest - do you feel your findings and theories on cattle mutilations parallel Linda’s perceptions or is there some deviation?

Richard - Let me just say at the outset that this interview probably would not be taking place were it not for the investigative journalism of Linda Moulton Howe. She almost single handedly alerted the general public to the mysterious mutilations that were taking place in the western prairies. Through her archival website, she continues to accumulate a wealth of data not only on various forms of animal mutilations but also on other strange and unexplained phenomenon that we should all pay attention to, especially those in the scientific community. For just as Stanley Prusiner, the 1997 Nobel prize laureate, once remarked, “While it is quite reasonable for scientists to be skeptical of new ideas that do not fit within the accepted realm of scientific knowledge, the best science often emerges from situations where results carefully obtained do not fit within the accepted paradigms.” With regards to your question, I would say that our views concerning animal mutilations are in very close alignment. In fact, while preparing a follow up article to “Significant Observations Relating to Animal Mutilations,” Ms. Howe graciously provided me with a reference to an abductee’s observation from her 1989 book Strange Harvest. This abductee reported witnessing the mutilation of a young calf by aliens aboard their craft. While doing this I soon realized that Ms. Howe’s archive of abductee accounts may contain a treasure trove of data to other professional investigators who take the time to review these accounts from their various perspectives. The only variations readily evident in our views stems from differences of focus. Ms. Howe presents compelling evidence that these mutilations are the result of alien intervention while my limited research attempts to determine why these mutilations may be carried out. We concur in the sense that mutilations are being purposefully carried out with a high degree of technological precision. I suggest that a possible motive for these mutilations may be to monitor a quiet epidemic of neurological pathologies related to prion diseases. I believe Ms. Howe holds a slightly different view. It doesn't matter who’s correct, what matters is that we diligently work towards finding the reason behind these atrocities regardless of what it might be.

Agent D - I've always had the inclination that the tissue from cattle is used in an ongoing study of man made pollution and the effects of this global pollution on animals, particularly mammals. During the last decade or so the idea of an ongoing Human ET Hybrid project has gained traction - do you have any evidence or leads that would suggest the study of non-human animal tissue could in some way be connected to this ongoing ET-Human genetic program?

Richard - Up to very recently I would have responded that, from my limited perspective, I couldn't see any direct connection between the animal mutilations and the accepted ET-Human hybridization program. But while working on a follow up article to my Prion proposal, I came across something that has changed my mind. This article intended to demonstrate the link between UFO activity and cattle mutilations in a convincing way. When I began to investigate one particular account, that of abductee Judy Doraty, I discovered a direct connection between gray aliens, cattle mutilations and human abductions. This connection will be reviewed in great detail in my forthcoming article. So my answer to your question is yes, I believe there is indeed a connection between these two types of activities.

Agent D - The insensitive way the animal mutilations are being carried out seems to be in keeping with the M.O. of the Grays from what we have heard from other eyewitnesses, and perhaps this is in itself a small clue the Grays are involved to some degree. It has been noted before on the Off Planet Radio show - and this is quite subtle - whomever is carrying out these dissections and studies is leaving the carcass behind in an almost deliberate manner versus simply disposing of the evidence which logically might have prevented humans from being aware of animal mutilations from day one. Is there possibly a read between the lines message to us here through their choice to put the carcass back?

Richard - The question of why aliens dump mutilated carcasses in the vicinity of where they were abducted comes up quite frequently. Certainly, the carcasses could be disposed of in a way that would not bring attention to what is being done to them. It seems to me that there could be at least two reasons why they do so. The first one is that they simply don’t care and are contemptuous of any consequences. But, that does not explain why the carcasses are discarded so near the location where the animals were captured. Assuming cattle and other animals are dissected within some surgical area within UFOs, it is highly unlikely that simply dumping their carcasses after a mutilation would result in their being deposited so close to the point of capture. Therefore, a logical argument could be made that the way carcasses are disposed is indeed intentional. In consequence, it would be just a matter of time before we humans would come to associate the presence of UFOs with the mutilation phenomenon. The question now arises; why have they chosen to do so? Our curiosity would certainly be evoked and lead us to focus greater attention on the matter. Of the two possibilities, I would lean towards the view that their actions are indeed intentional and directed towards awakening our awareness. Once again I remain cautious about attributing human motives to alien behavior. However, if it is intentional, they certainly have gotten our attention.

Agent D - Richard, do you remember the moment or circumstance when you decided to take a step forward from the silent majority and become directly involved with the study of cattle and animal mutilations?

Richard - You caught me unprepared on this one! I guess it would be fair to say that I've been interested in UFOs since first reading about them in comic books and various other magazines as a teenager. However, at the time more pressing matters prevented me from taking an active role. Even then my interest in UFOs and particularly in human abductions led me to feel that there was little I could do or contribute beyond what was already being done by such prominent investigators as John Mack, Budd Hopkins, David Jacobs and a number of others who where active at the time. After retiring I made a deliberate effort to read the accounts of various individuals who had actually undergone an abduction experience. During this process I came across the account of one particular abductee that greatly impressed me. I was touched by the genuineness, intelligence, and I dare say even virtue of her testimony. Out of respect for the privacy of this person, I choose not to mention her name. Anyway, after reading even more about her experiences as well as those of other abductees, I decided to do something to get the attention and respect of the abduction community. To do so I focused on what I knew best, namely the study of environmental epidemiology to make sense of animal mutilations. What followed were several months of intensive research in which I attempted to make the case that mammals were being subjected to an silent epidemic of prion related diseases. And furthermore, that these mutilations were the result of some alien agency monitoring of the spread of these diseases. I guess that was the point were I jumped in. So here we are.

Agent D - Most people think of cats and or cows when we say animal mutilations, but these activities are not just happening to cats and cattle, they appear to be happening to other animals as well, is this correct?

Richard - Absolutely! During my initial analysis I broke the species into two categories; domestic and wild animals. For example, Domestic included family pets such as cats and dogs, farm animals such as sheep, goats, cattle and horses. Everything else fell into the wild category; some examples include elk, deer, bison, badgers and foxes. But more and more, wild mutilated animals are being found all the time. Recently, I was even alerted that mutilated seals, and dolphins have been found in the coastal regions of the northern United Kingdom, especially in Scotland and Ireland. The only common denominator was that they were all mammals. But, this may be about to change. The Director of the the U.K.’s Animal Pathology Field Unit (APFU) has recently told me that birds have now joined the mutilated community after a large flock of seabirds were found decapitated in this same region of the U.K. I would venture to say that as time goes on the list of mutilated species will become even larger.

Agent D - The new buzzword associated with animal mutilations on the web is Prions. Rik, can you give a "Prions 101" introduction to our readers who have never heard of this term before?

Richard - Now that’s a real challenge; in how many words or less? Let's begin by stating that prions are protein chains found in our cells. We don’t know their purpose but they are likely to serve some function. Recently, scientists discovered that these prions proteins have a rogue double. While rogue prions are similar in form to their functional counterparts, they contain a mutation in their protein chain which converts normal prions into dysfunctional ones simply by contact. So over time there is a geometric increase in the dysfunctional prions which lead to a plaque build up in the brain. This plaque destroys neurons creating dark lifeless islands giving the brain’s overall architecture a sponge-like appearance. Thus, neurologists refer to prion related diseases as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). TSEs are generally recognized by which areas of the brain they affect; the cerebral cortex in cases of classic Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, the brain stem in cases of Scrapie and Chronic Wasting Disease, the thalamus in cases of Fatal Familial Insomnia and the Cerebellum in cases of Kuru Disease. Mutated prions have been found in both humans and other mammals. Mammals also suffer from prion related diseases. The most common are known as Chronic Wasting Disease in deer and elk, Scrapie in sheep, Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy in cats, Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy in minks, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in cattle...etc. The problem is that these diverse brain diseases were always believed to be confined to the species in which they were found. However, in the late 1980s and early 90s British scientists discovered that Mad Cow Disease had somehow managed to cross this species barrier. A version of Mad Cow Disease had mutated to humans through the ingestion of infected meat.

This new infection now became internationally recognized as an entirely new TSE in humans. Its defining characteristic was an early onset, (28 instead of 68 Years) accompanied by a wide range of behavioral problems and the distortion of the senses, particularly that of touch. From that initial awakening, scientists soon came to realize that similar trans-species infections were also taking place in a wide range of other mammals such as mink, deer, elk and many more. The question then became; What’s causing this violation of the species boundaries in TSEs? There presently is no answer to that question. Epidemiologist only know that something very “scary” is taking place. What makes this silent epidemic of prion diseases so dangerous is that prions are nearly indestructible. Since they have no genetic material like RNA or DNA, they are immune to radiation and most traditional means of eradicating infectious diseases. They can even survive traditional incineration and autoclave sterilization. So we have no means of either treating or eradicating TSEs. Cattle and other mutilations could be a rather harsh means of monitoring the spread of TSEs throughout the world's mammal populations. There are a number or reasons for taking this view, the primary one being that many mutilated animals are decapitated and even when they are not, a number of cases have small holes in their skulls from which their entire brains have been removed. It’s also very likely that other organ systems and tissues are involved of which we have no knowledge. Therefore, I feel the Prion Hypothesis offers a starting point in the search for determining why the entire phenomenon of animal mutilations is taking place.

Agent D - The resistance of prions to eradication through traditional means does sound rather disturbing to say the least. Speculating here, do you have the impression we've been alerted to something that could have detrimental effects on homo sapiens down the road and we have benefited in a round about way from the cattle mutilations and the subsequent investigations?

Richard - Yes, I do think that and you’re absolutely right in your estimate of the situation. A number of problems are nested within it. First and foremost, the medical community must become better informed about the seriousness of the matter in order to focus their attention on the nature mutated prions. It’s critical that we learn how abnormal prions are able to convert normal prions to their own mutated form. We must also investigate how prion diseases have managed to cross the species barrier in so many different types of mammals. In addition, we must do a better job of detecting TSE infected animals and containing them in a way that will prevent their spread. For example, at present we incinerate infected domestic livestock without addressing the issue of how recycled animal byproducts continue to promote the spread of TSEs. Prions have managed to survive this process. The recycled protein supplement added to cattle feed not only reinfects cattle, it also infects wild animals that scrounge left over feed from fields and feed bins. What will society do if TSEs spread to other livestock we consume like chickens, pigs, and other animals products? I suggest that our medical authorities immediately ban this practice. This is a problem of our own doing not something introduced by some alien agency. The only involvement by aliens that I see, is that they are acutely aware of the nature and extent of TSEs and may be waiting to see how we respond to the crisis. Their unwanted intervention appears to represent a kind of global environmental monitoring of something of great significance. I myself only came to understand the full extent of this potential epidemic through the investigation of animal mutilations. Early on I could only see that UFOs and aliens were the most probable cause of these mutilations. However, my research clearly suggests that such a wide range of domestic and wild animal mutilations must represent something of significance. Furthermore, the fact that aliens discard mutilated cattle so near the point where they were captured may be an indirect way of alerting us of the problem. However, what they are doing must also serve their own interests in ways we cannot currently understand. I cannot help but wonder if this potential epidemic is not part of the warning many abductees are often subjected to regarding some eminent environmental catastrophe. Let’s hope not, but there is no question that humans are indirectly responsible for the spread of prion diseases and we must find the courage to address it without further procrastination.

Agent D - Rik, this has been a very intense, revealing discussion on animal mutilations and you've delivered a lot of new information to us. My final question to you - do you see the animal mutilations continuing into the future and more mutilations occurring as human pollution intensifies?

Richard - Like so many things in life, the spread of prion related diseases is a complicated problem that will not be quickly or easily solved. It may be but one aspect of a far more complex problem relating to how human activity has altered a long standing equilibrium in the natural world. I feel that global warming, commercial exploitation of natural resources, and our species attitude that all things on this planet are subject to the fulfillment of human needs are all involved. Advance entities must surely be aware of how we have disrupted this fragile architecture. Yet, I really don’t know if they will intervene on our behalf. I tend to doubt it. We humans have a tendency to attribute benevolence, malevolence or indifference to non-humans based on our perceptions of how “we” should be treated. But we must accept the premise that their behavior and activities may have purposes beyond our understanding. Based on logical speculation, I believe that we will witness greater numbers of animals being mutilated in the future. So far, these events have largely been limited to mammals, but I suspect that the mutilations will soon spread to birds, and sea life of all kinds. So yes, I see the mutilations continuing in a more diverse range of animals. Lets hope I’m wrong. Regardless of how things turn out, we should try to empathize with the animals being mutilated. There is extensive evidence that they too experience fear, pain and suffering

- Agent D

{ http://theobjectreport.blogspot.be/ }