MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lightning kills 52 cattle during storm in Uruguayan farm

52 dead animals were found next to the fence

A lightning killed 52 steers during an electric night storm earlier this week in a Uruguayan farm in San Jose, approximately a hundred kilometres from the capital Montevideo. Apparently the open range cattle were stunned to death as the lightning struck a metal fence.

The incident with no previous record of this magnitude in the region, killed top class Hereford and Norman cattle, according to a report from Uruguayan veterinarians and the local police. The paddock where the strange phenomenon occurred had 400 cattle and the 52 dead animals were found next to the fence early dawn by the farm's foreman on a regular inspection tour. "The animals had unequivocal symptoms of having been fulminated by electric discharges which had been transmitted by the wire fence", said the official report. The loss of cattle was estimated in 30.000 US dollars. "Although scientifically possible, because wire is a natural conductor for electricity, the whole incident is most unfortunate, extremely unlucky", said meteorologist Fernando Torena. What is even more surprising is that although fences attract lightning usually higher located objects such a house roofs or tall tress in forests are the targets of these phenomena. Farmers and vets also said that when stormy weather and rather strong winds, open range cattle tend to flock next to fences to protect themselves which helps to understand such a big loss of animals almost simultaneously. Mr. Torena added that storms with lightning can cause great impact and damage adding he had pictures recording five centimetre deep pots in the airstrips of regional airports in open flat ground. "This means lightning can chip into an asphalt strip designed to sustain heavy aircraft landings", said Torena. Almost three years ago, in 2005 a middle aged couple browsing in a Montevideo beach during a cloudy summer day was struck by a lightning killing the husband on the spot and the wife the following day following a heart arrest.