Calf found dead near Skaggs Island, tied by back legs to a gate

Sonoma County animal control officers suspect a dead calf found on the side of a rural east county roadway was illegally dumped after it was dead but why there and why it was tied by its hind legs to a gate remained a mystery Wednesday afternoon.

The case of the dead calf, partially bound and tied with a 10-foot rope to the gate on Ramal Road, initially looked like a possible case of animal cruelty, according to a CHP officer who found the animal.

Further investigation showed no obvious trauma to the animal, which was believed to be about eight months old, said Scott Alonso, spokesman for the Sonoma County Department of Health.

“We’re not calling it an animal cruelty case. That could always change” with further information, Alonso said.

Animal control officials suspect it died elsewhere and was dumped at the Skaggs Island-area gate. Where it came from or where it died also wasn’t known, Alonso said.

Still, it was unusual. “We’ve not seen an incident like this,” he said.

CHP Officer Steven Wheat found the animal at about 9:30 a.m. Wheat had thought it was possible someone had dragged the animal by its rear hooves, based on how it was left.

Wheat, who works out of the Napa CHP office and is a 25-year veteran, also called it odd. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The area is bounded by a vineyard to the north and the Sonoma sanitation plant to the south but there are dairy ranches in the vicinity. The calf was on the side of the roadway in an area where duck hunters frequently park, and where old furniture, such as mattresses and couches are dumped, according to the officials.

It is illegal to dispose of a dead animal on private or public property, Alonso said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.