Valera, 1972: the cow-killing meteorite
The only meteorite with a documented animal victim.
On the night of 15 October 1972, a stone fell on a farm near Valera in Venezuela and struck a cow, which died. The farmer and his family butchered and ate it, and kept the stone.
The story was documented by the farmer's account and later by researchers, who obtained the stone. It is an L5 ordinary chondrite. Pieces of the meteorite, some sold with a copy of the cow's death certificate, became collectors' favourites.
Valera is often described as the only known meteorite to have killed an animal, though the evidence rests on witness accounts rather than physical proof.
In the catalogue
- Valera L5, Venezuela, 1972 · 50 kg