Hermitage Hiker Finds Livestock Carcasses On Future Park Site

HERMITAGE, TN — A hiker out for a stroll on the greenway in Hermitage stumbled upon a truly disturbing scene.

The hiker, Phillip Rader, told NewsChannel 5 he was walking along a gravel road with his Great Dane when he spotted tumbledown farm buildings and a derelict home, so he wandered over.

"It seemed like it was straight out of a horror film," he told the station. "It was quite disturbing."

Rader discovered several rotting cattle carcasses and some skulls.

The Metro Public Health Department told the station the animals were likely stricken with white oak acorn disease, which, as the name suggests, poisons animals who eat a large amount of acorns and oak leaves, causing kidney failure. The health department said the owner did the right thing and separated the remainder of the herd from the oak trees and was working with the health department to bury the extant carcasses.

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Image via Metro Parks