BAKER CITY — Two cows were shot and killed near an area campground in early July.

Police believe the attack was related to the vandalism by gunfire of a restroom at the campground.

The Baker County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement are investigating the incidents, which happened around July 8-9, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.

The investigation started on the morning of Sunday, July 9, when the sheriff’s office received a report that two cows had been shot near Mammoth Springs Campground, near the South Fork of the Burnt River.

Deputy Kyle Ebeling talked with the cows’ owner, Bill Moore, a local rancher. Ebeling found one cow dead from a gunshot wound, and a second cow dying from a gunshot wound. Both cows were nursing calves born earlier this year.

Police determined the cattle were most likely shot with a heavy-caliber handgun or rifle on the evening of July 8. Police didn’t find any shell casings in the area.

Around the same time, Stephen Betts, a law enforcement officer for the Forest Service, found severe damage to a restroom at Mammoth Springs Campground. The damage was caused by either a shotgun or handgun, according to the press release.

Anyone with information about either incident, or who were staying at Mammoth Springs Campground on July 8 or July 9, is asked to call Ebeling at 541-523-6415 or Betts at 541-523-1356.