Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/NEW MEXICO: Authorities have approved a plan for shooters, which will be carried out by helicopter to kill dozens of feral cattle damaging menacing hikers and habitats in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness, the US Forest Service said.
The four-day cull will target about 150 unbranded and stray cows that environmentalists say will destroy the ecosystems of endangered species among the soaring mountains of Gila and steep canyons. The hunt might face a legal challenge from ranchers who have said that shooting cattle from the air is a cruel and inefficient way to manage the population.
Forest Supervisor Camille Howes said the cull is the most humane way to protect the public and wildlife habitats. Howes said in a statement that the feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness have been aggressive towards graze year-round, wilderness visitors, trample stream banks, and springs. Shooting wild hogs from the air is common in the United States West, as is killing predators such as coyotes, but gunning down feral cattle has met resistance.
Helicopters cause cattle to run
Ranchers say helicopters force cattle to run, forcing shooters to pepper cows with many rounds, some taking days to die. They also fear ranch cattle that have strayed due to scarce water and broken fences will be shot, harming an industry hit by rising costs and climate change.
The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA) President, Loren Patterson, who advocates roundups rather than wasting a valuable food resource, said that they are not looking for permeant solutions that are not deemed cruel.
NMCGA sued the Forest Service due to its last cull, and Patterson threatened further legal action to stop this. Last year’s legal challenge ended in an out-of-court settlement. The Forest Service decision marked a victory for environmentalists who want cows removed from public lands and Gila. Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director for the Western Watersheds Project, said that the priority is to ensure that the cows are not destroying habitat for endangered and threatened species.
