U.S. News

Helicopter Shooters Set to Gun Down Feral Cows in New Mexico

HIDE OF THE VALKYRIES

The kill order was issued by the U.S. Forest Service.

A Black Angus cow basks in the early morning light near Fairview, Alberta on May 23, 2003.
Dan Riedlhuber/Reuters

Feral cows in New Mexico will be hunted down by a shooter in a helicopter next week as part of a plan to protect a designated wilderness area. U.S. Forest Service managers approved the kill order after the Gila National Forest came under pressure to protect the Gila Wilderness from an estimated 150 cattle causing damage to streams and rivers with their hooves and mouths. Some ranchers consider the killer chopper plan to be animal cruelty and have expressed concern about what will happen when the carcasses are left to rot. Shooters will spend four days starting next Thursday searching for the animals from the air.

Read it at Associated Press