The U.S. Wildlife Service is addressing the overpopulation of feral cattle in New Mexico by sending hunters in helicopters to shoot them down, which is causing controversy.
Arizona-based KNAU reported on the debate and developments:
An environmental group is supporting a U.S. Forest Service plan to put a dent in the feral cattle population on national forest land near the New Mexico-Arizona border. The Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement Monday that it “commends” the federal agency for trying to remove unowned, feral cows that can threaten sensitive habitat along streams and wetlands in the Gila Wilderness.
The plan calls for wildlife agents to shoot down unbranded livestock from helicopters. The Center says unowned feral cows are “dangerous and destructive.”
Ranchers are concerned about the ability of the wildlife agents to distinguish branded from unbranded livestock.
The Albuquerque Journal reported on the court ruling this month:
The New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association … had asked the court for a temporary restraining order on the operation along the state’s western border, arguing that the federal government was violating livestock laws. NMCGA President Loren Patterson said ranchers worry the agency could inadvertently kill branded livestock that have strayed from domesticated herds.
“We are opposed not to the removal of the stray cattle out of the Gila,” Patterson said. “We are opposed to the method of shooting them from helicopters.”
The Journal report continues:
But a federal district court judge denied the motion. About 200 cows roam the Gila Wilderness, according to the Forest Service.
“These are not domesticated cattle,” U.S. Agriculture Department attorneys wrote in court documents. “There are no active grazing allotments in the area where the cattle are found and the Forest Service has not identified any tags or brands indicating ownership.”
Grant County Commissioner Gerald Billings said feral cows give “all cattle producers a black eye.”
“It’s a detriment to the ecosystem and to the beef industry in New Mexico,” Billings, who raises cattle on private land, said in the Journal report and added that aerial shooting is not the answer.
“That’s 150,000 pounds of wasted beef that could go into the economy, and is just going to be shot and left lie,” Billings said.
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