Authorities issued a kill order to wildlife experts in southwestern New Mexico as part of an effort to eliminate feral cows in the Gila Wilderness.
The nearly 150 cows in the area have acted aggressively against visitors and caused damage to sensitive areas in the country’s first designated wilderness area, authorities said.
U.S. Forest Service administrators approved the plan Thursday, which involves a multi-shooter helicopter flying over the area in search of stray cattle.
The measure, which the Grant County Board of County Commissioners approved and announced last month, set the stage for legal challenges over how to deal with cattle overgrazing in the drought-stricken West.
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In this photo provided by Robin Silver, a wild bull is seen along the Gila River in the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico on July 25, 2020. (Robin Silver/Center for Biological Diversity via AP)
The plan calls for a section of the Gila Wilderness to be closed to the public starting Monday, with a helicopter launching Thursday. The shooters will then spend four days searching for wild cattle in rugged areas in and around the Gila River.
Forestry supervisor Camille Howes said the decision, amid pressure from environmental groups, was difficult but necessary.
“Wild cattle in the Gila Wilderness have been aggressive toward desert visitors, grazing year-round and trampling the banks of streams and springs, causing erosion and siltation,” he said.
The ranchers, however, opposed the decision, arguing that the plan to shoot the cows from a helicopter should be considered animal cruelty. They said the action violates federal regulations and will result in a problematic situation in handling abandoned carcasses.
Officials have argued that carrion birds and other animals consumed the carcasses.
Livestock industry groups have also raised concerns that the action could set a precedent across the West, especially as rural neighbors have vacated parcels due to worsening drought.
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The New Mexico Cattle Producers Association estimates that approximately 90 grazing allotments are vacant in New Mexico and Arizona as increased use of public lands, primarily for hunting and hiking, has resulted in torn down fences intended to keep drive away the cows.
Tom Paterson, chair of the association’s wildlife committee, said the group has been unable to find a solution that doesn’t involve shooting feral cows.
In this photo provided by Robin Silver, a wild bull is seen along the Gila River in the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico on July 25, 2020. (Robin Silver/Center for Biological Diversity via AP)
He has pointed to a recent directive from the New Mexico Livestock Board that would allow neighboring neighbors to round up and remove cattle, but access is limited by snow on the ground.
Paterson also said federal officials aren’t giving enough time to see if the directive will work.
“Easy is no exception to its own rules. Frustration is no exception to the rules,” Paterson said. “Our society should be better than this. We can be more creative and do it in a better way without wasting an economic resource.”
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Todd Schulke, co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, and other environmentalists have applauded the Forest Service’s decision.
“We can expect immediate results: clean water, a healthy river, and restored wildlife habitat,” he said.
GALLUP, NEW MEXICO – JUNE 7: A parched landscape lies on Navajo Nation land on June 7, 2019 in Gallup, New Mexico. (Spencer Platt/fake images)
While environmentalists have called on officials to avoid killing wildlife in other areas, the Center for Biological Diversity maintains that the situation in New Mexico is unique and will only get worse if feral livestock are not removed.
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Cattle currently roam an area that spans more than 870 square miles (2,253 square kilometers) and is home to Mexican gray wolves, elk, deer and other endangered wildlife.
The operation will cover approximately 160 square miles (414 square kilometers).
Hundreds of unauthorized cattle have been recalled over the years, including an operation last year that killed 65 cows in a similar operation scheduled for next week.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
