Federal forest rangers are expected to start gunning down feral cattle from helicopters after a judge approved their operation to “lethally remove” a 150-member herd from a national park in southwestern New Mexico.
The four-day aerial hunt is scheduled to begin on Feb. 23 and conclude on Feb. 26, according to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), which described the cows and bulls who are freely roaming and grazing in the Gila National Forest as a “significant threat” to both public safety and natural resources.
The USFS didn’t respond to a request to confirm whether the operation is underway, although a section of the Gila National Forest designated as the kill zone remains closed to the public after the federal agency shut it down on Feb. 20. The legal challenge against the plan has also been tossed by a judge.
In their petition filed at a U.S. district court in Albuquerque, cattle ranchers and local business owners claimed that the planned massacre is not only cruel and inhumane, but would also violate a previous settlement agreement.
According to New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMGCA), the USFS in February 2022 carried out a killing that resulted in the death of 65 stray cattle, many of which were not killed instantly but wandered off and bled to death.
“Photographs showed carcasses in or on the banks of the Gila River. Calves were orphaned, starved, and left for predators,” the NMGCA said in a statement. To settle a lawsuit, the federal agency signed an agreement with the association, promising to provide a written notice 75 days prior of any future aerial slaughter operations.
“Unfortunately, after a year of abiding by our settlement agreement, we are now back to square one,” said NMCGA president Loren Patterson. The association further argued that the USFS has no authority to shoot cattle in the first place.
U.S. District Judge James Browning, however, found those arguments unconvincing. “No one disputes that the Gila cattle need to be removed and are doing significant damage to the Gila Wilderness,” he wrote. “The court does not see a legal prohibition on the operation. It would be contrary to the public interest to stop the operation from proceeding.”
The cattle in question are descendants of livestock abandoned by a farmer who went out of business in the 1970s. In a statement explaining why they should cease to exist, the USFS said their extermination is “necessary to protect public safety, threatened and endangered species habitats, water quality, and the natural character of the Gila Wilderness.”
“The feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness have been aggressive towards wilderness visitors, graze year-round, and trample stream banks and springs, causing erosion and sedimentation,” said Camille Howes, Gila National Forest Supervisor. “This action will help restore the wilderness character of the Gila Wilderness enjoyed by visitors from across the country.”
All dispatched cattle will be left onsite to naturally decompose, the USFS said, noting that rangers will make sure no carcasses are adjacent to or in any waterbody or spring, designated hiking trail, or known culturally sensitive area.
In response to concerns that branded cattle could have strayed into the kill zone, the federal agency also promised to locate, gather, and remove all branded cattle from areas where they shouldn’t be.
