Feral cattle will be shot from helicopters

For the second year in a row, shooters in helicopters will gun down an estimated 150 feral cattle that are trampling habitats in the Gila Wilderness, a sprawling undeveloped area of more than half a million acres within the Gila National Forest in New Mexico.

The aerial shooting is scheduled to begin on Thursday and continue through Sunday, the U. S. Forest Service said in a statement.

Camille Howes, the Gila National Forest supervisor, said in a statement that the decision to remove the cattle was a difficult one but was “necessary to protect public safety, threatened and endangered species habitats, water quality, and the natural character of the Gila Wilderness.”

The planned removal comes a year after about 65 head of cattle were killed by aerial shooting, also because of overpopulation, said Maribeth Pecotte, a spokesperson for the Gila National Forest. Since last February’s cull, the cattle have “continued to exist in the area and reproduce,” she added.

Lethal removal of cattle in the Gila Wilderness has long been a divisive issue, with environmentalists and ranchers firmly at odds.

Cattle growers in New Mexico have unsuccessfully sued the Forest Service over the aerial shooting, claiming that the method imperils their privately owned cattle.

Loren Patterson, president of The New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, said he wished the authorities would address the cause of the growing feral cattle population by taking measures such as repairing shoddy fences that allow cattle to enter the Gila Wilderness.

“They are not looking at solving the reason the cattle is there,” Patterson said.