ALBUQUERQUE A group of environmentalists supports a U.S. Forest Service plan that will reduce the number of feral cattle on national forest land near New Mexico-Arizona’s border.
Monday’s statement by the Center for Biological Diversity stated that it commended the federal agency for removing unowned feral cows from streams and wetlands in Gila Wilderness.
Ranchers have reacted furiously to the plan which calls for wildlife agents from helicopters to kill unbranded livestock.
Environmentalists have long expressed concerns about leaving cow carcasses on the land, but the Center says that unowned feral cows can be dangerous and destructive.
According to the group, getting them out of the forest does not hurt anyone and is good for everyone, even endangered species that have no other place to go.
The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association has concerns about the ability for wildlife agents to differentiate branded livestock from unbranded. Ranchers claim that the plan is in violation of federal law and will not solve the problem.