By BARBARA SIMPSON
We’re at a time when “killing” permeates just about every aspect of our lives. Whether we are talking about abortion — which, in reality, is the intentional killing of preborn humans — to the argument about whether we should condone capital punishment for criminals, to the wanton killing of wild horses in the plains of our country because it is determined there are too many of them — whatever that means. As you read this, that killing is ongoing.
Now there is a new arena of killing — the intentional kill order just issued by the U.S. Forest Service for helicopter sharpshooters to kill “feral cows” in the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico — the nation’s first designated wilderness area. It is scheduled to begin this week. Helicopters, with shooters on board, will fly over the Wilderness, looking for stray cattle to kill. The area in question will be closed to the public during the four-day shoot time.
At issue is the question of who will handle unbranded livestock and other stray cows who wander through the area. Environmentalists argue that the animals are damaging the streams and rivers with their hooves and mouths.
Ranchers, on the other hand, are arguing against the plan. They assert that shooting cows from choppers is, in fact, animal cruelty. In addition, they say that it violates federal regulations and will present problems when the carcasses are left to rot.
Ranchers say that fewer people are maintaining fences in the area and that the historic tradition that neighbors help corral wayward cattle is gone, mainly because so many people have left the business due to the worsening drought, making water scarce for cattle. In addition, the skyrocketing cost of feed and other supplies have also driven many from the business.
According to the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, roughly 90 grazing parcels are vacant in New Mexico and Arizona. This, combined with increased use of public lands for hunting and hiking, has resulted in fences being knocked down, allowing cattle to roam free.
According to Forest Supervisor Camille Howes, the decision for the aerial shoot was a difficult one, but, she says, necessary.
“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.”
Ranchers are concerned that the proposal will set a precedent as more grazing parcels across the west become vacant, as a result of people leaving the business.
Tom Patterson, chair of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, says that they have tried to find a non-shooting solution to the problem.
He said they hope that a new directive from the New Mexico Livestock Board that allows neighboring permittees to gather and herd the cattle out — eliminating the need to shoot them — will provide a means of avoiding the mass kill. At this point, there is no answer to that hope and no idea of when, or if, a change might occur.
What happens remains to be seen, but it presents an interesting and moral look at the need for using “killing” as a solution to a problem caused by human mismanagement of animals.
In the interim, the order stands, and those loose cattle will be targets for helicopter shooters. I don’t know about you, but I find that reprehensible — the waste of a food source, and the blatant waste of lives. Animal lives are important.
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