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 a half 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. The plan is being carried out in conjunction with the Agriculture Department and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services program.
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 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,” Ms. Howes added.
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 spokeswoman 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. The New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, a coalition of more than 1,000 ranchers, has previously challenged the Forest Service over cattle removal and maintains that shooting cattle from a helicopter violates state and federal laws and regulations.
The group, along with several partners, filed a lawsuit against the Forest Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Tuesday, seeking to block the upcoming removal.
The plaintiffs say that if their privately owned cattle are killed, it would be “nearly impossible” to know because the agencies intend to let the carcasses decompose where they die.
Loren Patterson, the association’s president, 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,” Mr. Patterson said, adding that for two consecutive years, federal authorities were instead opting for lethal removal as quick fixes.
Some environmentalists believe that the feral cattle, which they see as a serious threat to native wildlife and river habitats, must be removed at all costs.
Robin Silver, a founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, an Arizona-based advocacy group that regularly files conservation lawsuits against federal agencies, said aerial shooting was the “only way to accomplish what needs to be done there” and to mitigate further destruction of the Gila Wilderness.
“The area is incredibly rugged, and it’s very difficult to get them out, even with the best wranglers,” Mr. Silver said. “There should be no cows there, period.”