Forest Service will begin ‘aerial shooting’ of wild cattle in New Mexican wilderness

The U.S. government will begin aerial shooting of wild cattle in New Mexico later this month, part of a move to ensure the preservation of a national preserved wildlife location in that state.

The U.S. Forest Service said in a press release this week that it was moving ahead with a plan “to remove feral cattle within the boundaries of the Gila Wilderness using lethal methods.”

The feral cattle “are not domesticated animals and pose a significant threat to public safety and natural resources,” the department said, adding that the animals would be eliminated using “aerial shooting” starting next week. 

“This has been a difficult decision, but the lethal removal of feral cattle from the Gila Wilderness is necessary to protect public safety, threatened and endangered species habitats, water quality, and the natural character of the Gila Wilderness,” Gila National Forest Supervisor Camille Howes said in the release.

The Gila Wilderness was “the first wilderness in the United States,” the Forest Department says on its website; the University of Montana states that at its dedication in 1924 Gila became “the world's first designated Wilderness area.”