Feds approve controversial Gila Wilderness plan

https://www.newser.com/story/331708/officials-issue-kill-order-for-new-mexico-feral-cows.html

By Newser Editors and Wire ServicesPosted Feb 17, 2023 3:20 AM CST

A helicopter with a shooter will fly over a portion of the vast Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico next week, searching for feral cows to kill. US Forest Service managers approved the plan Thursday to protect sensitive spots in the nation’s first designated wilderness area. The move sets the stage for legal challenges over how to handle unbranded livestock and other stray cows as drought deepens in the West, theAPreports. The Gila National Forest issued the decision amid pressure from environmental groups who raised concerns about nearly 150 cattle whose hooves and mouths…