New Mexico feral cows to be culled by helicopter shooters

FILE PHOTO: Cattle are seen near San Ignacio de Velasco, Bolivia, September 25, 2019. REUTERS/David Mercado

(Reuters) - Authorities have approved a plan for shooters carried by helicopter to kill dozens of feral cattle damaging habitats and menacing hikers in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness, the U.S. Forest Service said this week.

The four-day cull, due to begin on Thursday, will target about 150 stray or unbranded cows that environmentalists say destroy the ecosystems of endangered species among the Gila's soaring mountains and precipitous canyons.