The U.S. Forest Service is now being sued by cattle groups in New Mexico for aerially shooting stray cattle.
The service killed roughly 65 head in the Gila National Forest earlier this month at a cost of $40,000. According to the cattle groups, there is no federal regulation that allows them to do so and say the animals should have been seized, impounded and sold instead. The lawsuit claims the animals were left in areas where they could not be moved and could become targets of predators. It also claims the animals could have been used in the beef supply chain.
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