Posted on 04/18/2012 11:08:06 AM PDT by TheRealDBear
DENVER — It may take explosives to dislodge a group of cows that wandered into an old ranger cabin high in the Rocky Mountains, then died and froze solid when they couldn't get out.
The carcasses were discovered by two Air Force Academy cadets when they snow-shoed up to the cabin in late March. Rangers believe the animals sought shelter during a snowstorm and got stuck and weren't smart enough to find their way out.
The cabin is located near the Conundrum Hot Springs, a nine-mile hike from the Aspen area in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness area.
Michael Carroll, a spokesman for the Wilderness Society in Colorado, said cattle are often allowed to wander on federal wilderness lands as long as ranchers get a permit from the Forest Service, and sometimes the animals get separated from the herd.
The Forest Service said Tuesday the animals came from a herd of 29 cows that went missing last fall from the nearby Gunnison National Forest where the rancher had a permit. An aerial search failed to turn up any sign of the animals.
Forest Service spokesman Brian Porter said rangers saw about six cows inside the cabin, and several dead cows lying around the building.
"There is a lot of snow, and it's hard to determine how many cows are there," Porter said.
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin said Tuesday they need to decide quickly how to get rid of the carcasses.
"Obviously, time is of the essence because we don't want them defrosting," Segin said.
Segin said officials are concerned about water contamination in the nearby hot springs if the cows start decomposing during the thaw.
The options: use explosives to break up the cows, burn down the cabin, or using a helicopters or trucks to haul out the carcasses.
But Segin said using helicopters is too expensive and rangers are worried about using trucks in a wilderness area, where the government bars permanent improvements and tries to preserve the natural habitat.
Carroll praised the Forest Service for trying to remove the animals while doing the least damage. He said burning down the cabin or packing out the carcasses are probably the best solutions.
"They need to use the minimal tool to get the job done. They don't want to leave the land scarred," he said.
Segin said the Forest Service occasionally uses explosives to destroy carcasses of animals that can't be retrieved.
"We've used them as a means of disposal to remove dead horses, elk and other animals in areas where it's impossible to get them out," he said.
Anyone want some sacred cow burgers?
Cowpops!
They could use a catapult!
Nuke the cows!
You beat me to it!
Sometimes they use explosives to break up penguins on the telly.
Sawzall the entry door a bit wider and winch the critters outside.
Dig a big hole and throw in a cord of firewood. Light it up.
When the fire is dying down to coals, throw the critters in.
Cover the critters and coals with wet applewood and dirt.
12 hours later, uncover and invite the neighborhood.
Please invite Dave Barry to the explosion so he can write a story about it the way he did the whale. Beyond funny...way beyond funny.
20 cases of Febreeze!
Don’t they have any Grizzly bears?
New way of meat packing ;^)
Where are we going to find some English k-niggets to launch them at?
That's going to piss off the PETA kids. Cows are smarter than we are.
Frigging moroons!
Take up a chainsaw and cut em up. How freaking hard is that. If they are frozen then it’s no big deal. Sheesh.
Cut em up and spread the pieces and parts for the wildlife.
Cats and Black Bear and magpies will have a feast.
Why is it Government ALWAYS does Shiat the most expensive and time comsuming way.
Wouldn’t that be a cowapult?.............
Use of a chainsaw would dirty the uniforms of our overlords. Not to mention the damage to the shine on their jackboots caused by the flying bits of cow sawdust (cow chips seems misleading in this context) flying out of the chainsaw.
Maroons is right!
Also consider - the cows got in there, there was no “cow” food in there, they are no bigger than when they walked in (they weren’t magically transported into the cabin) - get a horse and a rope and drag ‘em out through the same opening they used to get in there in the first place.
Such a problem! Country boys deal with stuff like this on a daily basis, but government workers and green-weinies have to make a federal case out of it!
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