16 December 2013

Cattle Herds on Remote Alaska Islands Face Threat

From the Associated Press comes this you-wouldn't-think-about-this-in-Alaska story:

— There are herds of cattle on a pair of remote Alaska islands that have survived for decades despite any number of threats to their existence.

Some of the few actively-managed cattle, on Chirikof Island

The animals have been abandoned. They've been forced to adapt to brutal winters. And they go for months at a time eating little more than seaweed that washes ashore.

But today, the resilient cows face a threat from those who say the herds are battering the habitat of native wildlife such as seabirds and salmon.

"The cattle are really doing a number," said Patrick Saltonstall, an archaeologist who works in the area. "In some parts, the creeks aren't even creeks anymore. They're just like quicksand. They've just been pulverized, pounded into nothing."

Federal wildlife managers have asked this month for public comment as they seek to remove nearly 1,000 animals from the uninhabited, isolated islands in southwest Alaska.

Read the whole story here.

8 comments:

PioneerPreppy said...

BBQ Time!!!!

Rev. Paul said...

That would be some expensive steak ... but I like where you're going with that.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

You can't help admiring the tenacity of invasive species sometimes. Glad it is not my call on those cattle.

Rev. Paul said...

WSF - agreed.

joated said...

Open season. No limits.

Those two rules should reduce the numbers considerably. THEN you can talk about hiring someone to remove the remainder via either lethal means or live trapping.

Rev. Paul said...

I was tempted to say "a couple herds of cattle wouldn't last long with hunters around," but all but one of the islands is uninhabited. Just the cost of getting there would be prohibitive to most folks.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see the feds consistent with their stewardship.

Not unlike the Indians on the reservation...

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

Guffaw, it's nice to see them treating something else like cattle, and not just us. :)