Forest service to explode frozen cows

Last fall, cows that were grazing on federal land in Colorado took refuge in a cabin, then froze to death or were trapped by cows’ general inability to figure out how to exit things, reports the AP. Now their carcasses are 1,000-pound blocks of frozen meat, and rangers aren’t sure how to dislodge them.

So they’re going to blow them up.

“Obviously, time is of the essence because we don’t want them defrosting,” [said Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin].

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The other options include using a helicopter to haul out the cows and, I am not making this up, burning down the cabin.

Blowing up animals in remote areas is a surprisingly common tool of forest rangery, apparently.

“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,” [said Segin].