Forest Service May Blow Up Frozen Cows

It's not your typical Forest Service problem: The agency is considering explosives to move a bunch of frozen cows that died after getting stuck inside a cabin at 11,000 feet in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. The carcasses were discovered by two Air Force Academy cadets when they snow-shoed to the cabin in late March. Rangers believe the animals sought shelter during a snowstorm and got stuck. "There is a lot of snow, and it's hard to determine how many cows are there," says a Forest Service spokesperson.

The Forest Service occasionally uses explosives to destroy carcasses of animals that can't be retrieved, but rangers are worried about the high fire danger and discussed other solutions when they met today, including using helicopters or trucks. But, another spokesperson says, 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. (More strange stuff stories.)