A crime that was at the center of many Western movies is thriving in modern-day California as reports of cattle rustling are on the rise, state livestock officials said.
Landowners and others who opposed transferring Yellowstone National Park bison to Indian reservations in northern Montana have asked a state judge to declare that any bison captured outside the park should be considered livestock rather than wildlife.
State Veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven said Thursday he now estimates that 15,000 to 30,000 cattle died in the early autumn blizzard that buried western South Dakota in snow nearly two weeks ago.
Ranchers in northwestern New Mexico suspect toxic plants, used in Navajo and Hopi religious ceremonies, are responsible for the recent deaths of more than a dozen cows.
Federal officials have released a plan to save sagebrush habitats in Western states that support cattle ranching, recreation and 350 wildlife species, including imperiled sage grouse.
