Hay Lift Underway to Save Cows Stranded From Plains Blizzard

Posted on January 2, 2007

The Associated Press reports that a hay lift is underway to save cows stranded in Colorado and Kansas during last week's powerful Plains blizzard.

Colorado launched a hay lift Tuesday to try to save thousands of cattle stranded by 10-foot-high snowdrifts left after back-to-back blizzards paralyzed life on the Plains.
"These cattle have already gone a number of days without food and water. They're just going to lay over dead if we don't do something soon," said Department of Agriculture Executive Director Don Ament.
Last week�s storm dumped as much 3 feet of snow on the already hard hit mountains and Plains, and state and municipal crews from the Rockies to the Oklahoma Panhandle to Nebraska were still digging out highways and trying to reach isolated homes on Tuesday.

The article says one of the problems rescuers are facing is that many cargo helicopters that can be used to deliver hay to the animals are current in Iraq or Afghanistan. The article also says a repeat of 1997 is hoped to be avoided. In 1997 30,000 farm animals perished after a blizzard.

ANIMALS
COWS