New Mexico is Trying to Stop the US Government from Gunning Down Over 100 Feral Cows & 'Leaving Their Carcasses to Rot in the Wilderness'

New Mexico governor Michelle Grisham is disappointed with the U.S. Forest Service over their aerial shooting operation to shoot and kill up to 150 feral cows from a helicopter in the Gila Wilderness. Many in the agriculture community in southwestern New Mexico are against this operation.

CBS News reported that the U.S. Forest Service approved the plan on Thursday, 23 February 2023 to fly a helicopter through the Gila Wilderness and shoot feral cows. The area in question is known as the "nation's first designated wilderness area."

Does this make it okay to just kill the cows in the wilderness and let their meat go to waste, when it could better serve people that need food for their families?

Sounds like a waste.

This is all because environmental groups are claiming that the feral cattle is damaging streams and rivers with their mouths and hooves.

Seriously?

This is not a joke.

According to CBS KRQE-TV reporting, in 2022 "31 New Mexico lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service urging authorities to reconsider the plan." Some ranchers even argue that some of their stray cattle might even be mixed in with the feral cows, and the plan to "shoot stray cattle by helicopter" is a big mistake.

Senator Crystal Diamond says that there are hunger issues in New Mexico that could be addressed, but shooting these feral cows in the wilderness is a waste.

She said:

“You know, I am in the middle of a legislative session in which we are seriously trying to address hunger issues in New Mexico and I can think the options of what we can do there are endless. it’s kind of a horrific response in how to handle stray cattle in the forest.” (Source: CBS KRQE-TV News)

Ranchers: U.S. Forest Service to Gun Down Feral Cows and 'Letting Their Carcasses Rot in the Wilderness'

Fortune reported that "ranchers argue that the operation amounts to animal cruelty and that the cows could have been rounded up and removed instead of letting their carcasses rot in the wilderness."

A federal judge denied the request from ranchers to delay the aerial extermination operation by the U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday, 22 February 2023.

Photo by Zara Walker

Reasons Why U.S. Forest Service Should Not Kill Feral Cows Without Careful Assessment

There are several reasons why feral cows should not be killed without careful consideration and assessment of the situation. Here are some of the key reasons:

1. Animal welfare: Feral cows, like all animals, have the capacity to feel pain and suffer. Killing them without justifiable cause could result in unnecessary harm and distress. If culling is deemed necessary, it should be done in a humane and ethical way that minimizes suffering.

2. Environmental impact: Feral cows can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment. They can help to maintain open landscapes and reduce the risk of wildfires, but they can also damage ecosystems and compete with native wildlife for resources. Killing feral cows may have unintended consequences for the ecosystem and may not be the best solution in the long run.

3. Public safety: Feral cows can pose a risk to public safety, particularly if they are in areas where people live or work. However, killing them may not always be the most effective way to manage this risk. There may be other measures that can be taken to mitigate the danger, such as fencing or relocation.

Overall, the decision by the U.S. Forest Service to shoot and kill feral cows in an aerial shooting operation should be based on a careful assessment of the situation and consideration of all the relevant factors, including animal welfare, environmental impact, and public safety. In many cases, there may be more effective and humane ways to manage the situation.

Do you think that the feral cows in New Mexico should be rounded up and relocated so the meat doesn't go to waste?

Are you fine with shooting cows by helicopter and letting their carcasses rot in the New Mexico wilderness?

(Share your thoughts in the comments section)

Restaurant Power Ranger Servers 'Morph' into Real-Life Heroes to Save a Woman Being Attacked by a Man in Ramen Shop

Real-life employees dressed as Power Rangers spring into action when a woman is being attacked by a man having a "mental health crisis" near Noka Ramen cocktail bar in Oakland, California. The woman runs into the noodle shop and cocktail bar for help and the Power Rangers spring into action. It's Morphin' Time!

Noka Ramen staff photoTwitter user: @LACTAID

What happens when Oakland restaurant servers show up to their shift dressed up like Power Rangers?

They jump into action, of course, to save a woman in distress. The employees at Noka Ramen are real-life heroes.

For these employees, it was just a typical Friday night of cosplay to promote Asian culture when the situation happened at Noka Ramen, and they had to think fast to protect a woman in danger.

The employees don’t typically come to work to fight crime at the two-month-old Noka Ramen at 90 Franklin St. in Oakland, California, but on this occasion, it really happened.

Oakland's Noka Ramen Staff Help an Endangered Woman

Inside Noka RamenJason F./Yelp

ABC 7 News reported that on Friday, 14 October 2022, a woman ran into Noka Ramen in Oakland to take refuge while being attacked by a man around 8 p.m.

Employees dressed in their Friday Power Rangers costumes sprung into action to save the woman. The man attacking her put her into a chokehold and was shouting racial slurs. (Source: ABC 7 News)

Ploi Pirapokin witnessed the event. At first, she was unaware if the whole thing was staged but quickly realized that it was not a staged event. It was a real woman in a crisis situation needing real help.

She posted on Twitter:

“The craziest thing just happened at dinner. I’m at a ramen shop owned by Thai people in Oakland dressed as power rangers, when a woman comes rushing in saying she wasn’t safe — and a man came running in after her and puts her in a chokehold.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

All of a sudden, the employees of Noka Ramen decide to help this woman.

“All of the servers, slash Power Rangers were moving towards the scene to help one another out.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

She continued to describe the situation:

“Once the woman had expressed she wasn’t safe, and she didn’t want to go home with this man who was choke holding her, the black power ranger (the manager with a kickass bob) and the yellow ranger, told the man to leave.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

According to ABC7 News, the “Power Rangers ended up piling onto the man and police showed up.”

Ploi Pirapokin noted that it was “the yellow ranger that took the man by the collar and dragged him out of the restaurant.” (Source: SFGate, Twitter)

ABC7 News learned from police after they detained the attacker, they believe the man was “undergoing a mental health crisis, and transported him for medical attention.” (Source: ABC 7 News)

Witness Ploi Pirapokin said that the way the employees came to help was very typical of Thai culture.

She said:

"Thai people are very playful. We like to laugh. Whether it’s to create harmony or balance, that’s our ethos. That’s how we approach something that’s scary or shocking or surprising. It’s something within us that we turn to laughter to try and peacekeeper right away.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

These Restaurant Workers are not Crime-Fighting 'Vigilantes'

Ploi Pirapokin wanted to clear the air about these restaurant heroes:

”The restaurant wants to make sure the community understands the workers are not vigilantes but are ready to assist anyone in need of help. This was just an isolated incident.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

So, to be clear, if you decide to eat at Noka Ramen in Oakland on a Friday night, don’t expect to see real crime fighting during your meal, but if someone is in need of help, the Power Ranger will be there to help.

Sources

Lim, Dion. “EXCLUSIVE: Servers dressed as Power Rangers at Oakland restaurant save woman being attacked.” ABC7 News. 17 October 2022.

Madrigal-Yankowski. “Bay Area restaurant workers dressed as Power Rangers intervene in alleged assault.” SFGate. 19 October 2022.

Twitter account: @ppirapokin

Philadelphia Police Department used 'Fantasyland' Coordinates for Years until Discovered; Now they use 'Atlantic Ocean'

For over 10 years, the Philadelphia Police Department logged the coordinates for crimes "without an exact location" to Disney World. It continued unchecked for years until a news investigation questioned the practice. They decided it would be a better practice to log these crimes into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, as is the practice of other police precincts.

An on-duty police officer; credit: Martin Jernberg

The practice of repeatedly doing something over and over again the same way incorrectly “because that’s how we’ve always done it” is now biting the Philadelphia Police Department.

An investigative report by NBC 10 Philadelphia found that Philadelphia Police Department continued to report “location-less” crimes incorrectly for over 10 years until an investigative report prompted them to change this practice.

The Washington Post also reported on this story.

For the Philadelphia Police Department crimes without a precise GPS location, police officers were using the coordinates of “Fantasyland,” a specific area within Disney World, which is located in Florida. (Source: The Washington Times)

This type of GPS reporting was inaccurate for crimes without a specific location. The NBC 10 Philadelphia investigative team looked into this. They wanted to know why Philadelphia crimes were being reported to Fantasyland. This uncovered how long this practice has been going on within the department and prompted a change in this practice.

What Happened When Philadelphia Police Did Not Have a Precise Location?

In general, when a police officer submits a police report, they also log the GPS coordinates where the crime took place. This allows crime analysts to map out the crime data and compile statistics. It started to raise questions about why Philadelphia crimes were being reported in Disney World, a theme park in Florida.

NBC 10 Philadelphia reported:

“For more than a decade, if Philadelphia police officers made a typo or were unable to record a precise location for a crime committed in the city, the department would mark the incident with GPS coordinates inside Disney World in Florida. Specifically, the area behind Cinderella’s Castle known as ‘Fantasyland’ became the default location for inaccurate crime data.”

(Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia)

What is more mind-boggling is there was not any other location found inside the Philadelphia city limits with more crime than the crimes logged at Disney World, which shows how common this practice was within the police department.

According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, “over the past six years, more than 5,000 crimes — including 16 arsons, 50 homicides, and 298 auto thefts — were plotted to Disney World.”

It is obviously clear that Philadelphia crimes were not taking place in Disney World, and the GPS coordinates for the crimes should not have been reported in this manner.

The reason it was done this way, was all about the statistics.

Done This Way So it ‘Wouldn’t Skew’ the Philadelphia Crime Statistics

When NBC 10 Philadelphia news investigators brought this issue to the Philadelphia Police Department, their director of research and analysis, Kevin Thomas began to look into it, as he was “unaware” of this practice at the time he was first asked.

After looking into it, “he asked others in the department who said the choice to map certain crimes to Disney World was made more than ten years ago” and he added, “In no way was this meant to be in any way humorous.” (Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia)

The reason: They chose Disney World so these crimes without a location so would not affect Philadelphia crime statistics.

“It was just an innocuous location chosen within the U.S. that would obviously not have anything to do with Philadelphia whatsoever.” -Kevin Thomas, Philadelphia Police Dept. direct of research and analysis (Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia)

Philadelphia’s Police Reported Location-less Crime Against Industry Standards

Business Insider interviewed an expert, Christopher Herrmann, a former crime analyst supervisor from the New York Police Department.

“The practice of using a fake location for unknowns not only creates a false record, but having that option also creates an environment in which officers don’t feel they have to put in the extra effort to accurately map the incidents” -Chris Herrmann, a former crime analyst supervisor from the New York Police Department (Source: Business Insider)

According to Herrmann, “police departments should be able to accurately map at least 95% of crimes. At some departments that have been crime mapping for a long time, like the NYPD, the data can be over 99% accurate.” (Source: Business Insider)

For crimes with unknown locations, Herrmann says that it is a better practice to GPS log the crime somewhere that is clearly not the location of the crime — like the middle of the Atlantic Ocean — and not at Disney World or even the police headquarters.” (Source: Business Insider)

A Philadelphia Family Hurt by this Practice

One prime example of how this practice hurt a family is when Shineka Crawford lost her son in a shooting on the streets of Philadelphia. She found her son in the street on the 1700 block of 68th Avenue in West Oak Lane.

However, the Philadelphia Police Department marked the GPS location as Disney World.

(Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia)

“I can’t get that picture out of my head. The pain never goes away, and never gets better. It’s hurtful. He got murdered on the street in Philadelphia.” -Shineka Crawford (Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia)

Is this a Resolution or a Band-Aid to a Problem that Needs to be Corrected?

It should be noted that after NBC 10 Philadelphia investigated this story, the Philadelphia Police Department changed its policy, and "will now plot inaccurate crimes in the Atlantic Ocean." (Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia)

Perhaps an even better solution is for the crime reporting software to have an "exact location unknown" option so police departments do not have to inaccurately attribute crime to places it didn’t happen (including the Atlantic Ocean). The crime reporting software needs an update, so police officers don't continually have to find a workaround.

Sources

Freeman, Danny. “For Years, Philly Police Dumped Crime Data at Disney World.” NBC 10 Philadelphia. Published September 22, 2022. Updated on September 23, 2022

Matthews, Brad. “Philadelphia police logged crime data at Disney World for years.” The Washington Times. 24 September 2022.

Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. “How Disney World’s Fantasyland was turned into an apparent crime hotspot by Philly police.” Business Insider. 23 September 2022.