Cattle death toll from wildfires remains unknown, industry prepares for the worst

Sep 3, 2017 | 5:20 PM

CARIBOO, B.C. — The B.C. Cattlemen’s Association says it won’t know how many cattle have been killed in the province’s wildfires until the wildfire season is over.

“We can’t go in there on horseback or anything to try and bring them out because it’s too much danger to our horse and rider to do it,”said Kevin Boon, President of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Asosciation. “We have to wait for some of these areas to cool down. We fully expect some of the fires won’t fully go out until we have a significant rain event or we have a snowfall in some cases.”

Up to 40-thousand cattle have been affected by the wildfires throughout the Cariboo and Southern Interior, primarily by the Elephant Hill wildfire.

Boon says cattle that have suffered injuries, burns or smoke inhalation may need to be euthanized.