"The resilient longhorn, able to survive on sparse foliage and water, has endured in Texas for more than 100 years. But the recent sale of about 100 longhorns by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has spurred debate about the breed’s future in the state."
"Texas Parks and Wildlife sold roughly two-thirds of the herd in West Texas’ 311,000-acre Big Bend Ranch State Park at public auction so the park could institute a plan to make its remaining longhorns easier for visitors to see, said Brent Leisure, the department’s director of state parks. The park wants to reduce its herd to 10 animals and keep them on a newly constructed 3,000-acre exhibit pasture.
Mr. Leisure said there were 150 to 200 longhorns currently in state parks.
Nonetheless, Representative Charles Anderson, Republican of Waco, called longhorns an important part of the state’s ecosystem, and said the cattle should remain protected in state parks."
Cody Permenter reports for the New York Times May 4, 2013.
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