Officials remove cattle carcasses from Oregon reservoir

BOISE – Officials have removed a number of cattle carcasses from a popular reservoir just west of the Oregon-Idaho border.

The Idaho Statesman reported that Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe says five of the 15 carcasses that had been spotted in the Owyhee Reservoir that didn’t sink have been pulled to the shore and buried by ranchers.

Wolfe says other animals such as deer, antelope and fish were also found in the reservoir.

The carcasses had been alarming for recreationists who went out on the lake, in part because the public didn’t know what caused the die-off.

Wolfe says the cattle died when ranchers were not able to get close enough to feed the animals during winter due to heavy snow.