More than 7,000 cows have died in Texas Panhandle wildfires, causing a "total wipeout" for many local ranchers
CBSN
The Texas Panhandle wildfires are taking a significant toll on the region's agricultural industry. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told CBS News on Thursday morning that preliminary numbers show more than 7,000 heads of cattle have died in the fires, and that he believes the final toll could end up including thousands more.
The state has yet to get all the counts of lost cattle in the fires, he said, adding that the 7,000 death toll does not include cattle that will have to be euthanized due to their injuries. More than 1 million acres of land have burned up in the fires, including the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history.
"Their hooves are burned off, their utters are burnt beyond – they can't nurse their babies," he said. "We'll actually end up having to put a lot of cattle down just because they won't be able to make it, even though they survived."
