Wyoming rangers stop blowing up dead horses due to wildfire risk

Shoshone national forest officials pause gruesome policy of exploding carcasses to minimize hazard during dry spell

Rangers in Wyoming’s Shoshone national forest believe they have figured out how to mitigate an elevated risk of wildfires: they are no longer using explosives to blow up dead horses.

The temporary pause in the seemingly bizarre and somewhat gruesome policy comes as a lengthy dry spell in the state’s backcountry combines with hotter-than-usual temperatures, increasing the possibility of wildfires. Experts say drought and heat from the climate crisis is fueling a rise in extreme wildfires worldwide.