The BBC reports (HT Adam Orbit) that US authorities might explode some dead cows:

Frozen Colorado cows may be blown up A group of stray cows that froze to death in the Colorado mountains must be blown up or set on fire to avoid water contamination, forestry officials say. The carcasses were discovered near the Conundrum Hot Springs in Aspen by two Air Force Academy cadets in late March. The cows were found in a ranger cabin where it is thought they wandered during a snowstorm after they were separated from the herd last year. The plan is to remove the dead animals before they begin to thaw. US Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin told the BBC: “Obviously, time is of the essence because we don’t want them defrosting.”…

The US Forest Service has a standard procedure for this. It’s specified in the document “Obliterating Animal Carcasses with Explosives” by Jim Tour and Mike Knodel, 1995, USDA Forest Service document #9523-2315–MTDC. The essential info is expressed in two diagrams. The first shows how to place the dynamite sticks if there is no urgency (if, for example, the carcass is located far from where people might soon encounter it):

The second diagram shows how to place the dynamite if the problem must be dealt with quickly:

UPDATE (May 7, 2012): Persons in authority have, reportedly, decided against using this method in this case.

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