BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Dozens of hardy cattle bred to withstand North Dakota's harsh winters are headed to Kazakhstan.
The animals that left from Fargo on Tuesday in a jumbo jet are the first being sent to help rebuild the former Soviet republic's beef industry.
About 170 pregnant cows and heifers weighing more than 80 tons were put in metal crates for the 22-hour flight to Astana (uh-STAW'-nuh), the capital of Kazakhstan.
The joint venture between Bismarck-based Global Beef Consultants LLC and the Kazakhstan government calls for 2,040 Angus and Hereford cattle to be shipped on a dozen flights to the central Asian country by Dec. 15.
UPS officials say it's the first time the company had hauled a herd of bovines in the belly of one of its Boeing 747 freighters.
