06/11/09

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ D.A. Osguthorpe, a Utah veterinarian and
rancher who rose to notoriety after blaming the U.S. government for
the deaths of sheep from exposure to nerve gas during the 1960s,
has died at 88.

Osguthorpe died Monday at his home in Holladay.

A Blackfoot, Idaho, native, Osguthorpe, who went by 'Doc',
opened his Utah veterinary practice in 1943.

In the late 1960s, Osguthorpe's tests on dead sheep led to an
admission by the U.S. Army that it had conducted nerve gas tests
from an airplane in Utah's west desert. He testified before
Congress and the government later paid damages to the ranchers who
had lost their sheep.

Osguthorpe was also widely recognized for his conservation work.

Osguthorpe is survived by his wife, June Okland Cockrell, and
seven children and stepchildren.

Funeral services are planned for Friday.
___

Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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