15 horses shot dead in ‘hateful massacre’. Others in ‘cherished herd’ are wounded
More than a dozen wild horses were found shot to death in an Arizona national forest, investigating authorities say.
They belonged to a historically significant, “cherished” herd in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest near the town of Alpine, according to an advocacy group that stumbled upon the bloody scene during a routine check on Oct. 6.
Since the initial discovery last week, the group told the Arizona Republic that 15 horses are confirmed dead, and another 20 or so are missing from the herd.
At least four survived their gunshot wounds and are “suffering in the Apache Forest,” according to an American Wild Horse Campaign news release.
The nonprofit group, along with the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group in Arizona, pledged $25,000 to find and prosecute those responsible for the killings, the Arizona Republic reported.
The slayings intensified calls for more comprehensive federal and state protections for the nation’s wild equine herds.
“This hateful massacre is incomprehensible and the killer or killers must be brought to full justice,” Simone Netherlands said in the news release. She is president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, which the group says has been “spearheading efforts to protect the Alpine herd.”
“The Alpine wild horses which live along the historic Coronado Trail are cherished by Arizonans and the American public,” she said in the release. “This historic herd is in desperate need of stronger protections from harm and further attacks.”
The wild horse nonprofits are pushing for “a bill that will include this herd under the protection of the state of Arizona,” much like the Salt River wild horses.
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest’s management plan suggests reducing the herd’s size from around 420 to fewer than 104, the Arizona Republic reported.
The 1971 Wild Horses and Burros Act ensures “wild free-roaming horses and burros” will be protected from “capture, branding, harassment or death” and declared them “an integral part of the natural system of the public lands,” but the Alpine herd is not protected under the act, the Arizona Republic reported.
The group is also asking for “an increased law enforcement presence” in the area of the Apache Forest “to prevent any additional deaths,” the release said.
In January, three wild horses were killed on the Black Mesa Ranger District in eastern Arizona, the Arizona Republic reported. The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests announced a $10,000 reward for information about the deaths.
And in 2020, 15 horses were found shot to death there in the second week of January, the outlet reported.
The American Wild Horse Campaign shared graphic photos that showed dead horses with gunshot wounds to their lungs, bellies, and faces. The group said they also witnessed orphaned year-old horses “clinging together alone without their families,” the news release said.
“This tragedy highlights the need for adequate and increased protections for this historic wild horse herd,” American Wild Horse Campaign executive director Suzanne Roy said.
Alpine is about 250 miles northeast of Phoenix, near the New Mexico border.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 3:11 PM with the headline "15 horses shot dead in ‘hateful massacre’. Others in ‘cherished herd’ are wounded."
