Wild horses shot to death in Arizona forest, officials say. Search is on for shooter

Wild horses were found shot to death in an Arizona national forest, officials said. Now the search is on for the shooter.

Three wild horses were recently found dead in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, the U.S. Forest Service said.

“All three horses had evidence of bullet wounds which indicate they died because of being shot with a firearm,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a post on Tuesday, Jan. 4. “Necropsies were completed on all three and the carcasses were buried.”

Forest rangers are now seeking information that could lead to the arrest of the shooter. A $10,000 reward is offered.

“The Forest Service takes this matter seriously and asks any parties that may have information to reach out to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office dispatch at 928-524-4050,” forest rangers said.

Killing a wild horse on public lands is illegal. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 was established to protect free-roaming horses from being killed or captured on public lands.

People who kill wild horses could be fined up to $2,000 and face a year in prison.

More than 30 wild horses have been killed in the national forest since October 2018, according to AZ Family.

Kathie Reidhead, a wild horse advocate, told AZ Family the killings happen between October through April.

“It’s always happening at this time of the year when the forest is pretty empty, especially with the cold weather and snow on the ground,” she said, according to the outlet. “There’s not a lot of visitors in the forest. I think it’s someone local who knows those forest service roads very very well.”

The national forest is home to a wild horse territory where horses are protected and “considered wild and free roaming on public lands,” according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The wild horse territory was established after 1974 when seven unclaimed horses were found on forest land. The most recent census flight in 2017 estimated the horse population grew to between 270 and 420 horses.

This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Wild horses shot to death in Arizona forest, officials say. Search is on for shooter."