Town Hall Meeting Addresses Plight of Salt River Wild Horses

KPHO Phoenix, AZ

By Erika Flores of KPHO.com

“many folks are still concerned about the Salt River horses…”

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MESA, AZ (KPHO/KTVK) – The U.S. Forest Service originally wanted to round up and remove the wild horses roaming in the Tonto National Forest. But that plan has been put on hold for now.

However, the horses’ fate is still very much up in the air.

More than 100 people gathered for a town hall meeting in Mesa Sunday to voice their concerns and offer solutions.

Residents said the horses are crucial to this state because they are part of Arizona’s identity.

The goal was to discuss what’s next, after controversial plans to round up the wild horses were put on pause.

The U.S. Forest Service originally wanted to remove the horses from national forest land due to safety concerns.

Lawmakers got involved, a lawsuit was filed, and then the Forest Service backed down.

But many folks are still concerned about the Salt River horses.

“I don’t want the next generation to wake up one morning, and say, ‘Oh my gosh. They’re removing our horses in six days.’ We have to protect them now. Declare them wild and create a sanctuary for them,” said Laurie Walker, who was at the meeting.

“People aren’t trained to interact with wildlife. We need to train people,” said Sheryl Styles, who wants a permanent solution for the horses. “It’s learning and teaching people how to interact with wildlife not removing our wildlife from our beautiful areas.”

The lawsuit is moving forward and the group behind it hopes it will help prevent the feds from ever removing the horses.

Salt River Horse Roundup to take place in Tonto National Forest

Fox 10 Phoenix 

Posted: Aug 03, 2015 9:08 PMUpdated: Aug 03, 2015 10:10 PM
By Kristy Siefkin, FOX 10 News

  MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. -

It has ignited a lot of passion on social media; people concerned about a plan by the Federal Government to round up and remove horses from the Tonto National Forest.

Some people say the horses will be killed after being removed from the area, so FOX 10 is trying to find answers.

Just inside the Tonto National Forest dozens of Salt River Horses roam freely.

Many horse lovers fear the future of these herds after a recent notice was published by the Forest Service calling for the horses removal.

"These horses mean so much to not just us, but our entire American public, they are probably the most popular wild horses in America," said Simone Netherlands.

Simone Netherlands is the President of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, a non-profit group that monitors the animals. She says that a mass-horse roundup could by deadly.

"It's not hard to understand when you chase a one-day old baby with a helicopter that it's going to break its legs," said Netherlands.

Simone's group has proposed a plan they say is more humane to manage the horses on the current land. But the Forest Service says the horses are a safety issue and must be removed.

"We've had several cases where horses have been hit on the highway and causing vehicle accidents, and we have horses coming into the campground into a heavily used high recreation area," said Carrie Templin, a Public Affairs Officer with the Tonto National Forest.

According to the Forest Service Notice, the horses will be removed as early as Friday, owners will have a chance to claim their animals, the remainder will go to auction.

"It's very likely there will be kill buyers at that public auction, there's absolutely no telling how much suffering is in store for these horses," said Netherlands.

   

21 Alleged Stray Horses Killed in Wyoming

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Unedited article from The Casper Star-Tribune

“Have Wyoming’s Welfare Ranchers Raised the Bar on their Wild Horse War?”

THERMOPOLIS — TheU.S. Bureau of Land Management says it’s investigating the killing of 21 stray horses on federal and state land northwest of Thermopolis.

A BLM spokesperson said the horses were found Wednesday. Investigators believe they were killed sometime in the last two weeks.

Wild horses also roam parts of northern Wyoming but BLM spokeswoman Sarah Beckwith said Friday these horses were stray domestic horses.

The horses were abandoned on public land and have been seen running loose for the past few years, Beckwith said.

Beckwith declined to provide additional information including whether the horses may have been shot or poisoned. She said the BLM doesn’t want to compromise the investigation by federal, state and local officials by disclosing too much information.

The BLM is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved.

The Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Department, state officials and a local brand inspector are assisting with the investigation, according to a news release.

In 2010, the Hot Springs County undersheriff shot and killed a horse 100 feet from its owner’s home because he assumed it had been neglected and decided to put it out of its misery.

Chris and Larry Bentley later settled a lawsuit with former undersheriff David Larson, who agreed to pay the cost of the horse along with legal fees.

In a separate suit, a jury awarded the couple $25,000, saying a Sheriff’s Department policy that allowed deputies to kill sickly or dangerous animals was too broad and infringed on the Bentleys’ constitutional rights.

Under Wyoming law, abandoned horses that come under the care of the state can be sold to cover the cost of their care, or euthanized by a veterinarian.

People who abandon horses can be required to pay costs required for the state to round up and care for the animals, and may face fines or jail time.