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.
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