The U.S. Forest Service is investigating the killings of nine wild horses found fatally shot in an Arizona national forest.
The horses found in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest “showed evidence of bullet wounds, indicating they were shot,” the agency said in a news release issued Thursday, January 29.
The animals’ bodies were located in the Black Mesa Ranger District within the park, which is located in east-central Arizona and spans more than 2 million acres.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for any tips that will lead to the arrest and conviction of a suspect involved in the killings, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
It is unclear when the animals were shot and what led to the killings, as the agency did not specify a potential motive.
“Necropsies were completed and the carcasses were buried,” the U.S. Forest Service said.
This is not the first time horses have been killed in the forest, according to the agency, The Arizona Republic reported.
Over a span of eight months in 2019, 11 wild horses were fatally shot in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, according to the newspaper.
The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, a non-profit organization based in Fort McDowell, Arizona, is calling for an independent investigation into the recent shootings as federal authorities work with local law enforcement to investigate.
“For years, wild horses in this region have been found shot, with incidents occurring with concerning regularity,” the group said in a January 30 news release. “Despite multiple Forest Service and Navajo County Investigations, these cases have not resulted in public accountability, information or arrests.”
The non-profit wants independent necropsies of the deceased horses, with the results made public.
According to the organization “past investigative efforts have relied primarily on limited field necropsies performed on only a few of the horses, after which all shot horses were buried the very next day, as appears to be the case in these January 29th shootings as well.”
“SRWHMG believes this approach has significantly limited the ability to determine cause, patterns, and responsibility.”
In 2023, the wild horse population in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest was reported to be quickly increasing, according to the White Mountain Independent. There were about 600 horses in the herd.
At the time, forest officials rounded up and relocated 215 horses in connection with the herd’s reported impact on threatened local species, the news outlet reported.
Wild horses are protected under federal law, specifically the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which makes it illegal to hurt or kill them.
“Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene,” the law states.
It is a crime to capture, brand, harass and kill free-roaming horses, according to the statute.
The U.S. Forest Service asks anyone with information related to the recent killings to call the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office tipline at (928) 524-9908.
