The Tonto National Forest has placed a Friday deadline on letting people claim any stray horses from the wild herd.
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People have until Friday to claim what the forest rangers say are unauthorized livestock before the year-long removal process begins.
“These horses have come off of other people’s property over the years”, said Carrie Templin, a spokeswoman for the Tonto National Forest.
Up to 100 horses could eventually be removed from the forest, according to KPNX.
The Forest Service plans to capture, auction off and dispose of wild horses along the Salt River in Arizona.
“They’re going to kill them, that’s what disposed of means”, said Salt River Wild Horses Management Group president Simone Netherlands.
The famous Salt River herd of wild horses could soon be no more if the government gets its way, and horse conservationists are furious. The remaining horses will be sent to auction, and those unable to be auctioned off will be “sold at private sale or condemned and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of”, according to the notice.
The representative told 12 News the agency isn’t authorized to manage the horses and removing them is for public safety. It claims the horses have caused auto accidents and are getting into highly populated recreation areas like Saguaro Lake. The group monitors and studies the animals.
“There is no reason why the Forest Service should want to rob Arizona of this historically, economically and ecologically significant herd”, she said in a statement.
“We’re very upset that the Forest Service has chosen not to work with us”, Netherlands said.
Netherlands says they have been in extensive discussions with the Forest Service, and have submitted a 50-page proposal that she says outlines ways the horses can be managed humanely – including by using methods of birth control and keeping horses that need to be removed in a sanctuary.
“That’s absolutely not true”, Netherlands said.
That’s a nice way of saying they will be slaughtered. “We are trying to return them to their rightful owners”.
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The non-profit says it is still seeking a negotiated solution, but is also planning large protests to stop the move this Friday. Is also has created a Change.org petition that had garnered almost 10,000 signatures by late Monday night.
