By Christine Peterson
As published by the Casper Star Tribune:
The Bureau of Land Management is investigating the shooting of five wild horses in south-central Wyoming’s Red Desert, the agency said in a statement last week.
Three horses were found shot in early November and two more in mid-January in a similar location.
“Preliminary findings suggest all five horses were shot,” the statement said.
Wild horses and burros are protected under federal law, and the BLM is responsible for managing the animals on government land. The animals have been the source of controversy in Wyoming, with the BLM finding itself at the center of disputes between the State of Wyoming, the livestock industry and environmentalist groups that support protecting the horses.
The livestock industry and the state government have argued that allowing the horses unfettered access to public lands where sheep graze is unreasonable while wild horse advocates have claimed that federal law mandates such access. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals found last year that the BLM was illegally managing wild horses along the Interstate 80 corridor in southern Wyoming by treating public land as if it were private.
Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to contact BLM officer Thomas Howell at 307-332-8469.