Horses Shot, Info Sought

The Tucson-based Animal Defense Council (ADC) announced a reward of $11,000 dollars for information leading to the arrest & conviction of any person(s) responsible for the recent shooting deaths of at least 7 wild horses in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, near Pinedale, Arizona. A representative of these groups has contacted the Az. Dept. of Agriculture & is working cooperatively with that agency to solve this horrible crime.

The dead unbranded and free-roaming horses may be protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horse & Burro Act (WFHBA).

Bodies of 6 of the horses were discovered last week; all had been shot. A 7th horse was observed limping with a wound in his side & may have also been a victim of the same shootings. In Aug., a young wild chestnut stallion also was found dead in the Pinedale area, having been shot in the head. In total, in the past 5 months, at least 7 horses have been found dead in the area. All evidence indicates that they were killed deliberately.

Killing these horses may be a violation of the WFHBA, in which case each violation is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 & one year in prison. Shooting a horse & causing that horse to suffer also is a criminal act under the Arizona Cruelty to Animals law. Persons convicted of animal cruelty can be sentenced to jail time.

To qualify for the reward, anyone with information about the person(s) responsible for this crime should call attorney Anthony Merrill 1-602-364-7174 or can submit information via e-mail at reportabuse@awionline.org.