191 Horses Dead in Middle of Desert, One Tiny Baby Is Lone Survivor
Wild horses have long been heralded the epitome of beauty and grace. There’s something so deeply Wild West about seeing a herd take off across the scrub.
Most people who haven’t been around horses are either in awe of the huge creatures or a little bit frightened, and those who have up close and personal experience know just how powerful they are.
Without any natural predators, feral horses have taken over large parcels of land in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, and have quickly grown beyond the resources available to them.
A terrible drought has afflicted Arizona, and the effects are undeniable. Earlier this week, locals made a grisly discovery at a local watering hole.
A herd of 191 wild horses was found dead at the stock pond on Navajo land in Arizona. In their search for water, they returned to the place they knew used to have water — but every year, it has been more difficult to keep the pond filled.
Barely any water was left at the bottom of the pond, but the mud was deep and the horses got stuck in it. They were too exhausted to fight their way out, and they died there.
“These animals were searching for water to stay alive,” said Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez.
“In the process, they unfortunately burrowed themselves into the mud and couldn’t escape because they were so weak.”
This isn’t the first time this has happened. Dead horses are a common sight as the temperatures rise and water becomes scarce — but this case is astounding because of the sheer number of casualties.
“One of the things we do is we picture the worst-case scenario when we got out there,” Harlan Cleveland, part of the tribe’s Department of Emergency Management, said.
“I did smell the decomposition and the bodies starting to smell, the carcasses. But I didn’t realize until I looked down from the berm and saw all those horses down there.”
Despite all the death around, there was one horse that was still alive. One horse, out of 191 horses, was still fighting to live.
She was only a few weeks old, but the filly — dubbed “Grace” — was taken to a veterinarian to be stabilized. She was dehydrated and her kidneys weren’t functioning well, but she was alive.
Warning, some of the images in the following video may be disturbing to some.
Unfortunately for the horses, the issue is one that doesn’t have a clear solution. Their numbers continue to increase, and with an estimated headcount of 50,000 to 70,000 horses, authorities are at a loss over how to control the population.
There have been several proposed solutions, including humanely euthanizing some of the horses or exporting them to places that eat them, but no attempts have been approved.
Wild horses are occasionally rounded up and sold, but many times they go for very little money and meet unknown fates. Some are adopted, trained, and loved by experienced owners, but not all of them.
“It’s a sensitive subject to begin with because horses are considered sacred animals, so you just can’t go out and euthanize them,” said Erny Zah, a former Navajo spokesman.
“That would go too far against cultural conditions. At the same time, we have a bunch of horses no one is caring for, so it’s a delicate balance.”
As authorities develop new ways to humanely lower the number of wild horses and prevent situations like this one, there is one little, bright, chestnut spot: Grace.
“In the end,” said Cleveland, “that made my day responding to this emergency and this chaotic scene. At least this baby foal made it out.”
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