The bodies were discovered on Bureau of Land Management grazing lease allotment. The shootings have been ongoing, using high-powered rifles.

BLUFF, UTAH, USA, October 19, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The bodies of 16 wild horses have been found shot to death on land belonging to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southern Utah, along Route 162 between Bluff and Montezuma Creek. The first body was discovered on January 3, 2022, by local resident Wayne Yanito. “I was on my way to work when I noticed the first horse. I went to take a closer look and observed obvious gunshot wounds. As I drove to higher ground, I saw the bodies of more horses who were shot to death, including foals,” said Mr. Yanito. He reported the incident to San Juan County officials, but the shootings have continued.

According to Lynda Logan of Advocates for Wild Equines, a national wild horse advocacy group, “We demand a thorough investigation by the BLM and San Juan County officials to determine who is shooting these beautiful wild horses. This is a very serious case of animal cruelty, and the perpetrators must be stopped and brought to justice before more horses are brutally killed. These shootings are very similar to the recent killing of at least 25 wild horses on U.S. Forest Service Land in Alpine, Arizona as well as the shootings of wild horses in Heber, Arizona and Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and California. It is NOT open season on wild horses, and we are outraged that the perpetrators in these separate cases are still at large.”

Although there are no herd management areas in this part of Utah, it is possible that the wild horses crossed the San Juan River onto BLM’s grazing lease allotments from the Navajo reservation or migrated there from the canyons and forests to the west, where wild horses have been spotted. Although the unbranded wild horses were found on several BLM grazing allotments used by ranchers, all of the 16 bodies were discovered on one allotment, along with shell casings from a high-powered rifle. “Most of the bodies were close to the road, and these horses could have easily been shot from a vehicle. We counted 16 bodies, including mares with foals, but had to go home when the sun went down. There could be more, and we will continue to comb the area. There is no reason for these senseless killings, no love for horses, and we hope the shooter will be identified and brought to justice,” said Curtis Yanito, who assisted his brother Wayne in locating additional bodies this past weekend.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Lynda Logan of Advocates for Wild Equines at (480) 888-5019 or email coreteam@advocatesforwildequines.com. You may remain anonymous.

Lynda Logan
Advocates for Wild Equines
+1 480-888-5019
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook

16 Horses Shot to Death in Utah

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.