They've been called "living symbols of the American West," but some worry Arizona's wild horses are now in danger of being rounded up and sent to slaughter plants in Mexico.
The horses are caught in a legal tug-of-war between an environmental group that wants to get rid of them, rescue groups that want to save them, and some U.S. Forest Service officials unwilling to entertain proposals to manage them on America's public lands.
The latest battle is in Alpine in far northwestern Arizona.
The Forest Service there considers the horses "unauthorized livestock" and is having them rounded up and put up for auction.
Rescue groups say those auctions attract few buyers — sometimes only representatives of the rescue groups themselves and so-called "slaughter buyers" who want to purchase the animals with the intent to send them to slaughter plants in Mexico.
The last U.S. horse slaughter plants closed in 2007 after years of criticism. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the USDA documented more than 92% of horses sent to slaughter are in good condition and would be able to live productive lives.
The Alpine Wild Horse Advocates found homes for 173 wild horses in 2022. So far this year, they have purchased more than 70, but group founder Simone Netherlands says they are now maxed out and need more time to find permanent homes for the horses.
The 70 already purchased will be moved to a private sanctuary in Colorado, but that takes time.
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest officials plan to hold the next horse auction this weekend.
Netherlands is frustrated they won't pause the auctions until the rescues can catch up.
"What we want is for the Forest Service to postpone this weekend's auction so that we can actually also rescue those horses, but they need to give us some time to place these horses in good homes," says Netherlands.
She hopes horse lovers will take action and reach out to their members of Congress, expressing their support for the wild horses. She worries action from lawmakers in Washington DC may be the only thing that can ultimately save the herds from being wiped out on public lands.
