A federal wild horse roundup in Utah’s West Desert is drawing fire after four injured horses were put down, and photos surfaced showing helicopter wranglers swooping down close to the galloping animals and allegedly running them into barbed wire fences.
Photos shot Monday by an observer affiliated with the American Wild Horse Campaign depict one horse tumbling hard, hooves in the air, after striking a fence as a chopper hazed a band toward a trap according to the photographer, Steve Paige.
“We call on the [Bureau of Land Management] to suspend the roundup underway currently in Utah by grounding the helicopters while an investigation is undertaken of the animal welfare violations documented by our observer,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign.