EMERY, Utah — Officials will be monitoring a Utah herd management area after two wild horses were forced to be euthanized after getting stuck in a dry pond while looking for water.
The Utah Bureau of Land Management said it is now "closely monitoring" the Muddy Creek Wild Horse Herd Management Area just outside Emery due to drying ponds and lack of water.
Video below shows horses stuck in Muddy Creek area
(Warning: the images may be disturbing to some):
Wild horses use the ponds at McKay Flat in the area for drinking water. While the ponds are usually replenished by rain, the lack of significant precipitation this summer has dried them out.
On Tuesday, a mare became stuck in a drying pond that BLM said had "essentially turned into a mud hole." The horse was humanely euthanized by staff members.
A nearby foal was also rescued from the same pond and given water, before being transported to an off-range wild horse facility. However, after being cared for overnight by staff and a veterinarian, the foal was also put down due to dehydration and not properly recovering from the incident at the pond.
“We have to make a judgment call, and we allow that animal to suffer or do we go ahead and allow it to expire and do that in an expedient manner. and that's what had to occur in this case,” explained Gus Warr, BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program Manager.
Photos shot by Jennifer Howe and posted to social media showed the struggle the horses faced.
“I was witnessing a tragedy unfold right before my eyes and desperately sought help,” said Howe.
The Wild Beauty Foundation, an organization that works to protect wild horses and other wildlife, shared concerns over BLM efforts to provide water to the animals during extremely dry seasons.
"The Bureau possesses both the capabilities and the manpower to deliver water immediately to wild horses in emergencies, especially during severe droughts or when natural water sources dry up," said the group's founder, Ashley Avis.
Many wonder why BLM does not simply plan to bring water to where its needed, instead of waiting until horses begin to suffer.
“The ponds that are up on the upper reaches tend to. on an annual basis, dry up. And when those dry up, those animals will, a lot of times, they'll stand around 'til the last minute, and then they'll leave and go to other water sources,” said Warr.
Warr added that the last thing the agency wants to do is disrupt natural migration patterns.
"We feel that if we started hauling water like on the Muddy Creek, then those animals may never go to some of those other more remote water sources, which actually has better forage," he said. "And we'd like to keep that natural migration, natural habitat instinct in the animals, instead of creating more or less a zoo.”
On Wednesday, BLM officials said, if necessary, they will truck in water where it is needed for the horses and other wildlife to survive.
"We remain committed to the health and safety of the wild horse population and other wildlife in the Muddy Creek HMA," the agency wrote on social media. "Our efforts are focused on monitoring and providing necessary aid to ensure their well-being."
Although no horses had been sighted at the original pond location and surrounding area as of Wednesday, BLM will be on site to make sure no additional horses become trapped.
