LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A herd of eight horses moved from Mt. Charleston to a federal facility are being well-cared for, according to a rescue group that was allowed to visit them.
According to neighbors on the Mountain, there are several horses that remain and are still roaming freely around Lee Canyon.
According to Kim Donahue of rescue “Wild Fire’s Wild and Free Mustangs,” over the weekend, the group was allowed to see the captive herd at a holding facility in Utah.
“They have constant care and we are able to be with them. They have large paddocks to hang out in if they choose, with plenty of food and water as well as ample room to run out in beautiful fields,” Donahue tells FOX5.
The group formally applied to adopt the herd through the U.S. Forest Service.
Last Tuesday, Donahue was allowed to meet with eight horses at the Mt. Charleston Visitors Center after they were lured with food into a pen.
The U.S. Forest Service provided FOX5 a statement on the effort:
Horse relocations have sparked controversy, nationwide; some wild horses have been severely injured during roundups.
Donahue tells FOX5, she was relieved when the horses were willing to enter trailers for transport to a facility in Utah. Donahue shared video of the transport effort.
Donahue and her team will be visiting the facility every few days.
“Our goal is to always keep them wild, and rewilding them is something that we will be doing on larger acreage. That’s why we’re keeping the whole herd together and we wanted the whole herd,” Donahue said.
Staff will be “genting” the horses and not fully training them; some positive reinforcement is needed to ensure the horses do not charge at people for food, Donahue said.
Over the weekend, neighbors held a small protest with signs for a message for the U.S. Forest Service: leave the remaining horses on Mt. Charleston. Residents who gathered 25,000 signatures on a petition will continue protests, neighbors said.
“It is unclear why, after so many years, the U.S.F.S. is planning to force these animals out of the only home they have ever known,” the petition organizer wrote during an update, last week.
FOX5 has asked the Forest Service about the plans for the remaining horses, and when the captive herd’s adoption will be finalized.
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