According to a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) news release updated April 26, scores of wild mustangs have rapidly perished due to a mystery illness. The BLM states, “The Cañon City Wild Horse and Burro Facility has been placed under quarantine and laboratory tests are being completed to identify the fatal illness that has killed 67 horses since the outbreak began on April 23. An independent veterinarian and a federal veterinarian are on-site to help diagnose and treat animals.”
There are currently 2,550 horses at Canon City. Approximately 450 of those horses were captured during the summer of 2021 from the West Douglas range, which are said to be most vulnerable to the current disease outbreak. BLM traps the animals from public lands to control overpopulation, as stated in the agency’s mission.
The controversial facility came under scrutiny last year as animal advocates alleged poor conditions and mistreatment. Located at the Colorado Department of Corrections in Cañon City, wild mustangs captured by the BLM are cared for by prison inmates through the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP). The Bureau of Land Management is a federal agency within the Department of the Interior.
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