Hundreds of starving wild horses rescued in Eastern Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have completed the rescue of hundreds of wild horses facing starvation in the Murderers Creek area of Eastern Oregon.
A plan was developed to rescue the horses in November of 2024, after the Rail Ridge Fire wiped out 175,000 acres of habitat, which feeds as many as 650 horses in the area.
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Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley told KOIN 6 News that natural horse feed remains 'very limited' in the area.
'People are calling in about injured, sick, and dying horses quite a bit now that they're able to get in the area, but the horse herd looks very rough,' McKinley told Elkhorn Media. '… They're starving. I'm sure they're going to find a lot of carcasses out there. You can definitely report those if you see them. We'll let the Bureau of Land Management know.'
USFS spokesperson for the Malheur National Forest Amy Franklin told KOIN that the horses that were removed from the Murderers Creek were in 'poor condition' when captured — scoring an average of 2.5 on the Henneke equine body condition scoring system.
'These conditions are exacerbated by the reduced forage available due to wildfire within their winter range,' Franklin said. 'Of the 410 wild horses gathered, there were five deaths related to gather operations, and three additional animals were euthanized as an act of mercy for pre-existing or chronic conditions not directly related to gather operations, as is required by BLM and FS policy.'
The agencies announced the completion of the emergency wild horse gather on March 12. Forest Supervisor for the Malheur National Forest Ann Niesen said that the gather was 'essential to the survival of the wild horse herd and the critical habitat impacted by the Rail Ridge Fire.'
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The organizations trapped 410 horses during the three-month operation. Officials used bait and water methods to trap the animals. The gathered horses were taken to holding stables in Hines, Ore. and Alturas Calif., where they are receiving veterinary care.
'They receive daily high-quality feed, constant access to water, ample space, and veterinary care as needed,' the agencies said.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have not determined what they will do with the captured horses in the future.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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