Mysterious disease kills 67 horses in just days at federal facility in Colorado: "What on earth is going on"
An outbreak of an undetermined and highly contagious disease has killed dozens of wild horses at a federal holding facility in southern Colorado.
Bureau of Land Management officials say 67 horses have died since the outbreak began Saturday at the agency's holding pen in Canon City, about 150 miles southwest of Denver.
"We are working with local, state and federal officials to determine what is impacting horses in the facility and how we can respond as effectively as possible," said Stephen Leonard, the manager of the BLM Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The facility, which is under voluntary quarantine, currently holds 2,550 horses. BLM officials say the horses that have been most affected by the disease were gathered from the West Douglas area near the Colorado-Utah border in the fall of last year and there are plans to round up thousands more, CBS Denver reports.
"It's extraordinary damage that's being done to a piece of American heritage here," said Scott Wilson, a board member of the American Wild Horse Campaign and a wildlife photographer.
The BLM said both a federal and independent veterinarian are on the scene trying to diagnose and treat the horses. The round-ups have been the topic of protests in the past. Federal officials argue the land can't sustain the population, but critics say the horses have been forced into inhumane conditions.
"If there weren't roundups, we wouldn't have the consignment and we wouldn't have this contagion so the bigger picture this could have been avoided some sort of investigation is required into what on earth is going on," said Wilson.