A $7,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the shooting death of a wild foal from the Montgomery Pass wild horse herd.
On Friday, June 6, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a report of a dead foal located on BLM-managed land in the northern part of the Bishop Field Office, east of Mono Lake.
A necropsy confirmed the foal died from a gunshot wound.
The Bureau of Land Management has offered a $2,000 reward, and the American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) has added $5,000, bringing the total reward to $7,000.
The foal was part of the Montgomery Pass wild horse population, which is primarily managed by the Inyo National Forest.
“This act of cruelty is both heartbreaking and unacceptable,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of AWHC. “These wild horses are federally protected and deserve to live free from violence. We hope this reward encourages anyone with information to come forward so justice can be served.”
“It's with great sadness to hear of our wild horses being murdered, we pray that wild horses get justice,” said the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe.
The shooting comes ahead of a planned roundup of wild horses in the Montgomery Pass area.
The current BLM plan authorizes the capture and removal of approximately 300 to 500 horses.
AWHC and several tribal nations are calling for a two-year delay to allow time for increased tribal coordination in managing the herd.
The BLM is leading the investigation into the shooting, with assistance from the Mono County and Inyo County Sheriff’s Offices, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Bishop Veterinary Hospital.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the 24-hour WeTip anonymous crime reporting hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (1-800-782-7463) or visit www.WeTip.com.
