According to reports, around starving 50 horses in the Wheeler County area in Oregon appear to be roaming across several thousand acres in a half-dozen small bands in search for feed.
Dire conditions for Oregon horses
The situation with starving owner-less horses has turned into a crisis now as a summer drought killed grass and a harsh winter has driven the horses into canyon bottoms near homes.
These aren't federally managed mustangs. Instead, this herd probably got its start on a nearby ranch, said Chris Perry, chairman of the Wheeler County commissioners. Ranchers began turning horses loose in the county as early as the 1920s during the transition to motorized tractors, he said.
Over the years, the feral herd has multiplied and continued to roam the county's rugged rimrock country, where roundups are rare and difficult, he said. The situation has turned into a crisis now as a summer drought killed grass and a harsh winter has driven the horses into canyon bottoms near homes.
Talks are underway with officials in Deschutes and Crook counties, who have had their own problems with feral horses in the past, to determine what to do with the herd once it's corralled, Perry said. Wheeler County officials intend to check the horses for brands, tattoos or implanted chips to track down owners if possible, he said.
The county probably will try to find people who want to adopt the horses, he said. "I think everybody agrees they need to be humanely dealt with."
The horses have been causing some problems along Alder Creek where the herd's stallions began tearing through landowners' fences, sometimes injuring domestic mares when they tried to breed with them and even chasing after a hiker in the area, Perry said.