SALT LAKE CITY — The Bureau of Land Management, American Wild Horse Campaign, Onaqui Catalogue, the National Mustang Association and Red Birds Trust are offering a $22,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the killing of two wild horse stallions shot on the Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area, located 60 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the BLM Utah Law Enforcement Tipline at 800-722-3998. Those with tips can choose to remain anonymous. 

BLM officials responded to a call from a member of the public who discovered two wild horse stallions that had been shot near the Simpson Springs Mountain Road. The horses were found on the afternoon of March 19, 2023, and based on the investigation, the incident occurred two to three days earlier. 

“Harassing, capturing or killing wild horses is illegal and punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a fine,” said BLM West Desert District Manager Mike Gates. “The BLM takes our responsibility seriously to protect these animals and is committed to holding accountable whomever is responsible for this unconscionable act.” 

In 1971, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to protect, manage, and control wild horses and burros on the public lands. The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act states that, “wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death and that they are an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.” 

BLM Utah manages 19 wild horse and burro herd management areas on nearly 2.5 million acres. To learn more, visit the wild horse and burro herd management areas webpage. The public is always welcome to view the wild horses that roam freely in herd management areas on public lands, but from a distance.