Officials with Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests have asked the public for help after the bodies of nine horses were discovered on the Black Mesa Ranger District, headquartered in Heber-Overgaard.
Forest officials say the animals “showed evidence of bullet wounds, indicating they were shot.”
“Necropsies were completed and the carcasses were buried," officials say.
Forest officials are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office.
The wild horses near Heber are federally protected from sale or slaughter.
It’s the only wild horse herd in Arizona with a dedicated territory on national forest land.
This is not the first time officials have discovered horses apparently shot to death in the area.
At least 30 horses were found shot to death on the Apache-Sitgreaves in October 2022.
