About 191 feral horses are found dead in a stock pond in Gray Mountain on Navajo's parched land in Arizona due to drought and famine.
The horses were buried from thigh to neck deep in the mud, describes Nina Chester, an executive staff working at Navajo's office of the president and vice president.
Jonathan Nez, Navajo Nation's vice president, said the animals were searching for water while they fight for their lives. They dug the mud for water, hoping to survive but because the animals were already feeble, they have instead died while digging.
Overpopulation Of Feral Horses
There were no signs that the horses were shot or killed intentionally. The tragedy, instead, highlights the problem about the Navajo Nation being overpopulated with feral horses, according to President Russel Begaye. Currently, there is an estimated amount of 50,000 to 70,000 feral horses roaming the Navajo Nation.
Gray Mountain, for one, has been facing problems about the excessive number of wild horses in the past recent years. In fact, horses dying in herds is no longer a unique problem in the place but has already become a seasonal issue.
Begaye highlighted that the local governments of the Najavo Nation and members of the Bureau of Indian Affairs need to work together to seek help regarding the overpopulation of the wild horses.
Decomposing The Feral Horses
The most humane and immediate option would be a mass burial of the dead horses on site, although, moving the bodies to other burial site was initially considered. To hasten the decomposition process, the animals would be poured with hydrated lime before being buried.
The Navajo Water Management Branch and the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency assured that the plan for mass burial would not pose a health risk to the groundwater in the region.
Jason John, manager of the NNDWR, guaranteed that there would be no water contamination to water systems or livestock as the potable water resources in the land southwest of the Little Colorado River is hundreds of feet deep.
"Care should be taken on the disposal of the horses to ensure there is no interaction with surface flows from storm runoff," John explained.
After the mass burial, authorities are now considering to fully closing off the watering pond on Gray Mountain and built a new site in another location.
Dilemma On Feral Horses
The death of the herd of feral horses did not only highlight overpopulation problem but also cast the spotlight on the opposing interests of politics and cultural values.
On one hand, the numbers of the free-roaming herds in the Navajo Nation have gone beyond the volume the land can sustain. Keeping them has already become expensive for the government. As estimated, the damage caused by the animals to the local government has reached more than $200,000 a year.
On the other hand, people of the Navajo tribe hold horses in the highest regard. The animals symbolize the American West and they are deeply ingrained in their cultural heritage.
