LEE VINING, Calif.–The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has completed the final phase of an emergency operation to rescue wild horses trapped in deep snow in California’s Inyo National Forest. On the morning of January 21, the 20 surviving animals were transported to a rehabilitation facility in the Modoc National Forest.

Severe winter conditions left the horses with no access to food or water after they became stranded outside their normal range. Many of the animals were visibly emaciated and in poor body condition and would not have survived without intervention.

Emergency rescue

Over the weekend, Forest Service crews rescued 24 horses from snow-bound terrain using bait and water traps and transported them to a temporary holding facility in Bishop, California, for stabilization. One horse later died due to extreme emaciation. Three horses were humanely euthanized because of critically poor body condition. An additional six horses were found dead in the field as a result of starvation and prolonged exposure.

Forest Service staff provided emergency care to stabilize the surviving horses before transporting them to a better-equipped facility in the Modoc National Forest. There they will receive continued care and rehabilitation. Recovery is expected to take up to 10 months.

The horses are associated with the Montgomery Pass herd. They had moved well outside their typical range prior to becoming stranded by heavy snowfall.

To support rescue operations, the Forest Service implemented a temporary closure in the Bald Mountain area. That closure will be lifted Thursday, January 22.

This will be the final update on the emergency wild horse welfare operation.

About the Forest Service

Established in 1905, the Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is the nation’s foremost federal forestry organization and a world leader in forest research. The agency provides leadership in the sustainable management, conservation, use and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on national forests and grasslands in the United States.

Dedicated Forest Service employees manage the National Forest System. This consists of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres in 43 states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The agency’s renowned fire management organization provides critical expertise in making communities and infrastructure safer. Moreover, the agency helps communities; state, local and tribal governments. It also helps forest industries and private forest landowners improve conditions in both urban and rural areas. In total, the Forest Service helps to steward about 900 million forested acres in the U.S.. This includes 130 million acres in urban areas, which most Americans now call home.

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