Over 50 Wild Horses In Colorado Die After Contracting Mystery Illness

CAÑON CITY, CO — Authorities are investigating after a highly contagious infection led to the deaths of dozens of wild horses in southern Colorado.

Since the outbreak began Saturday, 57 wild horses at the wild horse facility in Cañon City have died after becoming infected with a mysterious contagion, the Bureau of Land Management said in a news release. The agency is working with local, state and federal officials to determine exactly how the horses died.

The facility, which is home to more than 2,500 horses, is voluntarily quarantining, officials said. Horses gathered from around West Douglas last fall were the most impacted.

“We are working with local, state and federal officials to determine what is impacting horses in the facility and how we can respond as effectively as possible,” Stephen Leonard, manager of the land management bureau wild horse and burro program, said in a statement.

Laboratory tests are underway to identify the illness. An independent veterinarian and federal veterinarian visited the site to help diagnose and treat animals. Ill horses were quarantined from the population.

The agency manages four wild horse herd management areas on about 400,000 acres of land in Colorado. Cañon City is about 32 miles south of Colorado Springs.