Vegas Mustangs Evicted for Their Own Good

In the wilds of Kyle Canyon, where nature used to run its course and horses roamed free without so much as a by-your-leave, trouble has been brewing. It seems folks—ever eager to poke, prod, and provide unsolicited handouts—have done what they do best–made a mess of things.

The seven mustangs of Kyle Canyon, including one young foal fresh to the world, are being given their walking papers, not for any fault of their own, but because folks have been getting too close, and the horses—being horses—have reacted in the way of their kind.

“I didn’t think it was getting that bad. It is getting that bad. It’s just dangerous,” said Kim Donohue, who heads up Wild Fire’s Wild and Free Mustangs in Boulder City.

She’s the one the U.S. Forest Service has tapped to take in the evicted herd, seeing as how the animals aren’t trusted to hold their tempers, nor humans to keep their distance. The problem, as it so often is, comes down to food.

Folks keep feeding these wild creatures like they are petting zoo attractions, luring them ever closer to roads, cars, and other hazards. The horses have learned that human hands hold treats, and in their eagerness for another morsel, they have started sticking their heads into moving vehicles.

“The horses are running into traffic. People going 80 miles an hour in a 35, and horses were running out to traffic so they can stick their heads into the car and beg,” Donohue said.

If that doesn’t paint a picture of future calamity, consider last year’s incident where a young girl took a hoof to the head. Earlier this month, a boy met with the same sort of misfortune.

To spare both man and beast from further folly, the Forest Service has decided the herd must go. They will be rounded up within two months and transported to Donohue’s rescue. The only delay is the foal, who needs a little more time before making the journey.

For those lamenting the loss of their free-range Mustang neighbors, let this be a lesson–nature is not a petting zoo, and a free horse fed is a free horse lost.