Staff Writer | Mayor of Scottsdale
Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky is exploring a proposal to relocate 50 to 60 Salt River wild horses from the Tonto National Forest to a newly proposed sanctuary in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
The initiative responds to public concern over the Arizona Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service’s evident intention to reduce the wild horse population, which currently stands at approximately 282, to potentially as low as 100.
“First and foremost, we can act with humanity and save these beautiful horses while helping meet government-mandated directives,” Mayor Borowsky said. “This aligns with Scottsdale’s identity as ‘The West’s Most Western Town’ and could also serve as a unique visual for promoting our city globally.”
The nonprofit Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) has humanely managed the horses without any removals under a contract with the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, according to the Salt River Horse Act passed in 2016. SRWHMG’s contract has expired, and the government seems determined that the new contractor be prepared to fulfill the government’s intention to aggressively reduce the herd.
In the past in other locales, the Forest Service has conducted reductions with distressing results.
One example: In the Apache National Forest in Northern Arizona, home of the Alpine wild horse for centuries, the Forest Service hired a contractor to round up some 650 horses and send them to auctions, where “kill buyers” purchase animals to turn into food for dogs in the US, for human consumption in Mexico.
Fortunately, the intervention of SRWHMG raising funds to participate in these auctions held across the west, which allowed them to outbid the kill buyers, saved hundreds of horses from a tragic outcome. Still, a couple hundred horses previously auctioned remain unaccounted for and are feared to have suffered the same treatment.
A preliminary report from an ad hoc citizen committee dedicated to finding solutions for the soon to be removed wild horses outlines potential benefits and the feasibility of creating a sanctuary.
Mayor Borowsky is committed to a thorough evaluation of the report, including public input, before presenting any formal proposal to the City Council, emphasizing the importance of addressing ecological, financial, and logistical considerations before moving forward.
The mayor and the committee have already presented the report to the city manager for his review, in the recognition that it will be his responsibility to submit the report to the City Council for its approval.
“The McDowell Sonoran Preserve spans more than twice the size of Manhattan and is lightly trafficked in many areas,” Mayor Borowsky points out. “The key question is whether adding wild horses will enhance or harm the land. That answer will guide our decision.”
Furthermore, noted Mayor Borowsky, whatever the city decides, Scottsdale is incapable of taking all the horses the government intends to remove from the Tonto National Forest, so more homes will have to be found. Thus, Mayor Borowsky intends to pursue additional solutions, including working with other jurisdictions, including the Governor’s Office, nonprofits and individuals dedicated to this humane cause to work together to find sanctuaries for all.
“Arizona is a big state with a lot of land,” Mayor Borowsky said. “With the right intentions, I am confident we can arrive at the absolute best solution.”
