LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A wild horse from Mount Charleston was killed by federal officials this week. The horse was loved within the community and residents are demanding to know why the Bureau of Land Management did not take less aggressive means.
“Why did this happen? Where did this happen? How was it that this came to be?” Ariean Sorenson told 8 News Now in an interview on Wednesday.
Sorenson was in shock over Fletcher’s death and as a long-time valley resident, Sorenson loves horses and hoped to one day adopt Fletcher.
“I never saw him in my interactions with being aggressive,” Sorenson said.
A spokesperson with the Bureau of Land Management said the agency acted within protocol when it euthanized the stallion. Nonetheless, doing so was its last resort.
Fletcher was killed on Sunday after he entered private property. The owners of that property called the BLM. Agency officials intended to place Fletcher in a trailer and take the horse to California, where he would be adopted.
However, according to BLM, Fletcher began acting aggressively and they deemed him a huge threat to humans and private property.
During the interview with 8 News Now, Sorenson received a call from BLM. “I do have a lot of questions,” Sorenson said over the phone.
The agency went over what happened with Sorenson.
“We just need the truth and the facts,” Sorenson told us. “We need to change the law to start protecting these animals because this is their land, and it’s not fair for us to come in.”
According to BLM, it had received complaints about Fletcher starting in July of 2022.
Cheryl Abbate lives in Mount Charleston and specializes in animal ethics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She said she is also upset about Fletcher’s death.
“What happened is sort of a symptom of just the problematic way that we view animals in our society. We view them as disposable,” Abbate said.
The wild horses in Mount Charleston are protected under federal law. According to BLM, the public helps contribute to the problem of aggressive horses by feeding them.
