Reward for Finding Salt River Wild Horse Killer Soars to $25,000

The reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot and killed a baby Salt River wild horse and wounded two other young horses has soared to $25,000, thanks to a matching offer from ARM Investigations of Florida.

Immediately after the shooting, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) and the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. The Humane Society of the United States and Schill Law Firm quickly added to the reward. Additionally, the public has contributed to the reward and rescue fund via a GoFundMe account. As of November 7th, the total reward fund had reached $12,500. Any member of the public wanting to contribute to the reward can visit this link: http://wildhor.se/2epCqhn.

However, to date, no tips leading to the suspect’s apprehension have been received. This week, ARM Investigations, closely tied to the fight to protect the Salt River Wild Horses as a coalition partner of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, decided to match the existing reward fund.

ARM is in the business of fighting extreme animal cruelty and was created to investigate, expose, and derail some of the most untouchable animal cruelty in America today. ARM’s investigations have brought hundreds of illegal animal slaughter operations to their knees. The organization also focuses on conservation programs, including the protection and preservation of wild horses and burros.

Richard ‘Kudo’ Couto, ARM Founder and President, stated, “In our experience, in cases that have become stagnant, we found that offering an extremely large reward often succeeded in bringing a crucial tip forward. These kinds of despicable acts upon animals, in this case, the innocent and cherished Salt River wild horses, are unacceptable. Taking a stance is a moral and societal obligation to do the right thing; in addition, we hope it will discourage any future heinous acts against the Salt River wild horses.”

“The coward who shot these innocent and beloved wild horses needs to be brought to justice,” added Simone Netherlands, President of the SRWHMG. “We are so thankful to our coalition partners and to Sheriff Joe Arpaio and MCSO and are hopeful that this spectacular amount of reward money will bring forth and encourage the tip that leads to the shooter’s arrest and conviction. Somebody knows exactly what happened, and that person can ensure that justice is served while receiving a financial reward at the same time.”

Background

On Friday, Oct. 21, at about 6 p.m., according to MCSO, a witness saw a man wearing black shorts and a dark green shirt shooting three Salt River wild horses. The witness saw one of the horses flailing in the river and observed two other horses get hit with rounds from a rifle or shotgun. The suspect chased after the horses as they fled. Two other individuals are believed to have been with the person who shot the horses.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group found a Salt River wild horse—a 6-month-old foal named Kai—dead, with gunshot wounds to the side of his neck and head. Two other horses in the same family band appeared to have possible small bullet wounds but survived and are recovering on their own.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call either the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group at 480-868-9301 or the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office at 602-876-1011.

The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) is an Arizona non-profit organization. The SRWHMG is dedicated to protecting, monitoring, and studying the Salt River wild horses. The SRWHMG has been spearheading the effort to secure lasting protections for this iconic and beloved wild horse herd in the Tonto National Forest.

Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) is a Miami-based non-profit organization. ARM is dedicated to investigating, exposing, and shutting down illegal and extreme animal cruelty operations, including those involved in the black market horse meat trade, illegal animal slaughter farms, and fighting operations.