TONTO BASIN, Ariz., Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Forest Service plans to remove some 100 wild horses from Tonto National Forest in Arizona, fueling a showdown between the agency and conservationists.
The wild horses have roamed free at the forest near the Salt River about 75 miles northeast of Phoenix for decades, but Forest Service officials say they have become a public nuisance. Last week, the agency posted a notice it will impound horses over a 12-month period and ultimately sell them at auction, reining in an estimated 100 horses. Those not sold will be "condemned and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of," the agency's public notice said.