The American Wild Horse Campaign has announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for shooting a wild horse in the Ochoco National Forest last month. 

 The 2-year-old horse, part of the Big Summit herd, was killed on U.S. Forest Service land in mid-January, likely between Jan. 15 and Jan. 18.

The horse, which was shot twice in the abdomen, was killed on Forest Road 22 in the vicinity of Walton Lake, forest officials said. The bullets have been sent for ballistics testing to determine what type of gun was used.

The Forest Service has not released any additional information about the case. 

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Wild horse from Ochoco National Forest’s Big Summit herd shot, shooter wanted

“Shooting these protected animals is a federal crime and we stand ready to assist the USFS in any way possible to hold the perpetrators accountable under the full force of the law,” Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, said in a statement. The campaign is an advocacy group for wild horses and burros.

Anyone with information about the incident can call the Ochoco National Forest at 541-416-6500.

The Big Summit herd comprises approximately 138 horses, with the most recent count made in 2018. In recent years the Ochoco National Forest has established plans to reduce the number of horses but to date, none has been captured or removed. A facility to hold the animals after they are captured is still in the environmental analysis stage.