In his February 26 opinion, District Court Judge John Tuchi agreed that removal of wild horses from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest without the proper notice frustrated the mission of the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group but did not result in diversion of its resources as originally claimed.
The advocates have 14 days to amend their complaint, showing how actions by the Forest Service, or lack thereof, resulted in diversion of their resources, otherwise the case will be dismissed.
The Court did not question the group’s mission, which, according to the ruling, is to protect wild horses, manage them humanely and rescue them for placement in good homes, even though there is abundant evidence to the contrary.
They, in association with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, are destroying the Salt River herd with PZP, a restricted-use pesticide that sterilizes females after five years of treatment.
The program is now moving into its seventh year.
RELATED: Advocates to ASNF: Let Us Fix Your Wild Horse Problem.
Western Horse Watchers Association 