Arizona’s drought is pushing the Salt River wild horses close to starvation.
One organization is jumping in to bring food to those animals.
The need to feed wild horses due to drought in Arizona is almost unprecedented.
That’s according to Simone Netherlands with Salt River Wild Horse Management.
She said hay will be supplied to horses that lack food, but it won’t be easy.
"It’s very hard to grow hay right now,” Netherlands said.
“It takes a lot of water, so you know hay prices are high and plus we have to use weed free certified hay, so that adds a little bit to the price as well.” Netherlands said because hay isn’t cheap and man-made feeding can’t continue forever, donations are also being accepted.
Because wild horses are self-sufficient animals, Netherlands said they have to be fed carefully.
"You don’t want them thinking that their food comes from people,” she said.
“So we’re doing that strategically, so that it does not pain them.” Netherlands said her team distributes hay to a dozen feed stations along the river and they’re starting to see improvement among mares in poor condition.