CAÑON CITY, Colo. — The Bureau of Land Management's Cañon City Wild Horse and Burro Facility is under a voluntary quarantine due to an "unknown yet highly contagious" disease outbreak, the bureau announced Monday.
According to the bureau, 57 horses have died so far since the outbreak began on April 23. Officials are working to determine their exact cause of death.
There are currently 2,550 horses at the Cañon City facility, the bureau said in a press release. Horses that were gathered from the West Douglas area in fall 2021 are most impacted.
“We are working with local, state and federal officials to determine what is impacting horses in the facility and how we can respond as effectively as possible,” said Stephen Leonard, BLM Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Program Manager.
The bureau said it will post updates on the outbreak as they become available.
