Wild Horses Die from Unknown Disease
2022-04-30
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1U.S. government officials say an unknown and fast-spreading disease has killed 85 wild horses in less than one week in the western state of Colorado.
2Federal officials made the announcement Wednesday.
3The number of deaths at a federal corral, or holding area for horses, increased from an earlier announcement of 67.
4Steven Hall of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, BLM, told Reuters the facility is under quarantine.
5That means animals are not permitted to enter or leave the area.
6More than 2,500 animals are held at the facility in Canon City, 190 kilometers southwest of Denver.
7Animals that are sick or have been exposed to infected horses are being kept away from the healthy ones.
8A BLM statement earlier this week said, "Wild horses at the Wild Horse facility in Canon City have been infected with an unknown yet highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease."
9Fatal is a term that means deadly.
10Most of the sickened horses had been transported from Rio Blanco County, near the neighboring state of Utah.
11Officials collected the animals last autumn, the BLM said.
12Hall said the dead animals are being examined.
13Blood and tissue samples are being carefully studied at two university laboratories.
14"The main symptoms seem to be respiratory issues and chest congestion," Hall said, adding that federal, state and independent veterinarians are investigating the issue.
15Horses are not native to the United States.
16Their ancestors were animals freed or left by people during the settlement of the American West.
17The BLM said the horses must be controlled because the animals damage water supplies and eat food that native species eat.
18There are an estimated 80,000 wild horses in the U.S.
19The agency collects some of the wild animals in events called roundups.
20BLM transports the animals to holding areas where some are sold.
21Activists say the roundups and living conditions for the animals are inhumane.
22Suzanne Roy of the American Wild Horse Campaign said in a statement posted on the group's website, "Disease outbreaks and deaths are the direct result of the BLM's mass roundups."
23Roy added, "We can expect to see more suffering and death if BLM continues down this dangerous and destructive path."
24I'm John Russell.
1U.S. government officials say an unknown and fast-spreading disease has killed 85 wild horses in less than one week in the western state of Colorado. 2Federal officials made the announcement Wednesday. The number of deaths at a federal corral, or holding area for horses, increased from an earlier announcement of 67. 3Steven Hall of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, BLM, told Reuters the facility is under quarantine. That means animals are not permitted to enter or leave the area. 4More than 2,500 animals are held at the facility in Canon City, 190 kilometers southwest of Denver. Animals that are sick or have been exposed to infected horses are being kept away from the healthy ones. 5A BLM statement earlier this week said, "Wild horses at the Wild Horse facility in Canon City have been infected with an unknown yet highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease." 6Fatal is a term that means deadly. 7Most of the sickened horses had been transported from Rio Blanco County, near the neighboring state of Utah. Officials collected the animals last autumn, the BLM said. 8Hall said the dead animals are being examined. Blood and tissue samples are being carefully studied at two university laboratories. 9"The main symptoms seem to be respiratory issues and chest congestion," Hall said, adding that federal, state and independent veterinarians are investigating the issue. 10Horses are not native to the United States. Their ancestors were animals freed or left by people during the settlement of the American West. The BLM said the horses must be controlled because the animals damage water supplies and eat food that native species eat. There are an estimated 80,000 wild horses in the U.S. 11The agency collects some of the wild animals in events called roundups. BLM transports the animals to holding areas where some are sold. 12Activists say the roundups and living conditions for the animals are inhumane. 13Suzanne Roy of the American Wild Horse Campaign said in a statement posted on the group's website, "Disease outbreaks and deaths are the direct result of the BLM's mass roundups." 14Roy added, "We can expect to see more suffering and death if BLM continues down this dangerous and destructive path." 15I'm John Russell. 16Keith Coffman reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. 17____________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19facility - n. something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) that is built for a specific purpose 20contagious - adj. capable of being easily spread to others 21sample - n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from 22respiratory - adj. medical: of or relating to breathing or the organs of the body that are used in breathing 23congestion - n. the state of being blocked with fluid (such as blood or mucus) 24species - n. (biology) a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus