Rating:

3.0 (1 vote)

SAHUARITA - Officers from the Arizona Department of Agriculture are trying to remove 5 wild horses from Rancho Sahuarita.

"It's a safety issue for the public and roadway," officer Terry Chacon said, "and also, they don't belong here."

The animals came down from the Tohono O'odham Nation to the north, according to Chacon.

Many residents have seen the animals and enjoyed the sight.

"I'd say leave them here, but you know you can't," Ruben Cortez said. "I would say take them back to where they came from."

Despite the conditions, the animals are very healthy, according to Chacon.

"They're fat, slick, they have a lot of weight," Chacon said, "considering that it's a desert out here."

The vegetation and water from sprinklers is luring the horses into the development, according to Chacon.

Livestock officers have built a portion of a corral with hay and water. They want the horses to become familiar with the structure. They will expand the corral until the horses are comfortable inside. Then they will close a gate and put them in a trailer.

The horses may be sent back to the reservation, adopted by a rescue group or sold at auction.

Capturing the horses could take days or weeks.