A federal wild horse facility in Colorado is beneath quarantine after an unknown but "extremely contagious" illness outbreak killed dozens of the animals in a matter of days, in keeping with the Bureau of Land Administration (BLM).

The Cañon Metropolis Wild Horse and Burro Facility, which is situated on the grounds of a state jail and operated by the BLM, introduced the outbreak on Monday. Thus far, a minimum of 57 horses have died from the unknown illness since April 23. Officers at the moment are working to find out the reason for the sickness.

"We're working with native, state and federal officers to find out what's impacting horses within the facility and the way we are able to reply as successfully as doable," Stephen Leonard, BLM Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Program Supervisor stated in a press release shared with Newsweek.

Many of the horses that died from the outbreak have been captured on Colorado's West Douglas vary in Rio Blanco County final 12 months, in keeping with federal officers.

Wild Horses Colorado
A federal wild horse facility in Colorado is beneath quarantine after 57 of the animals died attributable to a "extremely contagious" illness outbreak. Right here, wild horses are seen on August 7, 2008 in Mesa Verde, Colorado. Doug Pensinger/Getty Pictures

The horse facility is situated on the Colorado Division of Corrections in Cañon Metropolis, and might home as much as 3,000 animals at a time. It's one in every of simply 5 services within the nation with a Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP), in keeping with the BLM web site.

Underneath the WHIP program, inmates on the jail feed, look after and practice the wild horses for adoption with a purpose to achieve "significant and marketable expertise they'll use after they reenter the workforce," in keeping with the BLM.

"Whereas the Cañon Metropolis facility holds adoptions for each educated and untrained mustangs, the WHIP affords educated horses to individuals who could not have the expertise, time or services to coach a mustang on their very own. Usually, inmates at Cañon Metropolis end coaching about seven to 10 horses every month," it provides.

On the time of the outbreak, the ability was housing 2,550 horses, federal officers stated Monday. That features some 450 captured final July and August from the West Douglas vary, the Colorado Solar reported.

The BLM says it gathers and removes wild horses and burros from public lands attributable to overpopulation. The efforts, it says, assist to "defend the well being of the animals and well being of our nation's public rangelands."

Nonetheless, the Cañon Metropolis wild horse facility has beforehand come beneath hearth, after some advocates alleged final 12 months that the horses are mistreated or topic to hunger, in keeping with a CBS4 investigation. The ability has denied these allegations by exhibiting veterinary studies that conclude that the "overwhelming majority" of horses are in "good situation."

The BLM didn't present a further remark to Newsweek on Tuesday.