Wild palomino stallion shot in central Utah, advocate says it’s ‘not an isolated incident’

DUGWAY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — A young palomino stallion was shot to death on Sunday in the Onaqui Herd Management Area in central Utah, according to the Wild Beauty Foundation .

Pyrite, also known as Goldie and Glory, was found dead outside of Dugway on Sunday, Nov. 10. The Onaqui Catalogue Foundation , an organization working with Bureau of Land Management investigators, reported on the death Tuesday, adding that it will keep the public informed during the investigation.

"At this time, we are grieving," the nonprofit posted. "Pyrite was an eye-catching young palomino stallion who was a favorite of many who visited the range."

The Wild Beauty Foundation donated $2,500 for a reward, offering the money to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction. Ashley Avis, the founder of the organization, said the "stallion was targeted" and killed despite wild horses being federally protected.

"They're symbols of the iconic American West. They inspire our curiosity and our wonder, and they should be protected. And that's simply not happening on our western rangelands today," Avis said.

She said the shooting of Pyrite "is not an isolated incident."

Last year, two Onaqui stallions were found dead from gunshot wounds near Simpson Springs Mountain Road, just over 20 miles from Dugway. She said the year prior, 16 wild horses were killed.

"This is a pattern of behavior perpetrated by ... antiquated thinking and this disinformation that wild horses are the problem with rangeland health," Avis said.

Avis' advocacy for wild horses began before she founded the nonprofit. As a filmmaker, she directed Disney's "Black Beauty" and the documentary "Wild Beauty." She said she learned what wild horses were really facing when she started researching for the Black Beauty film.

"I could not believe that as a horse person in my youth, I didn't know that this was happening. And so that's what we've been trying to do with our nonprofit, with our films, with our documentary 'Wild Beauty,' is to get people to pay attention," Avis said. "There's so much going on in the world, and there's so many distractions, but we need to remember the wild."

Anyone with information on the shooting of Pyrite is asked to contact the BLM Law Enforcement Tipline at (800) 637-9152.

Mj Jewkes contributed to reporting.