On April 28, 2022, late in the evening, I received a text reporting two horses were down at the Entrance of Alto Lakes in Alto, New Mexico. The witness to the accident is disturbed and sickened by the tragic site of two wild horses breathing heavily in pain, standing but falling after being struck by a moving vehicle. The two horses eventually died on the side of the road in front of the bystander's headlights and the sound of engines being the wild horses last sound and site before closing their eyes to die.
RIP our sweet wild ones. I m sorry our community has failed you and not reached our goal of having a wildlife bridge and safe crossings.
I m not alone in advocating for strict speed reduction(tickets) enforcement by local and state Law enforcement that most locals observe goes ignored, What does it matter who collects the revenue for tickets, (NM State collects ticker revenue not our local Law Enforcement), this should not be a reason to ignore this public safety crisis. In 2018 numerous requests to the NM DOT from advocates like myself to install wildlife crossings, bridges, and night beacons. Request to create public announcements to educate locals and visitors about our unique wildlife areas in a growing mountain village community bordering natural wildlife environment have been ignored.
As the wildlife continues to be struck and killed on NM 48 Wildlife Safety corridor that runs through wildlife territories and residential areas of Alto, NM, we see more animals being victims of the modern predator, motor vehicles. When is the time right to invest in our wildlife community? I would say after this week, the time is now. There are less than 50 wild horses in the Alto band; over the last two years, horses have been struck down near Alto Lakes entrance and the Alto area, including numerous Deer and Elk, hindered, injured, and killed trying to cross for water.
Today Eagle Creek runs dry in safer places for the wildlife as the water is diverted into the Alto Lakes Water Reserve. The wild animals are moving in closer for thier own survival due to man's diversions of the natural resources.
The animals have no choice but to cross the busy NM 48 to reach the water and risk losing their life. What is more upsetting right now in the spring the wildlife are migrating with young babies and are the first to be hit.
Please help by reporting wild animals on the road, dead or alive, to NM DOT, and to local law enforcement to ask for these animals to be counted and protected. Request for Law Enforcement to slow down traffic in the Alto area, no matter what govt agency receives the ticket revenue. We have to work together as a community to reach this life-saving goal.
Debi Wilcox Wild horse Advocate in Lincoln County, New Mexico
Star young colt bachelor from the Alto, Wild Horse band killed by motor vehicle on NM 48 Enchanted Forest. Part of the band that was released in 2018
Report dead animals on the road in Alto New Mexico . So many have fallen victims and go voiceless.
The Alto band crossing near Enchanted Forest Subdivision on NM 48 Wildlife Safety Corridor . NM DOT removed the wild horses signs but with a public out cry where replace within days.
Report when you see wild life dead on the road, ask for that animal to be counted as one of the victims to failed management on NM 48 Alto , New Mexico . We need a strong wild life data collision report for wild horses and Wild life Deer , Elk, Bears, Mountain Lions.
Mountain Lions crossing road ways to are killed by motor vehicles. California continues to make efforts to stop the over population of motor vehicles running down cougars. The worlds largest wild crossing is being built in California https://theweek.com/california/1013044/the-worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing-is-now-being-built-in-california
Bears are scene on roadways, and stuck with young ones. Mama bears are busy keeping their young ones out from under the modern predators wheels. Keeping these babies safe is a full time job.
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