High-Tech Tools Uncover Cause of Mustang Deaths

Forensic scientists solved the mystery of what killed a large portion the the wild mustang herd in southern Nevada using a technique called stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. In July 2007, 71 horses of the 250-head herd of wild horses were…
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Forensic scientists solved the mystery of what killed a large portion the the wild mustang herd in southern Nevada using a technique called stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

In July 2007, 71 horses of the 250-head herd of wild horses were found dead near Main Lake depression in southern Nevada. Testing performed by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory system found high levels of nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-). The horses were negative for botulin, anatoxin-a, microcystins, and testing for organic compounds was also negative. The lake itself–which the herd commonly used–had high nitrate levels. Other ions such as chloride and sulfate were also markedly high.

After catching wind of the fallen horses, a handful of public groups speculated that the horses had suffered a repeat of the 1988 dumping of nitrate-containing deicing fluids which resulted in the accidental poisoning of 61 wild horses near Cactus Flat, Nev.

Nitrate is formed naturally via biological transformation of ammonia (NH4+) in soil, sediments and water. It is also synthetically produced by humans in large quantities used in such products as fertilizers and homemade explosives

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
279 votes · 279 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!