PAGE, Ariz. — A feral horse and her foal were recently rescued off of a Lake Powell beach in Navajo Canyon after the animals became trapped by rising water levels, forest officials said.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area staff had been monitoring and feeding the stranded animals since June 7. But forest officials managed to relocate the horses earlier this week by transporting them off the beach with a horse trailer.
It's not clear how the horses became trapped on the beach since horses are known as great swimmers. But forest officials believe the adult horse may have given birth on the beach and became too weak to swim as the lake's water levels started rising.
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Lake Powell's elevation has been increasing substantially since April, which has allowed visitors to explore more areas of the canyon.
Forest officials said the horses were not put in danger by the rising water levels because the staff was feeding them hay as they prepared a plan to relocate the animals.
After finding a horse trailer that could fit on a National Park Service boat, the animals were sedated and moved off the beach. The mother and baby horse were taken to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
The horses were moved because the beach is a popular spot for lake visitors during the summer, NPS said.
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