09/16/2026
*** No Access to Water is a persistent problem ****
SAVE just received the following statement.
Recent Havasupai Visit: Disturbing Animal Conditions
Visit : August 27–30, 2026
Hi Susan,
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Havasupai from Thursday August 27 through Sunday, August 30, 2026. We came away deeply disturbed by the condition of many of the horses, mules, and dogs we saw in and around the village.
We observed dozens of horses that appeared severely underweight, with prominent ribs, spines,and hip bones visibly protruding. Many were tied to fences on very short tethers in direct sun, with little or no visible shade and no visible access to food or water. Several of these horses were in the exact same locations when we hiked out on Sunday as they had been when we hiked in on Thursday. The ground around some of the tethered horses was covered almost entirely in
accumulated f***s and urine, leaving little or no visibly clean place for them to stand or lie down.
In the village, we also saw horses that appeared to be trying to drink from an empty trough or container. We did not see visible food or water available for many of the severely underweight horses we encountered.
The working pack animals generally appeared to be in better body condition than many of the horses kept in the village, but we still saw several things that concerned us. Some had visible scarring, areas of hair loss, and unusually short or damaged-looking tails. We also saw drops of blood on portions of the trail, although we cannot say with certainty whether the blood came from the animals’ hooves or another source.
The mules on the trail were panting heavily and appeared to have no access to water while working. We saw pack strings being moved quickly uphill over very rugged terrain, including animals apparently being driven at a fast pace while heading back up to retrieve luggage. The animals were tethered together on very short lead lines, with so little spacing that their ability to turn their heads, reposition themselves, and safely see where they were placing their feet
appeared restricted.
At the Hilltop, after the roughly 10 to 11 mile climb out of the canyon and the steep switchbacks in temperatures above 100 degrees, we saw pack animals gathered with no visible food or water available. To be clear, the animals we saw appearing to drink from an empty trough were in the village, not at the Hilltop.
We were also troubled by the condition of a number of dogs. Several appeared severely underweight, with visible ribs and no food or water that we could see. Some wore collars and therefore appeared to have owners. Others appeared to accompany or work alongside the pack-
mule strings on the trail. One dog in particular, named Sugar, had what appeared to be an injured front paw or leg and walked with a severe limp for multiple days while we were there. A woman working at the ranger station told us that veterinary care was not available in the village. We cannot independently verify that statement, but it concerned us considerably given Sugar’s condition and the condition of other animals we saw.
We did not take photographs because we understood the tribal rules to prohibit photography in the village and wanted to respect those rules.
- P & A Collier.
Photo from a previous year for illustration
