Yukon couple struggles to help Bolt — a young wild horse believed to have been shot

Aud Fischer and Chris Guppy have been searching the Yukon's Ibex Valley for hoof prints, specifically those of a lone colt with a lame leg, for weeks now. 

The Whitehorse couple has been looking for a young wild horse named Bolt. They said they found his parents, Storm and Sundance, dead in a field together early last month — and they believe Bolt is suffering from a gunshot wound. 

"We try and go out every two or three days and if somebody reports that they've seen him, then we go out straight away," said Fischer. 

On several occasions, they've seen Bolt in the distance with a swollen right front leg. Photos that Fischer has shared on her Facebook group, Yukon Wild Horses, appear to show a small dark spot on the animal's leg that she believes are signs of a bullet wound.

A woman from Haines Junction, Yukon, told CBC News she's seen the young horse twice in the past month while driving to Whitehorse, and has noticed his deteriorating condition. Kathleen Crow said what she saw last Sunday morning, while driving to church, made her heart sink. 

"The horse was on the north side of the road and I slowed down," she said. "His head was low, his leg was floppy. He looked like he couldn't hold it up as well anymore ... he looked so pathetic." 

Getting help for Bolt hasn't been easy. 

Fischer said she's contacted the Yukon Government, but was told the horse wasn't under their jurisdiction.

"Then, you find out they did send somebody out. It's so confusing," she said. 

Reporting the deaths of the horses said to be Bolt's parents was also a challenge. 

She said the carcasses had been "heavily scavenged upon" when she found them, and she believes they were shot, too. She wants someone to investigate — but says she's been getting the runaround. 

"I phoned the police, who referred me to conservation, who referred me to animal health ... the horses don't seem to fit into any government department," she said.

The Yukon Government's Animal Health Unit says it had done several patrols to try and find Bolt.

Asked if the unit was searching for someone who may have shot Bolt, acting chief veterinary officer Michelle Thompson said "our focus is on responding to the reports that we're seeing or hearing about sightings of this horse."