FINKSBURG, Md. — A Bureau of Land Management mustang has been roaming near Liberty Reservoir for weeks, raising safety concerns among neighbors as school traffic increases in the area.
Baltimore City, which is responsible for Liberty Reservoir, confirmed the horse is a BLM mustang that was scared by a lawnmower and jumped a fence. A spokesperson told WMAR-2 News its first call for the missing horse was on June 29.
Multiple agencies in Maryland and Jefferson County, West Virginia, are involved in the response.
"The matter remains under investigation for potential violations of local and federal law," a DPW spokesperson said.
Westminster resident Tenille Moore said she spotted the horse while driving near the reservoir, and has made it her mission to raise awareness.
"On a Sunday, I almost ran into the horse. It was very foggy out. I was driving slow, but because of the fog, I couldn't see the horse, and so I had to run off the road. And that's when I said, that's it. I need to get other people involved," Moore said.
Moore said the potential danger is significant, particularly with more drivers on the road as the school year gets underway.
"It's one thing to hit a deer, and you never want to do that, but to hit like what was estimated to be a 900 to 1000-pound force could kill somebody. So I think that was my biggest concern is to get and make people aware, and I think that's what the community was really concerned about is, 'hey, there's this horse out here,'" Moore added.
The horse has been difficult to capture because it avoids close contact with people, and leaders say most sightings happen at night. Carroll County Animal Control said a trapper is working to locate the horse, including through the use of a drone.
The situation has sparked an outpouring of community support along Deer Park Road and surrounding areas.
"A very lovely gentleman put up horse crossing signs that he did himself. Um, there's a whole community out there that live around there, that speak and talk regularly, trying to capture this horse," Moore said.
Officials are asking anyone who spots the horse to report sightings to local authorities. Carroll County Animal Control can be reached at 410-848-4810.
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