The animals lie in neat circles around the pond that was supposed to sustain them as spring temperature rose and water became harder to find.

Instead, they collapsed in the mud, exhausted and weakened from drought.

Almost 200 feral horses have been found dead around a pond in Navajo land in northern Arizona, according to tribal leaders, the victims of overpopulation and dwindling water resources.

Jonathan Nez, vice president of Navajo Nation, said the deaths were an annual problem that had been getting worse.

“These horses weren’t shot or maliciously killed by an individual,” he said. “These animals were searching for water to stay alive.