A 7-Day-Old Horse Died After a Tourist Drone Chased It — Now a Herdsman Is Speaking Out

There’s a fine line between capturing a stunning aerial shot and terrorizing animals. In Xinjiang’s Hejing County, that line was crossed with fatal consequences.

A herdsman named Renati Alimujiang lost his 7-day-old colt this week. A tourist’s drone chased his horses across the grassland, and the foal ran until its lungs gave out.

The colt died from what locals call “exploded lung” — exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage brought on by extreme stress and exertion. Renati stayed up all night trying to save it. The animal didn’t make it.

He told reporters he was out looking for his horses when a neighbor called. Someone was flying a drone and deliberately chasing the herd. By the time he reached the pasture, the colt was already down and couldn’t get back up. The story has since spread across Chinese social media, drawing attention to a growing friction point in pastoral regions: drone-wielding tourists and the livestock they share the land with.

China’s Interim Regulations on the Flight Management of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ban reckless flying and illegal drone operations. But those rules are clearest in cities, airports, and military zones. On the open grasslands of Xinjiang — where no explicit no-fly designation exists — responsible flight depends entirely on the judgment of the person holding the controller.

That judgment failed here. A drone chasing animals for a dramatic shot isn’t just reckless — it’s dangerous. Horses spook easily. A forced gallop at full panic can rupture blood vessels in the lungs, especially in very young animals whose bodies haven’t fully developed.

Renati’s message to tourists is blunt: keep drones away from livestock. A few seconds of aerial footage isn’t worth a dead animal. The regulations may catch up eventually, but for now, the only thing standing between a drone and a terrified herd is the pilot’s common sense.