BLM roundup to target about 1,200 wild horses in Nevada
The Bureau of Land Management plans to round up about 1,200 wild horses from the Diamond Mountain Range in central Nevada starting this month.
The population-control project, which will use helicopters and is expected to last 20 to 25 days, will begin Sept. 10 and focus on the range’s Diamond Complex, which the BLM said covers over 258,000 acres of public and private land.
“The BLM plans to gather approximately 1,225 wild horses, remove 1,165, treat up to 30 mares with the fertility control vaccine, PZP-22, and release them back to the complex with an equal number of studs,” the department said in a statement. “Once gather operations are complete, approximately 300 wild horses will remain in the (Herd Management Area).”
According to the statement, the gatherings are important to protect habitats for other wildlife. The horses that are removed will be taken to the Palomino Valley Off-Range Corrals in Reno, where they will be treated by a veterinarian and prepared for adoption or sale by the BLM.
“The gather is critical to ensuring the health of rangelands within the complex as well as the wild horses in the area, both of which are at risk due to herd overpopulation and severe drought conditions,” Doug Furtado, Battle Mountain district manager, said in a statement. “We are committed to conducting safe and humane gather operations as we work to protect animal health by reducing overpopulation and bringing herd size more in line with what the resources of the area can support.”
Residents may watch the gathering process from gather observation sites. For more details, call the gather hotline at 775-861-6700 the night before.
In January and February, more than 1,700 wild horses were removed from Nevada and Utah.
Some Nevada lawmakers have been critical of such roundups, claiming they are costly and inefficient. As of 2018, the federal government spent about $81 million annually on the wild horse program.
Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.
