Captured wild horses stand in temporary holding during January’s Sulphur Herd Management Area roundup in Utah. Photo by Steve Paige for RTF.
The Bureau of Land Management Nevada’s Elko District, Wells Field Office has temporarily halted the emergency wild horse gather that started May 8 to evaluate whether or not to continue.
“We’re going to take a one to two week break and observe the area to see if any horses appear to replace those we have gathered,” said Ben Noyes, BLM Nevada acting wild horse and burro program lead.
The gather was being conducted on private land near Boone Springs approximately 40 miles southwest of Wendover. So far, the BLM said 71 horses have been gathered and 70 have been shipped to the Indian Lakes Facility in Fallon, Nevada. The agency said a 13-year-old bay mare sustained a broken neck and died at the trap site.
The BLM set the appropriate management level for the area at 155-259 adult wild horses. As of March 1, the agency estimated the population at 1,320 wild horses (not including foals born this year). The Wells Field Office determined that even though there has been above average amounts of precipitation this winter and spring, there are still no known water sources in the area for wild horses to obtain water later this spring and summer.
Additional information on the gather is posted on BLM’s website at Antelope Emergency Wild Horse Roundup.