731.jpg” alt=”May 2013 BLM aerial survey photo of the nearby Antelope Valley Herd Management Area” width=”669″ height=”478″ />May 2013 BLM aerial survey photo of the nearby Antelope Valley Herd Management Area
As published by the Elko Daily Free Press
The Bureau of Land Management began an emergency wild horse gather Thursday to remove up to 60 wild horses from the Tunnel Spring area of the Goshute Herd Management Area, approximately 10 miles southwest of Wendover, due to insufficient water sources. Hay and water will be used to gather the horses.
The gather could last up to one month.
This gather will attempt to remove excess wild horses from the Tunnel Spring area to alleviate competition for limited water resources and prevent continued body condition decline, suffering and/or the death of the most vulnerable horses, according to the BLM.
The Wells Field Office has determined that the situation in the Goshute HMA is an emergency because of the intense competition wild horses are experiencing for extremely limited water resources in the HMA. The situation is considered too extreme to address through the normal gather cycle.
Given the weakened state of the horses, a veterinarian will be on-call to provide recommendations regarding care, treatment and, if necessary, euthanasia.
Goshute HMA has an Appropriate Management Level of 74-123 adult wild horses. As of March 1, the BLM estimated the population at 904 wild horses (not including foals born this year).
The BLM plans to use a water and bait trap, consisting of corral panels stocked with water and hay; no helicopters will be used. Because of the nature of the bait and water gather method, wild horses are reluctant to approach the trap site when there is too much activity. Therefore, only essential gather operation personnel will be allowed at the trap site during operations.
The contractor for this gather is Warner Livestock of Utah. Excess wild horses removed from the range will be transported to the Indian Lakes Facility in Fallon.
Earlier this month the BLM announced two similar gathers of 60 horses each in nearby eastern Elko County locations of Wood Hills and Cherry Creek.