A contractor’s helicopter pursues wild horses during a 2016 roundup at the Owyhee Complex in Nevada. RTF file photo by Steve Paige.
The Bureau of Land Management on Friday captured 35 wild horses during helicopter drive trapping and two were killed at the Silver King Herd Management Area. A 14-year-old buckskin mare with and a body condition score of 1.5 on a 10-point scale was put down.
That death and Friday’s capture and removal of 12 studs, 13 mares, 10 foals bring the total numbers for the roundup to 660 wild horses captured and 12 dead.
BLM plans to remove 980 wild horses from their home range, located about 60 miles south of Ely, Nevada. About 244 wild horses will remain on the 606,000-acre HMA when the roundup is complete.
BLM’s stated reason for the roundup is “to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses, and to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-uses relationship on public lands,” according to a press release.
The agency estimates that the wild horse population on the HMA to be 1,224 horses, including foals. The agency’s “Appropriate Management Level” for Silver King is 60-128 wild horses — or as low as one wild horse for every 10,100 acres.
By comparison, BLM allows up to 55,940 Animal Unit Months of private cattle and sheep grazing on six allotments that overlap the HMA by 24-100%. One AUM is enough forage for one cow-calf pair or five sheep per month.
Captured wild horses will be transported to the Indian Lakes Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Dallon, Nevada, before being offered by adoption.
To view BLM’s planning documents, click here: https://go.usa.gov/xQmBN.
Viewing the roundup
Those who wish to view the roundup operation are asked to call (775) 289-1800 to be added to an attendee list and receiving specific meeting locations.
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