Wild horses captured during the Owyhee roundup in Northern Nevada, held Nov. 2-Dec. 2, are shown in this file photo by Steve Paige for RTF.

To sign Return to Freedom’s anti-roundup petition, please click here.

Thirty-one wild horses were captured on Tuesday as the Bureau of Land Management began a four-day “emergency” helicopter roundup in Eastern Nevada.

The BLM plans to remove about 100 wild horses from public and private lands inside and outside the Eagle and Silver King Herd Management Areas.

The roundup is “necessary to provide for public and animal safety,” along U.S. Highway 93 and State Route 22, the agency says.

The 11 studs, 13 mares and seven foals captured on Tuesday were to be transported to the BLM’s Indian Lakes off-range corrals in Fallon, NV., where they will be put up for adoption. Unadopted horses are to be transported to long-term holding facilities.

No wild horses suffered injuries on Tuesday, according to the BLM.

The agency pegged the wild horse population of the two HMAs before the roundup at 2,234, compared to Appropriate Management Levels of 160-398 that BLM has assigned to the two areas combined.