Studs being held in a temporary pen during the 2017 Cedar Mountain helicopter roundup in Utah. Photo was taken by Steve Paige.

The Bureau of Land Management captured 87 wild horses on Saturday, Feb.10,  during the eleventh day of the helicopter drive trapping at the Triple B Complex in Nevada, according to the agency.

The 1,682,998-acre Triple  B Complex consists of four separate Herd Management Areas including the Triple B HMA (Ely), Maverick Medicine HMA (Elko), Antelope Valley HMA (Elko), and Cherry Springs Wild Horse Territory (Elko).

The 87 wild horses captured include 31 mares, 43 studs, and 13 foals. One horse was euthanized due to what the agency identified as a pre-existing condition. The 87 wild horses captured brings the total number of horses gathered from the Triple B Complex up to 703. 

The BLM plans to capture 1,500 wild horses and permanently remove 1,000 from the Triple B Complex. The cumulative agency set Appropriate Management Level for all of the HMA’s within the Triple B Complex is 472 – 884 wild horses. The current population estimate for the Triple B Complex is approximately 3,842 wild horses.

The agency plans to release approximately 250 mares that will have been treated with the PZP fertility control vaccine. Additionally, approximately 250 stallions will be selected to be returned to the HMAs. 

As of now 28 mares who have been treated with PZP, along with one mare who did not receive the treatment, were released back into the HMAs. Furthermore, 27 studs joined the mares in returning to the HMAs.

The horses selected will be prepared for adoption at the Palomino Valley Wild Horses and Burros Adoption Center.