Horses captured during the Triple B Complex helicopter roundup are shipped to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center. BLM Photo.

The Bureau of Land Management captured 62 wild horses on Friday, Feb.16,  during the 17th day of the helicopter drive trapping at the Triple B Complex in Nevada.

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 62 wild horses captured include 28 mares, 19 studs, and 15 foals. Two horses were euthanized to what the agency identified as pre-existing conditions. 68 horses were shipped to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center, including 30 mares, 28 studs, and 15 foals,  according to the agency.

The 62 wild horses captured on Friday bring the cumulative total of horses captured from the Trible B Complex up to 1,080. This total includes 426 mares, 420 studs, and 234 foals. Since the start of the helicopter roundup, 25 deaths have been reported, 23 of those being euthanizations due to pre-existing conditions identified by the BLM.

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 were released back into the HMAs.

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