Beginning in late January, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will gather wild horses from locations across Nevada. In an effort to manage populations using population growth suppression, BLM is gathering about 1,000 wild horses in the Pine Nut Mountain, Fish Creek and Little Fish Lake Herd Management Areas (HMA) on the Carson City and Battle Mountain Districts
BLM will treat 225-250 mares with fertility control vaccine and release them back to the range. About 460 excess wild horses will be removed to reduce the impacts to the public lands.
Additional gathers are scheduled on the Humboldt Herd Area (HA) in the Winnemucca District and the Wood Hills HA on the Elko District to remove wild horses from checkerboard land ownership areas not identified for wild horse management. A mixture of helicopter and bait trapping will be used for these gathers.
The timing of the gathers, which are expected to begin January 26, is designed to maximize the effectiveness of the fertility control vaccine Porcine Zona Pellucidae (PZP-22). PZP-22 can help slow herd growth rates and extend the time until another gather is needed.
“The gathers announced today are part of BLM’s efforts to reduce overpopulation of wild horses on … public lands through the use of fertility control and selective removals,” said Joan Guilfoyle, Division Chief of the national Wild Horse and Burro Program. “The welfare of wild horses is always a top priority for the BLM and we remain committed to providing humane care and treatment as we and our contractors conduct gather operations in Nevada.”
Additional information about the gathers will be posted to http://on.doi.gov/1wC4EUT. Information on BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy can be found at http://on.doi.gov/1xLoi3f.
