On Aug. 24, the Bureau of Land Management, Humboldt Field Office concluded a wild horse and burro helicopter gather. The gather was located on the Shawave Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA) located approximately 20 miles southeast of Lovelock, Nevada. Approximately 466 wild horses remain in the HMA.
The BoLM gathered 1,653 and removed 1,596 wild horses and removed 220 burros. A total of 44 mares will be released back onto the range on Sept. 5. Mares identified for release were treated with the fertility control vaccine,Gona-Con to slow the population growth rate of the remaining population within the HMA. Gona-Con is a temporary fertility-control vaccine that can prevent pregnancy in wild horses for 1-2 years. If you would like to view the release of the mares, please RSVP to hohanlon@blm.gov for the meeting location and time.
The purpose of the gather is to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses and burros, to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
By balancing herd size with what the land can support, the BLM aims to protect habitat for other wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope and mule deer. Removing excess animals will enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council also alleviating private land issues.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the BLM’s Indian Lakes Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals located in Fallon, Nevada. The burros were transported to the Axtell Contract Off Range Corrals in Axtell, Utah. All the animals will be readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption and sale program. Wild horses not adopted or sold will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
