BLM Captures 96 Horses in Nevada; Public Kept 1.5 Miles Away

On November 15, 2017, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted a roundup of 96 wild horses, including 28 stallions, 42 mares, and 26 foals, from the Fox and Lake RangeHerd Management Areas(HMAs) near Gerlach, Nevada. Observing the roundup for the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) was Maureen Daane, alongside a French documentary journalist and staff members from U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's office.

TheBLMrestricted public observers to a distance of 1.5 miles from the trap site, making meaningful observation impossible. The location of the capture site further obscured the view of the actual trap due to the landscape, preventing the public from witnessing the most dangerous and traumatic point of the roundup—the trap pen—where horses often panic and injuries are common.

Photos of the trap site indicate that alternative observation areas were available to address public safety concerns, yet theBLMdid not consider these options. TheBLMplans to round up 200 horses from this area for "emergency" reasons related to wildfire burn areas within the HMAs. The agency claimed that the horses captured had "low" body condition scores of 2-3. However, photographs taken with a telephoto lens by AWHC observer Maureen Daane suggest that horses in good condition were driven by helicopter into the trap.

The horses were transported directly from the trap site to theBLM's Indian Lakes short-term holding facility in Fallon, Nevada, with no temporary holding at the roundup site. This prevented the public from observing the captured horses up close to assess their condition. Public observation of the captured horses remains prohibited at the privately-owned holding facility, which is closed to the public.

TheBLM's refusal to provide adequate and meaningful public observation is the agency's latest effort to prevent the public from seeing how tax dollars are spent and the treatment of wild horses by theBLMand its contractors. TheBLM's humane standards are inadequate, with no limits on how fast or how long horses are stampeded by contracted helicopters; old, sick, and young animals are chased for unlimited miles, often in extreme, below-freezing temperatures.

Just two days ago, the 96 federally protected wild horses captured in theBLMroundup were roaming free on ourpublic lands. Today, they have disappeared into theBLM's vast holding system, where their lives are in danger due to theBLM's request to Congress for permission to kill or slaughter wild horses and burros deemed surplus by the agency.

It's time to redouble our efforts to stop the BLM's lethal plan for our iconic mustangs. Be a voice for our wild horses and burros: Click here.

PHOTO CREDIT: MAUREEN DAANE

BLMRoundup Reports