Feds Round Up Last of Wild Mustangs in Carson City Neighborhood

Federal officials have completed the roundup of 11 wildmustangsin Carson City, Nevada, sparking debate over the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) actions. The mustangs, once part of a larger group, were captured amid concerns from local residents who had grown accustomed to their presence.

Federal officials say they have finished rounding up 11 “problem” wildmustangsin northern Nevada and that the horses will now be offered for adoption.

The last of a band that once numbered 50mustangswere enticed into a trap last week, as concerned residents of the Carson City neighborhood watched in dismay, questioning why the Bureau of Land Management insisted on removing animals that had peacefully coexisted with surrounding homeowners for years.

In a news release Friday, the day the last horse was lured into a trap with offerings of alfalfa and barley, theBLMrepeated past claims that people had complained about the animals crossing busy roadways and damaging property to graze in a small public park.

The horses had routinely crossed the Carson River into River View City Park, and officials have received several complaints from people feeling threatened by the wild horses, according to aBLMstatement.

Activists say the animals were gentle and often allowed visitors to pet them.

The debate over wild horses has raged across 11 Western states.BLMofficials say the horses overgraze and damagepublic lands. Animal advocates and others sayBLMofficials are intent on removing as many wild horses as possible without considering such alternatives as birth control.

A committee of 24 residents worked for months hoping to reach a compromise with federal officials, offering to provide fencing and additional road signs at their own expense. But the residents said their suggestions were brushed aside byBLMofficials.

Last week, advocates and residents were warned not to intervene with the collection, which involvedBLMwranglers walking slowly in front of the free-range horses with a bag of grain, leading them into hastily constructed traps. The gate was slammed shut once the animals were inside.

Residents have questioned the timing of the roundup, claiming that the last complaint against the animals was years ago.

TheBLMhas not responded to requests for a response to the criticism.

“I got an email this week from a person in Mexico who used to live near the park,” Summers said. “They’ve lived there for 45 years, all the time watching those horses. They were just sick that themustangswere gone. Everyone asking the same question: 'Why?'”

A video of the roundup by mustang advocate Laura Leigh, founder of the nonprofit Wild Horse Education, included comments from neighbors who watched as one by one the last half-dozen horses were captured.

In its release, theBLMacknowledged the community’s concern for the animals.

The agency said 11 horses gathered in the roundup will be offered for adoption at a public event March 23 at Silver Saddle Ranch in Carson City.

Horse advocates say the problems that led to complaints had been mitigated and that traffic had slowed on the road near the park.

They say the horses, now that they have been captured, are in greater danger: TheBLMacknowledges that a federal probe is investigating whether hundreds of capturedmustangsthat could not find adopters were sold to a middleman who took the animals to Mexico, where they were presumably slaughtered.

The federal government also says that it might allow the opening of a domestic horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico, six years after all domestic kill factories were closed.

Originally Posted By The LA Times