ELKO, Nev. - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Elko and Ely Districts have officially concluded the Antelope and Antelope Valley Herd Management Areas (HMA) Excess Wild Horse Gather on Nov. 15, 2019. From August 5 through Oct. 18, 2019, the BLM gathered and removed 946 excess wild horses from in and around the Antelope and Antelope Valley Herd Management Areas (HMA) located in Elko and White Pine counties in northeastern Nevada.
The purpose of the gather was to reduce the overpopulation of wild horses, in order to prevent further degradation of public lands by helping to balance herd size with what the land can support. The BLM aims to protect habitat for other wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, mule deer and elk. Removing excess animals would also enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the Indian Lakes Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corral in Fallon, Nev., to 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.
Additional gather information is available on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xytAJ.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
