The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is inviting folks who love wild horses and burros to tour the Indian Lakes Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corral in Fallon, Nev., next month.
“Wild horses and burros have long been important American icons and living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the American West,” John Neill, Wild Horse and Burrow Facility Operations Manager said in the April 12 news release announcing the event.
The privately owned and operated facility has the capacity to care for up to 7,600 wild horses or burros; its 320 acres include 75 holding pens measuring 70,000 square feet where up to 100 horses can be safely contained, the release states.
"The animals receive an abundance of feed tailored to their needs each day, along with a constant supply of fresh water through automatic watering troughs," the BLM states in the release. "Free choice mineral block supplements are also provided to the animals in each pen. A veterinarian routinely inspects the animals and provides necessary care as needed."
The free public tours of the corral will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, May 12, the news release reports, with space for 20 individuals on each two-hour tour. Attendees will be taken by wagon on a tour of the facility to see the horses and burros, and learn about the facility's operations and the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro program. Comfortable clothing, shoes, hats and sunscreen are recommended; photography is welcome, according to the release.
To register for either tour and get driving directions to the facility, call the BLM at (775) 475-2222. A waiting list will be created if registrations reach 40 people.
The wild horse and burro program started in January 1959, when Nevada Rep. Walter Baring introduced a bill prohibiting the use of motorized vehicles to hunt wild horses and burros on public lands, according to the BLM. The "Wild Horse Annie Act" became Public Law 86-234 on Sept. 8, 1959, but it did not include a recommendation that Congress initiate a program to protect, manage and control wild horses and burros.
The wild horse population on public lands had dropped significantly as people encroached on those lands and from the impact of mustangers, BLM reports. In response to public outcry, Congress unanimously passed the “Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act” (Public Law 92-195) to provide for the necessary management, protection and control of wild horses and burros on public lands. President Richard Nixon signed the bill into law on Dec. 18, 1971.
“The BLM is responsible for managing and maintaining healthy wild horse and burro populations on public lands and providing humane care and treatment to animals removed from public lands which are temporarily held in off-range corral facilities pending final disposition to adoption or sale events, or to off-range pastures,” Neill said in the release. “I encourage all who are interested to sign up for this public tour to see the facility, animals and the care that is provided for them.”
