High Desert District Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker, | |||
| 307-212-0197 |
BLM Rock Springs Wild Horse Adoption and School Field Trips Postponed
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District (HDD) is postponing this week’s scheduled Sweetwater County School District #1 and #2 fourth grade field trips, wild horse adoption and reopening of the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility (RSWHHF) in Rock Springs, Wyo. due to illness.
Approximately 30-40 percent of the weanling wild horses were diagnosed with Strangles during yesterday morning’s routine veterinarian check-up prior to the adoption. Strangles is an upper respiratory infection in horses. The bacterial infection causes fever, runny nose, swollen or enlarged lymph nodes and even abscesses in the neck and throatlatch.
BLM veterinarian Dr. Paul Zancanella, who examined the young colts, says, “This is the cold and flu season for all of us, even horses. There are several reported cases of Strangles in southern Wyoming and this type of infection is common any time a number of horses are together.”
The BLM HDD is postponing the expanded adoption events to reduce the stress on the wild horses while they are sick. The school tours, preview day and wild horse adoption will be rescheduled for March 6-9.
The public is encouraged to come to the BLM HDD Office at 280 Hwy 191 N., Rock Springs, during normal business hours to vote for their favorite original wild horse drawing submitted by area fourth graders. Voting will close Friday, Feb. 1. Donated prizes will be awarded at a ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. at the BLM HDD Office for first, second, and third prize. Prizes will be awarded to the drawings receiving the highest number of votes.
The RSWHHF has been temporarily closed since October so all animals received during the North Lander Wild Horse Gather could be evaluated by a veterinarian, dewormed, Coggins tested, and given their booster shots.
For more information, please contact Kathi Fine, 307-352-0292 or 1-866-4MUSTANGS.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
High Desert District Office 280 Hwy 191 N. Rock Springs, WY 82901