BLM to begin emergency wild burro bait and water gather near Beatty
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BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management will begin an emergency wild burro gather on or around Oct. 7, 2025, within and around the Bullfrog Herd Management Area, which surrounds the town of Beatty in Nye County. The removal would mitigate the impacts to public safety and private property issues due to the overpopulation of wild burros.
The BLM plans to gather and remove approximately 250 excess wild burros. The BLM will conduct gather operations using temporary corrals, stocked with water and hay, to bait and trap. No helicopters will be used.
The Bullfrog Herd Management Area has 157,180 acres, including both public and private land. The appropriate management level range is 58 to 91 wild burros. After an April 2024 aerial survey and calculating population growth, the BLM now estimates there are approximately 1,197 burros in the area.
The gather addresses public safety along Highway 95 and burros that have moved onto private lands in and adjacent to the area, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
BLM’s priority is to conduct a safe and efficient emergency wild burro gather exercising humane care and treatment for each animal. The BLM and its contractors will use the best available science and handling practices for wild burros in accordance with the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program.
Removed animals will be transported to the Axtell Off-Range corral located in Axtell, Utah, checked by a veterinarian, and prepped for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sale Program.
Due to the nature of the bait and water trap method, wild burros are reluctant to approach the trap site when there is too much activity; therefore, only essential gather operations personnel will be allowed at the trap site during gather operations.
Planning documents are available at the BLM National NEPA Register.
For more information, contact the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Aimee Bollinger at [email protected] or 775-635-4187.
For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, please visit www.blm.gov/whb.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.