BLM concludes the Reveille Herd Management Area wild horse gather
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BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – On February 12, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office concluded a wild horse helicopter gather on the Reveille Herd Management Area (HMA) located about 50 miles east of Tonopah, Nye County, Nevada. Approximately 100-125 wild horses remain in the HMA.
The BLM gathered 113 and removed 74 wild horses. A total of 39 horses, both mares and studs, were released back onto the range. All mares identified for release, a total of 22, were treated with the fertility control vaccine PZP-22 to slow the population growth rate of the remaining population within the HMA. PZP-22 is a temporary fertility-control vaccine that can prevent pregnancy in wild horses for 1-2 years.
The purpose of the gather was to reduce impact to rangeland health and wildlife habitat by removing excess horses and apply fertility control to mares that were released back to the HMA in order to slow population growth rates and assist in maintaining wild horse population levels below the established appropriate management level (AML) per court decisions from 1987, 2001, and 2002. The post gather population of 100-125 wild horses will allow for at least three years until the population nears the established high AML of 138 wild horses and another gather is scheduled.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the BLM’s Indian Lakes Off-Range Wild Horse and Burro Corrals located 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. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb. Additional gather information is available on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xdBp2.
The BLM manages more than 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.