BLM to release treated Silver King HMA mares
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ELY, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management Ely District, Caliente Field Office on February 16, 2021 concluded a wild horse helicopter gather. The gather was located within and outside the Silver King Herd Management Area (HMA) located in Lincoln County, Nevada.
The BLM gathered 284 and removed 256 wild horses. A total of 25 mares will be released back onto the range on March 12, 2021. Mares identified for release were treated with the fertility control vaccine GonaCon-Equine to slow the population growth rate of the remaining population within the HMA. GonaCon-Equine is a temporary fertility-control vaccine that can prevent pregnancy in wild horses for up to two years. If you would like to view the release of the mares, please RSVP no later than 12:00 p.m., March 11 to chanefel@blm.gov for the meeting location and time.
The purpose of the gather was to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses, and to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Removing excess animals would also enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Mojave-Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center in Reno, 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/xAtAF.
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.