The Bureau of Land Management concluded the FY2024 Nevada Wild Horse Range Herd Management Area Wild Horse Gather
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LAS VEGAS – The Bureau of Land Management concluded the FY2024 Nevada Wild Horse Range Herd Management Area wild horse gather near Tonopah, Nev., on December 14, 2023. The BLM gathered 309 wild horses and removed 137 excess wild horses from public lands. Of those gathered, the BLM released back to the range 109 mares treated with GonaCon Equine, a population suppression control vaccine, 53 studs and 3 foals.
The purpose of the gather is to prevent wild horse numbers from exceeding high-end Appropriate Management Level 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. The action is also necessary to reapply fertility control to mares within the HMA to help reduce the overall population growth of wild horses in the management area.
“This gather was critical in the management of wild horses on the Nevada Wild Horse Range so we can keep them at an appropriate management level for the area,” said Nicholas Pay, Pahrump Field Manager.
The BLM transported the animals removed from the range to the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Ridgecrest, Calif., to be readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sales 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.
The Nevada Wild Horse Range is entirely inside the Nevada Test and Training Range; therefore, only essential gather operations personnel were allowed at the trap site during gather operations.
Additional gather information is available on the BLM website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/nevada-southern-nevada-do.
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.