‘No oversight,’ horse, burro advocates question upcoming BLM round up of 305 wild animals
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing for another round up of horses and burros that’s provoking advocates to question if it’ll be as deadly as round ups in the past.
It’s planned 20 miles west of the central valley in an area BLM refers to as the Red Rock Herd Management Area. Hundreds of horses and burros call these 161,969 acres along SR159 and SR160 home, for now.
BLM said “on or around April 24” it will begin a gather operation using temporary bait and water traps to capture 114 wild horses and 191 burros, which are amounts roughly quadruple what the agency says are appropriate manageable levels for the area. The last round up in the area was in 2019.
A press release stated the gather is to “prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands” and “restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands.” Wildlife advocates cast doubt on that reasoning.
Laura Leigh is president of Wild Horse Education, a nonprofit that successfully took BLM to court about improper management and planning of these gather operations. She points to reporting by 8 News Now of the injuries and deaths stemming from these round ups, from a baby horse breaking its legs while escaping captivity before euthanasian to BLM contractors tying up and dragging an adult horse from an ATV.
“When they catch horses in a pen and are loading them in and taking them to a facility, you can’t watch it. They don’t allow observers and when you have a situation like that with no oversight, it’s always troublesome,” Leigh said during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “These horses are going to get injured and killed, and most of the injuries and deaths are preventable.”
Leigh said the BLM is reducing the wild horse and burro populations in the area too much, to the point that the species may potentially not survive here in coming years. During the current mating season, she’s also fearful of the baby horses’ survivability.
“You’re going to have inbreeding, and then real risks of disease,” Leigh said. “[Baby horses will] be separated from their families. They’ll never be a family band again. The babies, particularly coming in, will really be at risk.”
Those captured are expected to be delivered to Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in California, what Leigh describes as “a black hole” where tracking specific horses becomes challenging, if not impossible.
The BLM emphasized its dedication to safety during these operations and says no helicopters will be used come Wednesday. The press release claimed that the public would not be permitted to witness the operation due to the kind of traps being used and the reluctance of horses and burros to approach areas where there is “too much activity.”
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