4 days ago
BLM to remove over 3,000 wild horses from Wyoming land
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming (ABC4) — The Bureau of Land Management will remove over 3,000 wild horses from southwest Wyoming land beginning in July.
The BLM said this is the first effort to address the permanent removal of all wild horses from herd areas previously designated as herd management areas. These areas include the Great Divide Basin, Salt Wells Creek, and a portion of the Adobe Town area.
The decision is a part of a BLM determination to revert the entirety of the Great Divide Basin and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas to Herd Areas, managed for zero wild horses. That means all wild horses located within these Herd Management Areas that reverted to Herd Areas are now considered 'excess' and must be removed from the range in accordance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.
A Herd Area is an area where wild horses and burros were found in 1971, while a Herd Management Area is a section of a Herd Area where the BLM actively manages wild horse and burro populations. The removal decision comes after a May 8, 2023, land use planning decision to help 'protect land health and resolve management conflicts' in the area, a BLM press release reads.
Gather operations to remove the wild horses are scheduled to begin July 15, 2025, though the process may take place over multiple years due to the size and complexity of the areas, officials said.
'It is likely that multiple removal operations would occur in each Herd Area over multiple years to fully remove all excess wild horses from the designated area,' the project's description states.
All of the removed horses will be taken to BLM holding facilities, where they will be prepared for the agency's wild horse adoption and sales programs. Wild horses that do not meet adoption age or temperament criteria may be shipped to public off-range pastures, officials said.
'BLM staff and contractors will use the best available science and handling practices for wild horses while meeting overall gather goals and objectives in accordance with the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program,' the BLM said.
The BLM has placed nearly 290,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971. The organization manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska.
M.J. Jewkes contributed to this report.
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