The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) will remove up to 100 horses from a private range in Northern Nevada to prevent them from being killed when they wander onto nearby highways.

Ed Foster, NDA spokesman, said approximately 2,000 horses reside on the Virginia Range, a private rangeland surrounded by four major highways. The animals are so-called "strays" descended from domestic horses turned out onto the range by their owners, Foster said, and the NDA is tasked with managing the animals.

Foster said 34 animals have been involved in collisions with motorists in the past several weeks. Approximately two-thirds of those died at or close to impact. The other third were euthanized at the scene, Foster said. The roundup is intended to prevent the possibility of more collisions.

"We consider this a public safety issue," Foster said