Without emergency action, the condition of the wild horses in the Nevada Wild Horse Range is expected to deteriorate, potentially resulting in some horses’ deaths within a few weeks, the BLM said. | Photo: iStock

The Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada District began an emergency wild horse gather in early August at the Nevada Wild Horse Range in Nye County. The agency said the gather is necessary as there is not enough water to support the number of horses in the area.

Warner Livestock is conducting the gather using the bait and water trap method; no helicopters will be used. The BLM plans to gather and remove approximately 800 wild horses.

The Nevada Wild Horse Range encompasses 1.3 million acres. The BLM has set its appropriate management level at 300-500 wild horses. With a current population of approximately 1,355 wild horses, depleted resources are negatively impacting those horses’ health, the BLM said. The agency said the Nevada Wild Horse Range is overpopulated and animal conditions are declining due to range degradation and lack of sustainable water resources. Due to the restricted access of the Nevada Test and Training Range, livestock grazing on the Nevada Wild Horse Range has not been authorized since 1956, the BLM said