The Silver King HMA’s current population estimate is approximately 1,224 wild horses, including the 2018 foal crop, the BLM said. | Photo: iStock

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) expects to begin a helicopter-conducted wild horse gather on or about Nov. 26 within and outside the Silver King Herd Management Area (HMA), in eastern Nevada.

The agency said the HMA’s horse population is currently more than 10 times above the land’s capacity to, over the long-term, support wild horses along with the other wildlife. The BLM plans to gather and remove up to 980 excess wild horses.

The BLM Ely District’s Caliente Field Office is conducting the gather operation, which is expected to last approximately 21 days. The gather might also take place in areas outside the Silver King HMA where wild horses have moved in search of food and water, creating a public safety hazard, the agency said. Approximately 244 wild horses will remain in the HMA once the gather is completed