Prompted by a series of vehicle collisions, the BLM gathered and removed 188 wild burros from public lands. | Photo: iStock

The operation, conducted by BLM’s Winnemucca District, took place in the Seven Troughs Herd Management Area. The BLM gathered and removed 188 wild burros from public lands. Approximately 52 wild burros remain in the area.

The purpose of the gather, which ran from June 4 to July 2, was to prevent excess wild burros from leaving public rangelands and crossing roadways in search of resources, the BLM said. Vehicle collisions with wild burros have occurred on Highway 399 and burros have been spotted on Highway 447 south of Empire, as well as within the town of Empire. Resource damage around the Porter Springs Recreation Management Area has also been attributed to the overpopulation of wild burros, the BLM added.

The gather was conducted in compliance with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the agency said. Removing excess animals will also enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council