BLM to corral wild horses near Reno
By Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee
SUSANVILLE — With a last-minute court challenge shot down, federal officials were preparing this morning to begin a roundup of thousands of wild horses and burros from wild lands in northeastern California and neighboring Nevada.
The effort, which will use helicopters to stampede the animals through the rugged area into specially designed trap sites, is part of a controversial Bureau of Land Management plan to severely reduce the number of wild horses and burros living in the area. Federal officials say the goal is to keep the animals from overgrazing and depleting the sprawling Twin Peaks Herd Management area near here to protect both the land and the animals.
Horses trapped during the process will be held in corrals and later adopted out or shipped to federally funded holding areas in the Midwest.
Even though the aftermath of these roundups results in the deaths of a substantial number of foals and horses, the roundup continues. Many people have responded negatively to the roundups, but apparently BLM does not have to respond to the population’s adverse reactions or justify what they are doing. The studies I’ve seen do not point to unhealthy herds or to environmental problems that require reducing our wild horses in any way. Justify your actions BLM!!