Calvada Herd to return to Pahrump
The Pahrump Valley has become known for vast expanses of desert, for stunning night skies and, in recent years, for its wild horse and burro population, with several herds roaming the valley floor and surrounding mountains. But earlier this year, one of the most famous wild horse herds in the area, the Calvada herd, vanished, leaving community members devastated at the loss.
Local equine advocacy group Southwestern Wilds later learned that four of the members of the Calvada herd – stallion Spirit, mare Rain and two of their offspring, Zamora and Zephyr – had been removed from the valley as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s Spring Mountains Complex wild horse and burro gather. That gather, operated with the bait-and-trap method, took place from March 15 to June 19 and resulted in 97 wild horses and 425 wild burros being removed, according to a report from the BLM.
Once Southwestern Wilds became aware that the Calvada herd was among those gathered this spring, they immediately set out to find a way to do just what the organization had done when it was first formed – bring home a herd of wild horses to which the public had become attached. It took many weeks of hard work but in the end, Southwestern Wilds managed to secure the horses through a BLM auction. In an emotional social media post earlier this week, the team notified the public that these horses will soon be back where they belong.
“The story of the beloved Calvada herd has taken another incredible turn and Southwestern Wilds is right in the heart of it,” Southwestern Wilds Vice President Vanessa Fernandez told the Pahrump Valley Times. “After months of uncertainty, one unforgettable auction and a fight to keep this family together, they are coming home!”
Fernandez said the group wasn’t quite ready to release all of the details behind the effort to return the Calvada herd to the valley just yet but they will be forthcoming.
“Keep an eye out for more on this in the Pahrump Valley Times. There’s a whole lot more to this story,” she remarked.
As to the fifth member of the Calvada Herd - who was not removed in the spring BLM roundup - in a twist of happy fate, Stardust was seen roaming the area on the very same day as the announcement about the Calvada herd’s adoption was made.
“KPVM spotted her today with a new herd of horses and after looking at her markings, we’re confident that’s our girl,” Fernandez said in a Sept. 29 video posted to Facebook. “She went up into those mountains apparently looking for a new family of her own and now, of all days, she’s made her way down toward home. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but we like to think maybe Stardust somehow knew. Maybe she knew her family is coming home too.”
Previous coverage on the Calvada herd can be found at pvtimes.com. Look for additional details on the Calvada herd’s adoption and pending return to the valley in an upcoming edition of the Pahrump Valley Times.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
