BLM gathering wild horses near Red Rock due to water emergency

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is gathering as many as 225 wild horses near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area because there is not enough water to support the herd.

The Red Rock Herd Herd Management area, which encompasses nearly 162,000 acres, is meant for a population of about 27 wild horses, the bureau said July 26.

In an update on Tuesday, the BLM reported that 113 horses were gathered.

“Springs have dried up in the HMA (herd management area) and there is currently not enough water to support the number of horses in the area,” the BLM said. “Without this emergency action, the condition of the wild horses in the Red Rock HMA is expected to deteriorate, potentially resulting in the death of horses within a few weeks.”

The BLM said it planned to use a “bait and water trap” method to secure the horses in the over-populated area. Helicopters are not being used to round up the horses.

Horses identified to be removed will be taken to the Ridgecrest Holding Corrals in Ridgecrest, California. There, they will be examined by a veterinarian and prepared to be adopted through the bureau’s wild horse and burro adoption program.

Officials will gather as many horses as possible without destroying other animals’ habitats, water sources and vegetation, the bureau said.

Compiled from reports by Katelyn Newberg of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and from the Pahrump Valley Times staff.