BLM to begin wild horse gather near Tonopah

The Bureau of Land Management is scheduled to begin a gathering of wild horses from the Reveille Herd Management Area and surrounding Reveille Allotment near Tonopah, according to a press release.

Officials plan to remove 80 wild horses from the area and transport them to a BLM adoption facility. Fifty-five horses will be released back to the area for a post-gather population of 93.

“We are simply trying to reduce the population of wild horses on Reveille HMA to get below the appropriate management level designated for that HMA,” said Kyle Hendrix, BLM Battle Mountain District public affairs specialist.

Hendrix said the appropriate management level for the Reveille HMA is 138 wild horses, while the current estimated wild horse population on the Reveille HMA is 178 horses.

The gather is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 29, according to the press release.

The wild horses removed from the range will be transported to a BLM Wild Horse and Burro Holding Facility where they will be vaccinated and inspected by a veterinarian. Once the horses have their vaccination boosters, they will be available for adoption to qualified applicants.

Fertility control will be applied to all mares released back into the management area, officials said.

Hendrix said the gather has risks associated with it, but noted that “throughout the operation, all parties are committed to humane practices.”

“The BLM and the contractors that perform the gather operations are committed to exercising the most humane practices when conducting the gather,” Hendrix said.

The public is welcome to attend the gather, according to the press release. For additional gather information, visitation protocols and ground rules, go to http://bit.ly/2iBwq4O and look under the ‘Downloads’ section on the right-hand side of the webpage.

Those interested in attending the gather should call 775-861-6700 on the evening before they plan to attend, as gather operations depend on weather and have the potential to change with little or no notice, officials said.

No other gathers are scheduled for the area at this time.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77