130 Horses Dead in BLM Facility

According to the Associated Press, federal officials temporarily shut down the National Wild Horse and Burro Center in northern Nevada on Wednesday because 130 horses have died there from health problems that could pose a threat to humans.

The voluntary closure of the center about 20 miles north of Reno is a preventive measure. Salmonella bacteria were found in some of the Mustangs, posing a risk to people and domestic animals, officials for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said.

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The center’s 160 acres of corrals serve as a holding facility for up to 1,650 animals the BLM rounds up from public rangeland. During their time at the facility, the horses are vaccinated and marked while awaiting shipment under the agency’s wild horse adoption program.

The problems apparently stem from about 1,000 horses that were gathered this month in northwest Nevada’s Jackson Mountains. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian Al Kane, many of these horses were extremely weak from a lack of food and water due to drought, which made them more susceptible to salmonella.

The agency will review the center in 30 days to determine whether to extend the shutdown.

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View Comments

Jennifer says:
September 28, 2007 at 12:11 am
I think they round up way to many horses. They should let nature take its course and stop the round ups! At least 130 of them are free again!
Jen says:
September 28, 2007 at 4:42 am
Unfortunately humans have exterminated the wild horses' natural predators, so they've actually thrived. There are way more horses out there than 30 years ago, and on less land due to development. Coupled with the drought, more animals are going to die. IT's a sad truth to wild life. It's too bad the BLM couldn't save those horses, however-
Horselover says:
September 28, 2007 at 6:12 am
This is horrible.I hope they get back up and better soon.
angela says:
September 28, 2007 at 6:22 am
hi my name is angela and i would love to help out with the horses
amd1994@sbcglobal.net
Lori says:
September 28, 2007 at 5:22 pm
This is a very sad event. Couldn't they have quaratinned these horses before killing all of them?
Klaire says:
September 28, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Oh man! That sounds bad. I don't really agree with round-ups, but still, this sounds pretty bad. Can't wait to see what the outcome is.
Horse Person says:
September 29, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Poor horses. Why can't they leave them alone?
Mirriam says:
September 30, 2007 at 12:49 pm
That is just crazy! If the BLM wasn't closing in on the mustangs, they would be well fed and NOT susceptible to salmonella!
Roger says:
September 30, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I am sad, but I don't know where to place the blame. It seems that what happened to the horses was due to Nature's whim.
Terry says:
November 10, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Is someone kidding..........so let me guess, now as soon as the quarantine is lifted they round up more horses? Thank you US GOVT.....let the horses back in the national forests and parks.....and let mother nature and predators keep the balance of nature......humans cant be trusted not to upset very sensitive balances....oh...are cattle grazing on the mountains the horses came off of? and are we also removing the wolves that keep disease from killing as well as culling herds naturally?..
Just Curious