Does the Bureau of Land Management remove wild horses from open rangeland in Nevada?

In its 2020 report to Congress, the BLM proposed annually gathering between 20,000 and 30,000 wild horses and burros using bait-trap and helicopter-assisted gathering.

Of those, 3,500 to 9,000 would be treated with fertility control and released; 18,000 to 20,000 would be entered into a bureau-managed adoption and sale program, with 7,000 of those placed into private care.

The bureau estimated there were 95,000 wild horses and burros nationally on land it controls, and believes reducing overpopulation will protect herds and rangeland, which sustains other plants and animals. Unmanaged herds can double in size every 4-5 years.

The Humane Society is concerned animals are killed to manage herd size, and animal adopters may be pocketing adoption program incentive payments but having animals slaughtered. They suggest comprehensive, non-lethal herd management using immunocontraceptive vaccines as a primary tool.