The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Fiscal Year 2024 roundup and removal schedule targets even more horses and burros than during FY23.
The plan is to round up almost 8,900 wild horses and burros with permanent removal of over 8,200 of them. Nevada herds will once again be the hardest hit with over 5,800 wild horses and burros losing their freedom forever.
Even worse, the BLM intends to use helicopters in every roundup except two. Helicopter use is well known to cause trauma, severe injuries, and even result in the deaths of horses and burros. Observers sent by advocacy groups have documented these horrific incidents time and time again.
To make things more difficult for those who sign up to observe the roundups, the BLM and its contractors have kept those who watch over the horses farther away from trap sites. Clearly, this causes more difficulty, if not nearly impossible, to view the roundup as well as to assess the treatment and conditions of the horses and burros.
Advocates have begun calling for changes to the roundups including a requirement for the BLM to include cameras on all helicopters and on the ground wranglers.