The Nevada Department of Agriculture removed nearly two dozen feral horses on Wednesday from the Virginia Range — the first time in seven years that the agency has removed such a large number of horses.
The 20 horses were removed from a property under development in southeast Reno, an area known for ongoing horse and human conflict as developments encroach on their rangeland.
The developer of the property is digging trenches to install water lines on a new development off of Rio Wrangler Parkway, a heavily congested area. Between 2012 and 2016, the Nevada Department of Transportation reported 116 horse-related crashes on all roads in the Virginia Range.
Volunteers with Wild Horse Connection, a group that, along with American Wild Horse Campaign, contracts with the Nevada Department of Agriculture for management and fertility control measures of Virginia Range horses, were granted authority to relocate the equines, according to J.J. Goicoechea, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture.