LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) – Video obtained by Nexstar’s KLAS shows wild horses being roped and dragged by contractors whom the federal government hired. The wild horses were being captured during a federal roundup in northern Nevada led by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Nevada has the largest population of wild horses.
The BLM began the East Pershing Wild Horse Gather on Dec. 28, according to its website. The area, located between Lovelock and Winnemucca, Nevada, covers more than 2.1 million acres.
The BLM stated that 2,875 wild horses needed to be removed to restore an “ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands.”
Critics have argued that the government is appeasing ranchers for their cattle.
As of Jan. 29, the BLM reported that 24 wild horses had died and 2,048 had been captured.
Observers for the group “Wild Horse Education” regularly monitor these types of operations.
“Roundups need to stop until BLM creates an enforceable welfare policy,” the group posted on its website.