The Bureau of Land Management is gathering up wild horses in western Colorado’s Sand Wash Basin this week. The Craig Daily Press reports that the bait-trap removal operation plans to gather up to 60 horses. 45 of those are expected to be removed from the range while 15 mares will undergo fertility control measures and then will be returned to the range. The report also stated that BLM aerial data estimates there to be over 400 wild horses in the Sand Wash Basin and that a manageable level would be from 163 to 362 total horses. The general goal is to have sustainable populations that have enough resources to survive drought or abnormal weather conditions without major losses to the population. The operations to achieve the agency’s goal are expected to run several months. Wild horses removed from the range are generally prepared for auction and adoption.
