RENO, Nev. (AP) — According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 22 wild horses have died so far in a government roundup on the range north of Reno.
BLM officials say three mustangs have died at the roundup site in the Calico Mountain Complex and 19 have died at a Fallon holding facility where the horses are being taken.
Horse advocates criticized what they called the BLM’s “brutal” roundup methods, saying they violate the intent of a 1971 law enacted by Congress to protect the horses.
BLM officials say less than 0.5 percent of horses gathered in such roundups die and they go out of their way to minimize the risk to the animals.
The latest fatalities include a mare who ran into a gate at the Fallon facility and broke her neck.
