Wild Horses Endure 100+ Degree Heat in Government Holding Pens
Video Shows Wild Horses in Distress at Government Corrals in Reno
RENO (July 23, 2023) – On Saturday, July 22, a humane observer with the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) (AWHC) visited the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Palomino Valley Center for Wild Horses and Burros in Reno. The observer witnessed several animals in distress, including a disoriented mustang in poor condition.
The facility, which can hold 1,850 wild horses and burros, was unstaffed on a day when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. Newly captured horses from the controversial Antelope Complex roundup in eastern Nevada were present, and AWHC was there to conduct a welfare check.
In a video shot by an AWHC observer, a blue roan senior stallion is seen unsteady on his feet, appearing disoriented and unable to climb the hill separating him from food and water.
By the time a BLM employee was contacted, the stallion had collapsed. The observer reported seeing foals clinging to their mothers' sides, left without shade to endure the sun's harsh rays.
The BLM’s adoption requirements mandate that adopters provide shelter for wild horses and burros. However, the agency does not ensure this basic necessity is available in its own holding facilities, even for horses who have just undergone extreme trauma and exertion in a summer helicopter roundup.
“With so much focus on what happens during the roundups, it’s important to look at the lasting consequences these animals face once they are removed,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of the AWHC. AWHC’s investigations, using the Freedom of Information Act, show that scores of wild horses and burros die in the holding pens in the days and weeks after they are captured in roundups.
“The conditions in these holding pens are inhumane and unacceptable. It’s past time for the BLM to change its practices to ensure the wellbeing of the animals it is legally mandated to protect,” Roy concluded.
Photos of the current conditions of the horses are available upon request.
About the American Wild Horse Conservation
The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) (AWHC) is the nation's leading wild horse protection organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America's wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.