Thousands of wild horses near Lake Tahoe are becoming increasingly dangerous for drivers in Nevada, but state residents have no legal means to control the population themselves, according to a report.
The Virginia Range, a 40-mile stretch of the easternmost part of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains from Carson City to Reno, is overrun by more than 3,500 horses, the veterinarian and director of the Virginia Department of Agriculture told SF Gate. Nevada, JJ Goicoechea.
The population is new to the area and arrived only in the 1980s and 1990s, after being released by ranchers or having escaped, he said.
However, under Nevada law, the troublesome horde of horses is state property, making it illegal to trap, feed or interfere with them in any way, the outlet reported.
“It is important that residents and tourists do not feed or provide water to the horses,” Goicoechea said. “Not only is it illegal, but it encourages them to go further into urban areas and away from the area where they would naturally roam until they find more forage.”
There are more than 3,500 wild horses roaming the Virginia Range in Nevada. The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Virginia Range is well above its carrying capacity of approximately 500 to 600 horsepower, which in addition to putting pressure on the local ecosystem poses a danger to drivers as the human population increases in the Reno region.
There were 46 horse-related car accidents in 2020, 27 in 2021, 24 in 2022 and 42 in late November 2023, a Nevada Department of Agriculture representative told the outlet, noting that those statistics only reflect incidents reported in the Virginia Range.
Wild horses grazing on the grass in a neighborhood in Reno, Nevada, in 2021. X/@CatchTheBaby
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is in charge of maintaining nearly 45,000 other wild horses in Nevada. The agency estimates that there were at least 400 collisions between cars and horses between 2006 and 2018.
Mustangs also pose a danger to people who approach them or try to drive them off their land.
“The NDA has documented incidents of children being kicked by horses,” Goicoechea said. “These animals can be unpredictable and may attack or kick those nearby, especially if they feel threatened.”
Goicoechea said the wild horse population can grow by about 25% each year.
In response to the balloon population, the Nevada Department of Agriculture partnered with the American Wild Horse Campaign to administer fertility control treatments to approximately 80% of the horse population, leading to a 66% decline. in the birth rate over the past four years, SF Gate reported.
State officials are working on a new program to control the horse population in the region. X/@CatchTheBaby
Other controversial measures, such as BLM roundups, led to the deaths of several horses. In July, 11 mustangs died in a raid after breaking bones while fleeing agency helicopters, sparking a public outcry.
A new program to monitor the horse population will be announced soon, Goicoechea said.
Meanwhile, the Arizona BLM plans to remove up to 1,000 wild burros from the Black Mountain Herd Management Area, ABC 15 reported this week.
“Wild burros essentially have no natural predators, resulting in rapid population increases,” Amanda Dodson, Kingman field manager, said in a news release. “If not managed properly, herds can double in size every five years.
They will be sent to wild horse and burro facilities in California, where they will be available for adoption or sale, officials said.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn