BLM concludes the Challis Wild Horse Herd Management Area gather
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Challis, Idaho --The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Challis Field Office concluded the Challis Herd Management Area (HMA) wild horse gather near Challis on Nov. 11, 2019. The BLM gathered 295 wild horses from public lands during gather operations that lasted from Nov. 5 - 11, 2019. An aerial census flight will be conducted this week to determine the number of horses remaining on the range. A ratio of studs and mares will be released to the range to reach the low end of the Appropriate Management Level of 185. The mares will be treated with a fertility control vaccine prior to release.
The purpose of the gather was to reduce overpopulation of wild horses within and outside the HMA, to prevent further degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses and restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands. It was conducted in compliance with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
The BLM transported wild horses removed from the range to the Bruneau Off-Range Wild Horse Corral facility in Bruneau, Idaho, to be readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sale Program. Those horses identified to return to the range were transported to the Challis Off-Range Corral facility where they will be cared for until they are released.
Additional gather information is available on the BLM website at www.blm.gov/idaho/2019-
For more information, contact Heather Tiel-Nelson, BLM Idaho, wild horse and burro public affairs specialist, at (208) 736-2352 or hnelson@blm.gov.
For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.