Organizations call on Nevada Governor to relocate not incarcerate the horses

(RENO, Nev. August 8, 2024) – The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) has sparked outrage among the Reno community as it continues its controversial roundup of Virginia Range free-roaming horses in South Reno today. This follows yesterday’s capture and removal of 20 wild horses. The captured horses are being trailered to the Carson City prison and legally may be sold at auction and purchased for slaughter.

The horses were trapped inside a fence erected by Sunny Hills Ranchos, a California-based residential development company. 

Wild horse advocates are calling on Governor Joe Lombardo to order the release and relocation of the captured horses back to a safe area of the range. 

The NDA’s unilateral action upends a plan previously approved by the NDA, the City of Reno, and the developer, which authorized the state’s non-profit partners to humanely relocate the horses to a new area of the range. It also threatens a cooperative partnership between the state and non-profit organizations that provides for the humane management of the Virginia Range horses at no cost to taxpayers. 

“This is the first roundup in 12 years on the Virginia Range, and a stark departure from the humane, collaborative approach of the past five years,” said Tracy Wilson, Nevada State Director for American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC). “It’s cruel, unnecessary, and will only foster conflict and distrust in our state government. We doubt this is the path Governor Lombardo wants, but it’s the one the Department of Agriculture is leading his administration down.”

AWHC holds a Cooperative Agreement with the State of Nevada to implement a humane fertility control program for the Virginia Range horses. A separate NGO, Wild Horse Connection, has a Cooperative Agreement authorizing range management activities such as relocation, rescue and diversionary feeding for public safety. These efforts have significantly reduced horse-human conflict complaints, vehicle collisions, and stabilized the horse population growth in the 300,000-acre Virginia Range.

According to Wilson, the programs are implemented by a network of more than half a dozen organizations and over 100 volunteers—many of whom supported Governor Lombardo—who invest more than $500,000 and thousands of hours annually in humane stewardship programs, all privately funded. 

The Cooperative partners have been working with the City of Reno for humane solutions to address issues created by the new Sunny Hills fence, which cuts off wild horses from the water source they rely on for survival. An alternative water source is being developed and certified large animal rescue volunteers are standing by to implement the previously agreed-upon relocation plan, which could safely move the horses without resorting to removal.

In response to the NDA’s actions, wild horse advocates rallied at the State Capitol this morning in support of the release of the captured horses and a return to the cooperative spirit between the state and the community that has marked the last five years of horse management on the Virginia Range. 

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