BLM to Conduct Emergency Gather of Idaho Wild Horses

The emergency gather aims to maintain herd health and protect rangelands that have been impacted by the Soda Fire.
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Boise, Idaho, Acting District Manager Jenifer Arnold announced Aug. 25 that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will conduct an emergency gather of the Sands Basin, Hardtrigger, and Black Mountain wild horse herds as a means to maintain the health of the herds and protect rangelands that have been impacted by the Soda Fire.

To date, the Soda Fire has swept across 285,000 acres of land in southwestern Idaho, including 100% of the Sands Basin and Hardtrigger wild horse herd management areas (HMA) and a third of the Black Mountain HMA. Last week, 29 horses were killed by the fast moving fire, and six more had to be euthanized due to injuries sustained in the fire.

All of the horses within the Sands Basin and Hardtrigger HMAs will be removed to ensure their health and safety during the upcoming winter months. Approximately 65 horses will be gathered from Black Mountain, reducing wild horse numbers to a sustainable level for the remaining forage in that HMA. In all, approximately 285 horses will be gathered.

“Throughout the duration of the fire, BLM teams were monitoring the condition and whereabouts of the horses,” Arnold said. “A patchwork of unburned islands within the HMAs provided limited forage, but not at a sustainable level. It is critical that we see to the horses’ nutritional needs by bringing them in to the Boise Wild Horse Corrals until the range recovers

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