Wild horse roundup postponed by BLM

The Bureau of Land Management has postponed a planned roundup of thousands of wild horses in Nevada because of a lawsuit and to allow time for appeals of its decision.

BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley in Reno confirmed Wednesday the gather planned to begin Dec. 7 has been delayed until Dec. 28.

Worley says the agency still plans to issue its formal decision Tuesday on its plan to round up 2,700 horses from the range 100 miles north of Reno.

The animal protection group In Defense of Animals on Monday filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., seeking to block the action and challenging the use of helicopters in roundups.

The lawsuit said the roundup violates the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act passed by Congress in 1971.