Federal land managers to remove about 550 wild horses near Ely

ELY (AP) - Federal land managers have announced plans to remove nearly 550 wild horses from the range about 70 miles south of Ely.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say the gather around the Silver King Herd Management Area is needed to protect vegetation and to prevent the mustangs from moving outside the area for forage.

The agency maintains the area only can handle 60 to 128 wild horses.

BLM managers say approval of the final environmental assessment for the roundup paves the way for it to begin in September.

They estimate that 38,000 mustangs and burros roam 10 Western states, and half are in Nevada. The agency is in the process of removing about 12,000 animals to bring their numbers down to what it considers an appropriate management level.