Wild horse advocates protest Nevada Department of Agriculture

More than 40 people met in front of the Capitol in Carson City on Thursday to protest the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s handling of wild horses on land being developed in southeast Reno.

Officials from American Wild Horse Conservation announced the protest Wednesday with a news release alleging more than a dozen Virginia Range horses in south Reno had been rounded up by the NDA for the sake of a residential development.

“American Wild Horse Conservation works closely with Wild Horse Connection, the organization that holds a cooperative range management agreement with NDA. AWHC has a separate cooperative agreement with the NDA for a fertility control program, which has reduced the foaling rate in the Virginia Range horse population by 66%. These cooperative agreements have been in place for over five years and are entirely funded by private dollars,” said the news release.

Tracy Wilson, Nevada state director at AWHC, described the recent horse removal as “beyond cruel and completely unnecessary.”

“We’ve had a productive, years-long partnership with the state of Nevada for the humane management of the Virginia Range horses," Wilson said in the release. "We hope that the NDA will reconsider its decision to remove the horses so that community trust and collaboration can be restored.”

Thursday, Ciara Ressel, public information officer for the NDA, provided the following statement from the department:

"On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the Nevada Department of Agriculture began the removal of feral horses on a development property in southeastern Reno. The horses had to be removed from this site to protect them from the dangers of an active construction zone and in the interest of protecting public safety.

The horses were transferred to an off range holding facility where they will be advertised per Nevada Revised Statute 569 and available at a later date for adoption.

Only horses on the development property are being removed. Any horses fenced outside the property will remain on the Virginia Range. Feed and water is available for these horses in the surrounding areas.

Correcting some misinformation:

• Horses will NOT be sent to slaughter. Slaughter of horses is illegal in the U.S.

• The NDA, cooperative partners and the development company have been collaborating on this issue for the last 2-3 weeks. Cooperative partners were given access to the site to relocate the horses off the property, but were unsuccessful. The NDA is now removing the horses from the site to protect them from the dangers of an active construction zone including heavy machinery, sharp objects and trenching.

• Cutting fencing around the property will only further harm the horses. This construction zone is a hazard to their safety. Horses outside of the property have access to feed and water in the surrounding areas."

Two dozen horses were removed Aug. 7-8, the NDA said in a followup on Friday.

"This gather was conducted under the supervision of NDA veterinarians who closely monitored the health and safety of the horses. No horses were injured during this process," according to the statement Friday.

The horses were transferred to a holding facility at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, the NDA said.