Judge allows wild horse roundup to resume

RENO -- A government roundup of wild horses can resume in Nevada, a judge ruled Friday, dealing a setback to animal rights activists who had hoped to halt it after 13 wild horses died.

Federal land managers hailed U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks' order, warning that more than 500 horses in Elko County could die of dehydration in the next week if the roundup didn't continue.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Doran Sanchez said the condition of the horses is "deteriorating rapidly," and the roundup will resume this morning. BLM officials blame the deaths on the drought and not the roundup.

"We have a major crisis here, and given the critical condition the animals are in, we could lose a lot of animals," Sanchez said.

But activists have expressed outrage over the roundup, saying the deaths were predictable, given the hot summer temperatures and the weakened state of colts and mares that recently gave or were about to give birth.

The BLM has hauled more than 12,000 gallons of water to various sites in the roundup area, but the horses have not been drinking it and the agency doesn't know why, Sanchez said.

The 228 horses gathered last weekend were among up to 1,200 the agency intends to remove from the range.

BLM officials say the roundups are necessary because the wild horse population is growing so rapidly that the animals are running out of food and harming the range. Activists say the agency is removing the wild horses to make room for livestock grazing and other interests.