BLM to remove 3,500 wild horses in Nevada

RENO -- Federal land managers have announced plans to remove 6,000 wild horses from the range across the West in the next few months, including about 3,500 mustangs in Nevada.

Bureau of Land Management officials say roundups also are planned in Arizona, California, Montana, Utah and Wyoming this fall and winter to protect rangelands and wildlife habitat from the impact of overpopulated horse herds.

Plans call for the removal of more than 2,000 mustangs in Wyoming, which has more wild horses than any other state except Nevada.

Activists sharply criticized the announcement, saying the mass removal of wild horses from public lands will result in the stockpiling of thousands of more horses in holding facilities at taxpayer expense.

Activists say the BLM is taking the action to appease ranchers.