Judge denies request to halt horse roundups

RENO -- A federal judge has denied a request by animal rights advocates to halt roundups of wild horses after the federal government quietly gathered nearly 400 wild horses at a national wildlife refuge on the Nevada-Oregon line.

Grass Roots Horse, an advocacy group, had sought a restraining order against ongoing roundups. U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks on Monday denied its request for a temporary restraining order but has not yet set a date to hear arguments in the case.

The group had amended its complaint Friday to include details of the latest roundup at the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge last week. It alleged that the group's observer was harassed by the helicopter contractor and federal employees and that the observer discovered a grave site strewn with the bones of horses killed during previous roundups.

Paul Steblein, the agency's project leader in Sheldon, confirmed 396 horses were removed from the refuge last week. He said the roundup was kept "low and quiet" for the safety of the workers and the horses because spectators at the site increase the chance of injury for humans and animals.

Steblein said the roundup was part of a management plan approved in 2008, which called for a reduction of the horse population through 2011. He said the horses compete with native wildlife for forage and damage water sources.