Wild horse center reopens after outbreak
RENO -- The Bureau of Land Management has reopened its wild horse center in Palomino Valley seven weeks after it was shut down because of a salmonella outbreak.
The outbreak occurred after 983 horses from the Jackson Mountains were brought to the facility. Officials said 178 horses died or were euthanized. The facility north of Reno closed Sept. 26.
"No issues whatsoever," John Neill, facility manager for BLM, said of the center's reopening to the public.
The 1,250 wild horses at the center soon will be joined by others for the first time since the closure.
About 230 horses collected from across the BLM's Winnemucca, Battle Mountain and Carson City districts are scheduled to be brought there today.
New arrivals will be held in pens separate from the horses exposed to salmonella, Neill said.
The outbreak in September occurred after the horses had trouble adjusting to a new diet, which made them susceptible to the bacteria, officials said.
