Wild Horses Up For Adoption As Groups Seek Solution To Large Horse Population

By Dennis Lambert
Published: Friday, January 24, 2014 - 10:43am
Updated: Friday, January 24, 2014 - 11:43am
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The state of Nevada is reaching out to people who may want to adopt a wild horse captured in the Virginia Mountain range, near Reno, after allegedly posing a public safety concern.

Deniz Bolbol of the "Return to Freedom" horse preservation campaign says the horses likely wandered into an inhabited area, which was part of their natural range for centuries. She says her group is working with the state to preserve rangeland for the horses, while protecting the public interest.

“To keep the horses on the range, but at the same time keeping the horses out of areas that the Department of Agriculture doesn't want the horses going into, such as neighborhoods,” Bolbol said. “We're working to secure that cooperative agreement with the State of Nevada, as we speak.”

Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva has joined with "Return to Freedom" in calling for an end to horse round-ups in favor of managing the horses with fertility control. Adopting a wild horse costs $125, but Bolbol says that’s probably the cheapest part of owning the animal. The Nevada wild horse population could be as high as 10,000 animals.