VALE, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management is launching an emergency operation Friday to help wild horses in Southeast Oregon facing severe food and water shortages amid a record-dry year and recent wildfire.
There are currently about 1,200 wild horses in the Sheepshead/Heath Creek Herd Management Area, which officials say can only sustainably support roughly 500 to 900 wild horses.
BLM specialists monitoring the herd began planning an emergency gather after seeing how limited the available water had become.
Tye Morgan, acting field manager with the Bureau of Land Management’s Malheur Field Office, says the area had 63 water sources, but all except two had dried up.
Then the Bald Mountain Fire burned portions of the herd management area, adding another challenge to an already severe drought situation.
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Morgan says BLM had been unable to begin the operation while the region was at preparedness level five, because of the number of active fires.
The agency plans to gather just under 500 horses, bringing the population closer to what the land is considered able to sustainably support.
Morgan explains that crews are using temporary holding corrals, food and water, and a helicopter to guide horses toward those resources. The gathered horses will then be transported to a temporary holding corral in Burns.
Oegon Wild Horse Corral in Burns, Oregon – Bureau of Land Management image.
All of the horses gathered through this emergency operation will be offered for adoption. Morgan says horses that are not adopted will go to a long-term holding facility where they will have access to high-quality forage and water.
The BLM says removing horses from the range will also help the rangeland recover from the wildfire and support habitat for wildlife and other land uses.
The agency’s specialists will continue monitoring conditions and doing what they can to care for the horses.
