NV wildlife agency backs BLM in wild horse lawsuit

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The Nevada Department of Wildlife is siding with federal land managers against a lawsuit that seeks to block the removal of 2,500 wild horses from the range north of Reno.

The state agency on Thursday filed a motion to intervene in the suit on behalf of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, saying an overpopulation of horses has left insufficient forage for native wildlife.

NDOW, in the filing, says its assessment of habitat conditions in the Calico Mountain Complex showed that horses have "severely degraded" the range and continue to adversely affect wildlife.

"Specifically, drought in combination with competition from horses for scarce water resources has resulted in the determination that wildlife such as bighorn sheep are under significant stress," the agency says.

The mustang roundup planned for Dec. 28 would be one of the largest in Nevada in recent years. The BLM has said removal of the horses is needed to bring population numbers down in the Calico complex to prevent habitat deterioration.

In Defense of Animals based in San Rafael, Calif., and wildlife biologist Craig Downer of Nevada filed the lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt the roundup.

Equine advocates contend the BLM is grossly inflating horse numbers to justify their removal from the range.

But NDOW Director Ken Mayer said in some aerial surveys, more horses than deer are spotted.

"This has been a constant theme and we're working all the time with the BLM on these numbers," he said. "We need to bring horse numbers back in sync with what the habitat supports."

The lawsuit says wild horses are an integral part of the natural ecosystem and should remain on rangeland throughout the West rather than be herded into long-term holding pens.

The suit also argues that the use of helicopters in massive roundups is illegal because they "traumatize, injure and kill" some of the animals.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman heard arguments in the case on Wednesday and has said he would issue a ruling before Christmas.

The roundup is part of the BLM's overall plan to remove up to 25,000 mustangs from public lands around the West and ship them to greener pastures in the Midwest and East.

The BLM estimates about half of the 36,600 horses in the wild live in Nevada. It wants to reduce the overall population to what it considers an "appropriate management level" of 26,600.