Nevada agriculture officials teamed with a conservation group earlier this month to move 24 feral horses from a development property in southeastern Reno.

The state Department of Agriculture said the horses had to be removed to protect them from the dangers of an active construction zone and to protect people in the area.

The NDA, cooperative partner Wild Horse Connection, and the property development company had been collaborating on this issue for over two weeks. Wild Horse Connection was given access to the site to relocate the horses off the property but were unsuccessful.

On Aug. 1, Wild Horse Connection requested an extension through Tuesday, Aug. 6 to relocate the horses. This was approved, but still unsuccessful by the Aug. 6 extension deadline, at which time the NDA took action based upon language in the cooperative agreement with Wild Horse Connection to remove the horses from the site to protect them from such dangers as heavy machinery, sharp objects and trenching.

This gather was conducted under the supervision of NDA veterinarians who closely monitored the health and safety of the horses. No horses were injured during this process.

The horses were transferred to Northern Nevada Correctional Center where they will be advertised per Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 569 to confirm there are no other legal owners of any of the horses gathered and will then be made available for adoption.

Horses will be microchipped and identified to ensure they are not returned to the range and for future documentation and proof of ownership. More information on how to adopt one of these horses will be available at agri.nv.gov. This process will occur over the next 60 days.

Source: Nevada Department of Agriculture