February 27, 2015 - ANGELS CAMP, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management will host a Wild Horse & Burro Adoption weekend March 14 and 15 in Calaveras County. The BLM will offer 40 wild horses, from yearlings to four year olds, and 10 burros for public adoption.
The horses will include four two-year-old fillies that were halter gentled at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, as well as three geldings and one filly halter gentled by BLM wranglers.
"With summer days ahead, this is a good time to begin training an adopted mustang or burro," said Doug Satica, manager at BLM’s Litchfield wild horse and burro facility near Susanville. "Our horses and burros are certified to be healthy and they are ready to begin training."
The adoption will be held at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds, 101 Frogtown Road, Angels Camp, Calif. Interested individuals can preview the animals at 4 p.m. on Fri., March 13. The adoption will be open on Sat., March 14 and Sun. March 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adoptions begin with an hour of silent bidding at 9 a.m. Saturday. Animals not taken during bidding will be available for a $125 adoption fee. The horses are from northeast California/northwest Nevada herd management areas. Burros came from Southern California deserts.
Wild horses and burros are protected by a federal law, the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law recognizes the animals as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the west," and requires the BLM to manage the wild herds. The BLM periodically gathers horses and burros to control herd populations on ranges shared with wildlife and domestic livestock. Herd sizes are controlled to ensure there is sufficient feed and water for all range users and to ensure that natural resources are not over-used.
There are about 29,500 wild horses and burros roaming on public rangelands in the western states. More than 220,000 animals have been placed in private care since the BLM's Adopt-a-Horse-or-Burro Program began in the early 1970s.
For additional information on the adoption event or wild horse management, contact the BLM toll free at 1-866-4MUSTANGS or the Litchfield Corrals at (530) 254-6575. Information is also available online at www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.
BLM Offers Horses, Burros Available for Adoption in Angels Camp During March 2015
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