40 wild horses found dead northwest of Las Vegas

Wild horses managed by the Bureau of Land Management were found dead late last week and additional horses have died since the discovery. The cause of death for 40 wild horses is under investigation.

The horses died near a water source in the extreme northwest portion of the herd management area, about 210 miles northwest of Las Vegas, which is within the U.S. Air Force Nevada Test and Training Range.

The military alerted BLM late Friday that they had seen some dead horses. The area is restricted to public access and the Air Force is providing access to the BLM. On Saturday, BLM went to the site and found 25 dead wild horses and an antelope. A water pond on a dry lake bed is suspected to be the source of the problem. BLM and the military are placing a water trough and are hauling water. Water samples have been collected and a USDA/APHIS veterinarian is at the site today to assess horse health and perform a necropsy. Samples will be sent to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory in Tulare, Calif., for analysis. Preliminary results are expected by Friday, toxicology testing will be conducted by U.C. Davis and could take up to a week.