BLM Plans Emergency Removal of 500 Wild Burros Near Beatty

The federal government plans to remove approximately 500 wild burros from the land surrounding Beatty beginning April 1, citing a population that has grown to more than ten times the legally permitted level and poses active dangers along U.S. Highway 95.

The Bureau of Land Management's Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office announced the emergency gather within and around the Bullfrog Herd Management Area, a 157,180-acre stretch of public and private land that encircles the town of Beatty in Nye County. The agency estimates the burro population at approximately 1,096 animals as of April 2024, against an appropriate management level of just 58 to 91. Even after an emergency gather in October removed 246 wild burros, the herd remains drastically above that ceiling.

The BLM says the overpopulation is no longer just an ecological problem. "The removal would mitigate the impacts to public safety and private property issues due to the overpopulation of wild burros," the agency stated in its announcement. Burros wandering onto U.S. Highway 95 have elevated collision risks, and adjacent private landowners have reported ongoing intrusions. "This action is also necessary to reduce public safety concerns along U.S. Highway 95 as well as private property adjacent to Bullfrog HMA," the BLM added.

Operationally, the gather will rely on temporary corrals stocked with water and hay to bait and trap the animals. No helicopters will be used. The BLM framed the broader legal purpose of the operation in terms of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, stating the gather is meant "to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b)" of that law.

The gather is being conducted under Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-NV-B020-2024-0046-EA. The Decision Record and Determination of NEPA Adequacy are available through the Bullfrog Herd Management Area ePlanning Site. Daily progress reports will be posted on the 2026 Bullfrog HMA Gather webpage as operations proceed.

Residents or landowners with questions can contact Aimee Bollinger, Battle Mountain District Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, at (775) 635-4187. What happens to the roughly 500 burros after removal, including whether they will be offered for adoption or placed in long-term holding, has not been specified by the agency.