Wild horse roundup begins in Nevada

Las Vegas: A two-month capture of about 2,500 wild horses from public and private lands in northern Nevada began on Monday amid protests that the roundups are unnecessary and inhumane.

Federal officials said the roundup is needed because the 2,200 square kilometres of land is overpopulated and could become unlivable to wildlife and livestock within four years.

Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said the agency began gathering horses on Monday in the eastern portion of the Black Rock Range, a stretch of mountains more than 160 kilometres north of Reno, Nevada.

A contractor was using two helicopters under BLM supervision to move the horses to corrals, Worley said. The animals were then being trucked to Fallon, Nevada, for immunisations and veterinary care, she said.

Worley said officials wouldn't know how many horses were captured on Monday until Tuesday. She said the agency would likely be in the range for one week to 10 days — with a goal of capturing 250 mustangs.