| Virginia Range Estray Horse Program This information is courtesy of the Nevada State Department of Agriculture **************************************************************** 1. The difference between a wild and estray horse? A large majority of “wild” and free-roaming horses and burros in Nevada fall under the jurisdiction of federal law. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is charged with managing wild horse and burro populations and has a separate program to complete this task. Since much of the Virginia Range is privately owned, with very little federal land, the BLM determined that this area was not suitable for long-term management of wild horses or burros and instigated a horse capture program. In 1986, the BLM designated the Virginia Range as a wild horse free area through a land use planning process. Horses that were either left behind or migrated into the Virginia Range after this BLM designation fell by default under the existing state laws pertaining to “estray” livestock (see NRS 569). Under these State statutes, estray livestock are deemed the property of the Nevada Department of Agriculture until such time as the legal owner can be determined and take possession, or the animal is other wised placed. Specific procedures on how the Department shall process, or other wise place, estray livestock are specifically referenced in existing State statutes. *************************************************************** |
| 2. What will happen to the horses once they are removed from the Virginia Range? Captured horses from the Virginia Range are placed under the custody of the Nevada Department of Agriculture and transported to the Department’s holding facility located at the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility in Carson City. Once at this facility, captured horses will be publicly advertised in accordance with State law to determine previous ownership. If no previous ownership is identified, horses are examined by a qualified veterinarian and given the required immunizations and worming treatments. Upon conclusion of veterinary treatment each capture horse is provided with a State of Nevada brand for individual identification. After processing and branding, the Nevada Department of Agriculture will keep the captured horses at the Carson City holding facility up to 60-days to allow sufficient opportunity for adoption and placement. Estray horses that are not placed at the conclusion of the 60-day holding period will be offered for public sale at the holding facility. Minimum sale price will be determined by the costs incurred by the State at that time. Horses that are not placed through adoption within the 60-day holding period, or are not sold at the subsequent public sale, will be transported and sold to the highest bidder at a livestock auction. **************************************************************** |
| 3. Who are the adoption agents and what is their relationship to the State? The Nevada Department of Agriculture does not adopt captured estray horses to private parties or residents. Rather, the State has individual cooperative agreements with several non-profit organizations that voluntarily serve as adoption agents for the purpose of placing and adopting captured estray horses from the Virginia Range. The fundamental and primary interest of these participating organizations is the welfare and permanent placement of these horses into caring and secure homes. Under this arrangement, the authorized adoption agent purchases a captured estray horse from the Department of Agriculture prior to completion of the 60-day holding period. The fees for this transaction represent the costs that the State has incurred at that time in the capture, processing and care of the horse. During this transaction title for the horse is transferred from the State to the adoption agent with the requirement that the agent will hold this title for one year after permanent placement. The adoption agent must further provide the department with quarterly reports disclosing the location and status of placed horses during the one-year waiting period. After its purchase from the State, the authorized adoption agent can charge whatever price it desires to place the estray horse into a suitable home. For purposes of insuring that horses are placed into caring and secure homes, title for adopted estray horses will be transferred only after one complete calendar year of permanent placement. During this interval, the health and care of the placed horses, and the suitability of the animal’s quarters, will be open for inspection by either the adoption agent and/or the Department of Agriculture. Estray horses found to be receiving inadequate or unsafe care during this period will be retrieved and re-placed through the adoption program. At the conclusion of the one-year waiting period, the authorized adoption agent will relay its authorization to the Department of Agriculture to transfer the title for the successfully placed horse to the final adopter. Per State law, a State Brand Inspector employed by the Nevada Department of Agriculture will perform all horse title transfers. **************************************************************** |
| 4. Why are estray horses held adoption by the State for only 60-days before being offered for public sale? In addition to keeping program costs within reasonable levels, the primary reason for limiting the duration for holding unadopted horses relates to price competition. Initial outlay costs to purchase a wild horse from the BLM is $125 regardless of how long the animal was held and cared for by the federal government. Actual costs to the State for processing a captured estray horse (i.e., public notice, veterinarian checkup, shots, worming and branding) approaches approximately $100 per horse. Costs for holding and feeding an estray horse are $2 per day. Based on these rates, the Department can process an estray horse and hold it for adoption for 12 days before exceeding the price for a wild horse purchased through the BLM program. Costs to the State for processing and holding an estray horse for the 60-day adoption period approaches $220, or nearly a $100 more than a similar horse could be purchased from the BLM. While it is not the intent of this program to make money, it is an expectation that the State can recover much of its operational costs through a reasonable adoption fee. Extending the holding period for adoption beyond the current 60-day limit would substantially reduce the salability of Virginia Range horses and substantially increase the unrecoverable program costs to the State. |
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