Thirty-five wild mares return to the wild. The BLM plans to release the mares that were gathered over the summer back into the Twin Peaks herd management area that is northeast of Susanville. Tomorrow as long as the weather holds and the country roads are drivable, 35 fertility-treated female wild horses will join the herds once more. They will also join the 46 mules that were released to the Twin Peaks area earlier this year.
Last summer nearly 2000 wild horses and over 300 wild burros were removed from the range to maintain wild populations at sustainable levels said to be up to 800 for horses and 100 for burros. The BLM is returning the mares to the range to help maintain herd viability. The fertility control drugs given to the mares will help in slowing down the growth of the wild populations as it remains effective for two or more years.