Wild horse roundup captures at least 131 Montana mustangs

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Federal officials say they will complete a wild horse roundup along the Montana-Wyoming border within the next few days.

As of Monday night, Bureau of Land Management contractors had gathered 131 wild horses as part of the agency’s effort to reduce the size of the herd in the Pryor Mountain National Wild Horse Range.

Critics say the roundup threatens to ruin the genetics of a herd descended from animals brought to North America by Spanish conquistadors.

About 70 of the range’s 190 adult horses will be offered for adoption. The remainder will be released, with most mares receiving a fertility control injection.

The captured horses are being held at BLM’s Britton Springs corrals north of Lovell, Wyo. The adoption is scheduled for Sept. 26.

-- Associated Press