Roundups and Issues in Holding Continue During Shutdown

By Laura Leigh on October 7, 2025

Baby in the Bullfrog HMA

BLM began a removal in the Bullfrog HMA near Beatty, NV, today. The target for removal is 250. (BLm has not created a landing page for the removal.)

Many people mistakenly believe roundups stop during a government shutdown.

BLM has also begun a removal of 270 burros in Centennial near the Naval weapons station in California.

In the case of Bullfrog burros, there is big money and rapidly expanding mining needing burros out of the way. Collisions with burros on dark roads during mining shift changes and expansion fall under the “emergency” category and get the green light to move ahead.

Map of expanding mining in and around Bullfrog.

The removal will be done by bait trap. No public observation will be allowed at trap or temporary holding. The burros are being shipped to Axtell, Utah. The drive is about 6 hours if you go through Las Vegas, nearly 8 hours if you take the back way.

Axtell is closed to the public and these burros will not be seen from capture, into holding… and probably not again until we see them at a “sale” event in a few months or on an auction Facebook page with the title “get these burros before they go to slaughter!”

Burros at Sale event in August

BLM has been funneling record numbers of wild horses and burros through “adoption/sale” events. These are not events geared to find good homes the BLM has vetted, These are events designed to rid the BLM of “inventory” to make room to keep running the roundup machine. (See more on the event and learn more about record “Sales” that place horses and burros immediately into the slaughter pipeline HERE).

Welfare issues and abysmal record keeping are standard for BLM. With the shutdown things are bound to get worse as employees only show up to feed.

This newborn baby fell victim to BLM’s lack of understanding of the specific needs of burros. Denied appropriate care, they also did not keep appropriate records and this little life never had a chance. (See more HERE in our Spotlight series on facilities)

In our October newsletter we reported to you about Strangles being one of the 3 listed significant causes of death at Palomino Valley Center in Reno of wild horses captured in August from Maverick-Medicine/Woodhills. The facility never closed and BLM failed to provide the requested shipping manifest and documents we requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Just because there is a government shutdown it does not mean roundups or issues involving welfare end.

It also does not mean that plans to remove more wild horses and burros end. Right now the next gather schedule is being written. Districts are all trying to get their Herd Management Areas (HMAs) onto the schedule.

That is why we are pushing our existing litigation forward and filing new cases. We must be vigilant.

We have also filed new FOIA requests on facilities and will share the information as soon as we receive it.

NOTE: For all of you following the Devil’s Garden case the Judge has already asked for an update on the flyover that would determine a release. We will update you as soon as we know more.

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