PZP numbers

Second Year, Same Dedication and incredible results

The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) , on behalf of all of its hard working volunteers, is thrilled to announce that it has renewed its Cooperative Agreement with the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) for Year 2 of the Virginia Range Horse PZP Fertility Control Program. AWHC is so proud of all the hard work and dedication the volunteers and staff have put into this monumental program!

This month, AWHC staff and volunteers are also celebrating a new milestone: They’ve delivered over 2,000 fertility control treatments to more than 1,000 mares in just over a year! 

Volunteers have been the boots on the ground for this historic program. They are out in the field day in and day out, darting and documenting horses, braving the heat, the cold and even adapting to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. These committed individuals are demonstrating every day that teamwork truly makes the dream work and the results are unprecedented. Thank you to everyone who is part of this unprecedented program!

Foals on the Virginia Range

The 2020 foals are hitting the ground! A large percentage of the mares who have given birth have been fully treated with birth control and are protected for the 2021 breeding season, meaning most should not deliver foals in 2021. Volunteer darters are also working hard to vaccinate the 2019 fillies with fertility control to prevent them from conceiving at their first heat.

With its habitat continuing to shrink due to rapid commercial and residential development in the area, it is essential to reduce the size of the Virginia Range horse humanely over time. AWHC and its volunteers look forward to continued program success and fewer foals in 2021!

New Permissions, New Horses

The Virginia Range is an expansive habitat comprised mostly of privately-owned land. Darters and documenters must obtain landowner permission to dart on private property. Along with darting and documenting, staff members and volunteers have secured permission to dart on dozens of private properties, including several new key parcels. Many of the mares on these new properties have never been treated, and volunteers are racing to get those mares inoculated and protected before they get bred back during the 2020 breeding season, underway now!

AWHC Darting Class

AWHC has eight volunteers ready to complete the Science and Conservation Center’s Darter Certification class and become certified darters! The April class was unfortunately postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic. AWHC is hoping the class will be rescheduled this summer, so more volunteers can be out in the field. In the interim, the prospective darters are going out in the field with trained darters to get some field experience.