Wild Horse & Burro Adoption Returns to Mercedes, Texas, Jan. 8-9, 2016

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a wild horse and burro adoption in Mercedes, Texas, Jan. 8-9, 2016. The two-day event at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Showgrounds will feature dozens of spectacular animals. These are adult and yearling horses and burros that once roamed free on public lands in the West. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range in order to maintain healthy herds and to protect other rangeland resources. The adoption program is essential for achieving these important management goals.

Adoption Schedule
Friday, January 8
noon – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 9
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Adoption Qualifications
Application approval is required and can be done on site. To qualify to adopt, one must be at least 18, with no record of animal abuse. Adopters must have a minimum of 400 square feet of corral space per animal, with free access to food, water and shelter. A six-foot corral fence is required for adult horses, five feet for yearlings, and four-and-a-half feet for burros. All animals must be loaded in covered stock-type trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors. BLM staff will be on hand to assist adopters through the short application process.

Adoption Fees
Standard adoption fee is $125. All animals available first-come, first-served.

Wild horses and burros – iconic symbols of America’s western heritage – are renowned for their strength, endurance, agility and intelligence, characteristics bred into them in the wild that make them ideal for work or recreation. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 235,000 of these “living legends” in approved homes across the country.

For more information, call toll-free 866-468-7826 or visit www.blm.gov/nm/whb.