More than 70 wild horses and burros will be up for grabs at an adoption event this weekend in South Texas.
The Bureau of Land Management is holding the adoption event and will pay up to $1,000 for the adoption of an untrained animal, the government agency wrote in a news release.
The agency is willing to pay the incentive “as part of our efforts to find every horse and burro a good home,” it stated.
The event will take place at noon-6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Showgrounds in Mercedes.
San Antonio Zoo working to help Australian wildlife
Those interested in adopting must be at least 18 years old, have no history of animal abuse and have a minimum of 400 square feet of corral space at their property. Certain corral, fence and trailer requirements are detailed online.
Applications will be approved on site.
Horses and burros range in age from yearling to adult. They all “once roamed free on public lands in the West,” the BLM states.
“The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range in order to maintain healthy herds and to protect other rangeland resources,” according to the release. “The adoption and sale program is essential for achieving these important management goals.”
Bobcat, coyotes spotted in Schertz, police say
More than 235,000 wild animals have been removed by the BLM and placed in homes since 1973.