By Brittney Kelley
TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invites the public to bring home a wild horse or burro at the upcoming adoption during the Pima County Fair on April 22-24.
BLM will be offering 21 wild horses and 10 wild burros through a silent competitive bidding process. The minimum bid for each animal is $125.
Adopters must qualify and are limited to adopting up to four animals per year. To qualify, adopters must be U.S. citizens and over the age of 18. Approved facilities must also be available for the horses and burros in order to adopt. To learn more about how to qualify and to obtain an application, click here.
BLM specialists will also be available at the adoption to answer questions and approve applications.
Adoption Schedule:
• Friday, April 22, 2011 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Preview Animals
The wild horses and burros are available for viewing; the BLM staff discusses adoption procedures and approves applications; bidder numbers are assigned.
• Saturday, April 23, 2011 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Adoption / Silent Competitive Bids begin at 11 a.m.
Bids are written down on bidding sheets located on each animal’s corral. Successful bidders are eligible to participate in the “Adopt-a-Buddy Horse” drawing, provided they meet facility requirements. Another horse (buddy) may be adopted for only $25.
Loading of adopted animals begins after the bidding and the Adopt-a-Buddy lottery, which continues through 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Animals not adopted during the silent bidding will be available, first come, first served, for the minimum fee of $125 until 3 p.m. on Sunday.
• Sunday, April 24, 2011 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Adoption of Remaining Animals / Loading
The BLM protects and manages wild horses and burros to ensure that herds thrive on healthy rangelands. To date, over 225,000 animals have found loving homes.
For additional information, please call the national office at 1-866-4-MUSTANGS (468-7826).
