US judge denies bid to block NV mustang roundups

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has rejected another
attempt by horse protection advocates to block government roundups of
free-roaming mustangs in the West.

U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben granted a temporary
restraining order last fall that cut short a Nevada roundup after he determined
a helicopter flew too close to a horse in violation of the law.

But he said during a hearing in Reno Thursday he denied a new
injunction request partly because the Bureau of Land Management has made some
positive changes since then.

He also told leaders of the Texas-based Free Wild Horse
Federation he doesn’t have the ability or authority to police every roundup in
the country. He says if the horses need more protection, the group will have to
take it up with Congress.