Wild horse count

Officials with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada and Oregon on Monday initiated an effort to update their recorded numbers of wild horses in roughly 4 million acres of the two states.

For comparison, the Grand Mesa, Gunnison and Uncompahgrea National Forests cover just over 3 million acres.

There is no official number listed for wild horses that roam the area in question. Throughout the West, the BLM estimate there are more than 38,000 wild horse and burros. It's efforts to trim the size of the herds through roundups have sparked controversy and protests from wild horse advocacy groups. Representatives of some of those groups praised the BLM for underaking the new census effort.

The photo here is of a mare and foal in Montana's Pryor Mountain herd. By Carol Walker for the Cloud Foundation.

To read more from the Associated Press, click HERE.