LAS VEGAS — Federal land managers ended the roundup of cattle on public land in southern Nevada owned by a rancher who has refused to recognize their authority, citing a “serious concern” for the safety of employees and the public.
Bureau of Land Management chief Neil Kornze made the announcement Saturday afternoon.
Later Saturday, the bureau released all 400 head of seized cattle after hundreds of protesters, some of them armed with handguns and rifles, showed up at corrals outside Mesquite to demand the animals’ return to rancher Cliven Bundy.
The Bundy-BLM fight has widened into a debate about federal land-use policy. The bureau revoked Bundy’s grazing rights after he stopped paying grazing fees and disregarded court orders to remove his animals.
The bureau issued a brief statement saying the cattle were released “due to escalating tensions.” The Associated Press
