RENO, Nev. (AP) - A sheriff's report on alleged mistreatment of wild horses at a government-funded Nevada facility has been turned over to a district attorney for possible prosecution.

Churchill County Sheriff Richard Ingram said an investigation was initiated May 20 after an activist filed a complaint alleging abuse and neglect of mustangs at the facility near Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno.

About 1,900 horses were brought there earlier this year after a government roundup of the animals from the range north of Reno. U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials confirmed 83 of the animals have died there so far.

Ingram said the report was submitted late Thursday after his office interviewed BLM officials, activists and facility employees.

He said the report merely contains the facts of the case and makes no recommendations. The report cites a state law that makes "failure to provide proper sustenance" to animals illegal.

"We determined there was water and food provided and a veterinarian at the scene," the sheriff said. "Now, the DA will make a determination as to whether or not the care being provided is sufficient under the law."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Tom Stockard said his office has not had a chance to review the report but hopes to decide whether to pursue a case soon.

"Anytime there's serious allegations made we want to go through it thoroughly," Stockard said Friday. "We're going to give it all consideration and make a determination as to the appropriate action."

Aleta T. Wagner of Denver, whose complaint spurred the investigation, accused the BLM of providing inadequate medical care for the mustangs.

Wagner said she was especially upset over what she called the lack of care provided to a 3-day-old foal that was euthanized May 16. Three other activists later filed similar complaints.

"They were not aware that this foal was severely emaciated, which did not happen overnight," Wagner told the Lahontan Valley News & Fallon Eagle Standard newspaper. "This foal suffered for several days without notice by the BLM until the public pointed it out to them."

Activist Elise Gardner of Novato, Calif., who has closely monitored the facility, said one veterinarian is available to care for horses there and at a separate corral near Reno.

"One vet can't possibly give sufficient care to all these animals," Gardner said. "The BLM expects a death rate of 1 percent and it's over 5 percent with this roundup. This is horrific."

BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said the agency has provided good
care to the horses. She attributed the deaths mostly to the poor body condition of mares that were sent to Fallon, where the animals are being prepared for adoption or transfer to pastures in the Midwest.

"Most of the animals out there have gained weight," Worley said. "The people who work there are all looking at the animals and certainly if an animal is sick or having a problem they alert the manager or vet."

Worley said the vet promptly visited the facility after being informed of the 3-day-old foal's condition and decided to euthanize the animal after determining it would be unable to recover.

Gardner praised the sheriff's department for conducting the investigation, saying she hopes prosecutors take the report seriously.

"I think a thorough investigation needs to be done. Many horses out there are doing well, but there are many who aren't," she said.

Ingram said he concluded there was no need for immediate intervention because a vet was on site, but the allegations were serious enough to warrant an investigation.

"This is important because there are obviously two passionate sides to this issue," he said. "We have a duty and obligation to conduct an investigation to determine the validity of the accusation."

The BLM maintains that the Calico Mountains Complex roundup was necessary because an overpopulation of horses is harming native wildlife and the range itself, and threatening the mustangs with starvation. Activists unsuccessfully sued to halt the roundup, branding it as unnecessary and inhumane.