Wednesday, July 9, 2008

BLM asks for your input on wild horse management


The Bureau of Land Management is considering how to manage wild horse populations in the American West and has asked for public input.
You can follow this link to read their statement, and for their contact information.

As they note, they are considering two new options:

(1) sell older and certain other unadopted animals “without limitation” to any willing buyers
(2) euthanize those wild horses and burros for which no adoption demand exists

Please consider sending the BLM your thoughts on the topic.

If you are unfamiliar with grazing on public lands, here is the BLM's own history on the topic.

My own thoughts, for what they are worth:
I acknowledge that there are no "easy answers". However, it is my suspicion that the consideration of these options is being driven by three factors: industrial ranching lobbies, (human) population growth and development, and budget problems. I do not believe the environment, small family farmers, the needs of wildlife, or the welfare of the feral equines are the top billing. I wonder if neutering and tourism could be a more effective combination to keep mustang populations controlled and to help offset the cost of managing the animals. I admit as a New Englander, I'm some what removed from the local nuances. So I'm going to try to become more aware of the facts related to these issues.

1 comment:

Grey Horse Matters said...

Something needs to be done, yes, but euthanizing thousands of horses isn't the answer,I believe the answer lies in reversing the greed of the cattle and sheep ranchers and their lobbies in Washington. I'm sure somewhere along the line there is a lot of misinformation being presented to further their case. I just sent a letter to my representatives about the vote coming up on this killing of thousands. The ASPCA has a letter you can fill out and send online to your reps if you're interested.