Horse Population Control May Be Euthanasia

Wild Horse Overpopulation Forces U.S. Bureau of Land Management To Weigh Difficult Options

(AP)  Faced with too many wild horses on the range and in holding facilities, federal officials are considering drastic policy changes that include ending roundups and euthanizing animals.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Henri Bisson said Monday there is an overpopulation of wild horses on public lands and the agency can no longer afford to care for the numbers of mustangs that have been rounded up. The number of horses adopted by the public has dropped off, leaving the BLM with more animals than it can care for, he said.

One option would be to stop all roundups - something the agency said would lead to "ecological disaster."

"The other option is to use some combination of the (adoption program) and euthanasia, which would be really difficult to do," Bisson told The Associated Press.

"Our goal is supposed to be about healthy horses on healthy ranges. But we are at the point we need to have a conversation with people about pragmatically what can we do given the financial constraints of our program to meet the goals we have," he said before meeting with area horse advocates.

Bisson was in Reno to brief the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. He said there are 32,000 wild horses on the range in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada.

BLM has set a target "appropriate management level" of horses at 27,000.

Some 33,000 more horses are in holding facilities, where most are made available for adoption. But those deemed too old or otherwise unadoptable are sent to long-term holding facilities to live out their lives - some for 15 to 20 years.

Last week the BLM said it was seeking bids from people around the country to provide pasture and care for 500 to 2,500 horses taken from the range that are considered unadoptable.

Caring for so many animals is crippling the agency's budget, Bisson said.

Last year about $22 million of the entire horse program's $39 million budget was spent on holding horses in agency pens. Next year the costs are projected to grow to $26 million with an overall budget that is being trimmed to $37 million, Bisson said.

Continuing current practices would require a budget of $58 million next year, escalating to $77 million in 2012, BLM estimated.

"We have a responsibility to balance the budget, so we are going to have to make some tough choices," Bisson said. "We don't want to do this at the last minute. So we need to have a conversation with horse advocates and try to share the pain a little bit so people understand that if we have to make those tough changes it's not because we want to."

The horse management program had been successful until recently, according to the agency. But in the face of an economic downturn that means higher costs for fuel as well as feed, adoption rates have dropped off significantly over the past year with no improvement in sight, Bisson said.

"I think the high price of energy, the economy, the price of hay is having a huge impact on our program. People across America now need to make a choice: Do I buy another horse or buy gas for my pickup?" Bisson said.

Bisson said none of the alternatives will be popular.

If roundups are ended he expects an outcry from horse protection advocates and from sheep and cattle ranchers who see the mustangs as competition for feed on the open range. If horses are euthanized, the outrage will come from horse protection groups, he said.

"Those are difficult choices to make," Bisson said. "But the law allows us to utilize those choices or some combination of that."

At least three roundups are planned in the coming weeks to remove about 1,700 wild horses in Nevada, where the BLM says ongoing drought has left dwindling forage and water for an overabundance of animals.

[beehive21-2009]

Leave the animals alone, or feed em to the polar Bears,hear they are starving ?

[deacon20081]

The cattle ranchers and Sheep herders have their own land. Leave the open ranges alone, would be a good option. See the price of beef lately?

[deacon20081]

Also might help if the BLM didn''t make it so hard to adopt the animals.

[grammawhamma]

Leave the horses alone!

Man "always" has to interfere with nature. If there are too many horses to survive there...nature will take care of it and the strongest ones will survive and the weak ones will die. Mother nature knows what she is doing....man just meddles and makes things worse.

[blackyowe]

These animals damage the environment. It''s a real shame but they have to be culled. I own horses and with feed prices sky high people are turning horses loose in National Parks all over the country. They ended horse slaughter and the value of a horse dropped considerabley then the cost of feed hit the roof.

[ejgcs]

Why do humans always think that when there are too many of something the answer is to just kill the excess? The whole planet is overpopulated with people... people who do a lot more damage to the planet than horses, cats, dogs, birds, or any other animal ever will. Leave the horses and all the animals alone. After all, they were here first!

[observer2020]

GrammaWhamma and ejgcs--I agree!

[airspace1]

Our Goverment is Messed up. The BLM has missed used there funds and never had it right. The Cattle Association needs to get off this land its not theres its the American People. They only pay $1.00 an Acre to use it. The Cattle Association were also getting $3.00 per horse slaughtered at the Texas plants when they were opened. No Horse Slaughter has not ended horses are going to mexico and Canada as they always have its just been a big secret until undercover exposure came out. The AVMA,AAEP,USDA,Beef,Pork,Poultry Industries knew this. They didnt want the public to know. Its time to expose all sellouts and criminals that ignore laws and ignore the will of the American People. for more info visit www.Sharkonline.com

[blackyowe]

There are more horses in this country that no one wants than ever before. If you all care so much about these wild ones adopt 10. I rescue donkeys and horses and have given my life to keeping animals from being killed but the fact is the people that cry the most often don''t put their money where their mouth is. How many posters on here have saved a horse from slaughter raise your hand please?

[bullziesmyride]

Listen blackyowe If you think that horses have "damaged the enviroment" take a look around, how many fields does the AVERAGE american drive by on their commute to work. if anything, we should start euthanizing the stupid people like you who don't think that their houses or appartment buildings don't emmit and toxins when you flush your toilette or throw out your garbage. or how about those people who own horses and ***** about the price of gas when your suv gets an amazing 8 mpg. I proudly own 8 horses and one pony, of which 3 are rescues. And I think that the blm should back off and start managing some of the land that we drive on, put our tax money to good ues and fix these raods that are eating our cars whole.

[bobbybella]

I agree with grammawhamma let nature take it's course, that way the BLM wont have to spend money on killing the horses or is it possible, instead of killing the horses, why dont we just donate it to another country that needs them and let them pay for the shipping, or simply sell them for cheaps.

[roadtripUSA14]

This is the most ridiculous thing I have read in the news. If you cant deal with a horse nibling on some grass then you should move. Also humans have been one of the biggest changes to the world. So for us to think that these horses are doing somethibg bad then we should be the ones to be put down. Why dont we help these horses instead of killing them. So why dont you people that think killing ancestors to ancient horses is smart then maby you should hink of killing people and your self and rethinking of the main plan to this idiotic idea.