Mare Ovariectomy Experiments: Legal Battle Against BLM's Controversial Procedures

September 24, 2018

AWHC Contributor

An alliance of wild horse protection and animal welfare advocates has filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to halt controversial surgical experiments on wild mares. These experiments, aimed at removing the ovaries of wild mares, have sparked significant legal and public opposition due to concerns over their safety and ethical implications.

Citing violations of the U.S. Constitution and three federal laws, the lawsuit was filed on September 21, 2018, in the U.S. District Court in Portland. The groups involved include The Cloud Foundation (TCF), the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and wildlife photographer Carol Walker. The legal representation is provided by Nick Lawton of Meyer, Glitzenstein and Eubanks LLP.

A primary demand of the lawsuit is the right to meaningful public observation and video recording of the experiments. This transparency is crucial for raising public awareness about the treatment of federally protected wild horses and to inform the BLM that such inhumane sterilization methods are socially unacceptable.

The lawsuit also argues that the experiments, which involve an outdated surgical procedure known as ovariectomy via colpotomy, are unscientific, inhumane, and dangerous. This procedure involves a veterinarian inserting their arm into a mare's abdominal cavity through an incision in the vaginal wall to manually locate and remove the ovaries, posing significant risks of pain and life-threatening complications.

This is not the first time the BLM has attempted such research. In 2016, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) and TCF sued to uphold their First Amendment rights to observe the experiments, leading to the cancellation of the initial attempt. The BLM's renewed efforts this year have faced similar opposition, with limited observation opportunities provided and the withdrawal of Colorado State University from the project.

Despite public and veterinary opposition, and warnings from the National Academy of Sciences about the health risks, the BLM announced on September 13, 2018, that it would proceed with the spay feasibility study. This decision came after two major research institutions, CSU and OSU, ended their affiliations with the project.