1,000 Wild Horses to Be Rounded Up in Northern California

October 5, 2018

The U.S. Forest Service is set to round up 1,000 wild horses in Northern California, a move that has sparked significant controversy. Many of these horses could potentially be sold to distant slaughterhouses, raising concerns among conservationists and animal rights advocates.

Roundup Details

The roundup is scheduled to begin on Tuesday and will continue throughout the month. It targets horses from a herd in the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory within the Modoc National Forest, as reported by the Sacramento Bee.

Modoc National Forest Supervisor Amanda McAdams stated that the area is supposed to support up to 400 horses, but it currently has almost 4,000. These horses roam over more than 250,000 acres (101,170 hectares) within the national forest, located about two and a half hours northeast of Redding.

“It sounds like a lot of acres for 4,000 horses, but there’s not a lot of vegetation and not a lot of water,” McAdams said.

Legal and Ethical Concerns

The U.S. Department of the Interior manages most of America’s wild horses and burros and prohibits selling them to slaughterhouses. However, the Forest Service falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which does not have such restrictions.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) claims the government is “exploiting a legal loophole” that could lead to the slaughter of hundreds of animals.

Adoption and Sale

The horses will be available for adoption, but after a 30-day period, all horses aged 10 years and older—estimated at 300 animals—will be sold without limitations for $1 each. This policy allows buyers to purchase a truckload of 36 horses weekly until they are gone, according to the AWHC.

Forest Service spokesman Ken Sandusky noted that while the policy is new, this is the first “horse gather” on public lands in 13 years. The Forest Service collaborates with various partners to adopt out as many wild horses as possible.

“The other option is long-term holding, which makes unlimited sale the only fiscally responsible option,” Sandusky said.

Originally posted by The Washington Post