Appeal to Allow Sterilization of Wild Horses in Idaho Dismissed
The recent decision by a federal appeals court to dismiss the effort to sterilize a herd of wild horses in Idaho marks a significant victory for wild horse conservationists. This ruling prevents what could have been a dangerous precedent for the sterilization of wild horses across the West.
Background of the Case
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to halt the sterilization effort. The BLM's documents seeking the dismissal of its own appeal did not include a reason.
“This case threatened to set a dangerous precedent for the sterilization of wild horses throughout the West,” said Nick Lawton, an attorney representing American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) and other groups.
The BLM's Initial Plan
In 2015, the BLM released a plan to sterilize horses in the Saylor Creek Herd Management Area, intending to maintain a herd of 50 to 200 horses by replenishing it with wild horses captured elsewhere. This plan was challenged in 2016 by the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), The Cloud Foundation, and Return to Freedom, who feared it could set a precedent.
A U.S. District Court in Idaho ruled in September that the herd must be able to produce healthy foals, leading to the BLM's appeal last month.
Legal and Environmental Implications
The federal court's September ruling stated that the BLM plan violated the requirement for the herd to produce healthy foals. The judge also noted that the BLM did not consider the significant impacts on the herd's free-roaming nature nor explain why its decision was appropriate despite these impacts.
The BLM has stated that the range can support 50 horses. The herd has been rounded up twice since 2006 due to wildfires destroying rangeland forage, with the most recent capture involving 195 horses following a wildfire in August 2010. In September 2011, 30 of those horses were released back onto the range.
Population Concerns and Advocacy
Wild horses far exceed U.S. government population goals, with about 73,000 free-roaming horses potentially facing starvation. While captured horses are offered for adoption, 46,000 are held at government corrals and pastures, costing taxpayers $50 million annually. Wild horse advocate groups have questioned the federal population goals as being too low.
Suzanne Roy, executive director of American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), emphasized the importance of this decision, stating that sterilizing the Idaho herd could have led to similar actions in other states. With the BLM withdrawing its appeal, further court battles are unnecessary.
“This is a very important decision from our perspective,” Roy said. “It affirmed that the BLM has a legal mandate to manage wild, viable herds.”
Originally posted by OPB