BLM Halts Plans to Sterilize Oregon Wild Horses
November 7, 2018
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has decided to cancel its plans to spay wild horses in Oregon, aiming to address overpopulation on public lands. This decision follows a court injunction and ongoing legal challenges from animal rights groups.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman issued a preliminary injunction blocking the BLM's experiment to sterilize mares from the Warm Springs Management Area. The experiments were scheduled to begin at a horse corral facility in Hines, Oregon.
In recent court documents, BLM attorneys stated the agency would not proceed with the spay study but retained the option to return horses to the Warm Springs Herd Management Area and remove excess horses from the range.
The federal lawsuit, filed by the Animal Welfare Institute, American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), and other advocates, claimed the BLM violated environmental laws and the First Amendment. The lawsuit argued the procedure was inhumane and criticized the BLM for not allowing independent observation of the surgeries.
Judge Mosman indicated that the groups' claims regarding the need for surgery monitoring were likely valid.
The BLM's spay study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of removing ovaries from wild mares through ovariectomy via colpotomy. This procedure involves a veterinarian making an incision in the vagina to access and remove the ovaries.
The experiment planned to involve 200 horses, with half undergoing the procedure and the other half serving as a control group. Horses would have been fitted with GPS collars or radio tags for post-procedure tracking.
The BLM has previously attempted other methods to control wild horse populations, such as removal and temporary fertility control vaccines, but none have proven effective long-term.
The Warm Springs Management Area, spanning over 470,000 acres in Harney County, is home to approximately 852 wild horses. The BLM estimates the appropriate management level should be between 96 and 178 horses.
The lawsuit's proposed oversight could pose risks by increasing the number of people in confined spaces at the corral facility, according to the BLM.
The BLM's 2016 proposal for ovary removal also faced legal opposition and was subsequently dropped.
Originally posted by The Oregonian