Budget Proposals Threaten Tens of Thousands of American Wild Horses

America’s wild horses face a dire threat as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seeks approval to sell these majestic animals without limitations. This controversial proposal has sparked outrage among horse advocacy groups, who warn it could lead to the mass slaughter of tens of thousands of wild horses and burros.

The BLM, responsible for the care of wild horses both on the range and in captivity, claims that the current management program is unsustainable. The agency is requesting $1.1 billion for the 2018 fiscal year to address what it describes as explosive cost growth in its Wild Horse and Burro Management program.

Advocacy groups have condemned the proposal, with some labeling it as lazy government action. They argue that the plan sets the stage for the virtual extinction of these national icons from the West, putting the lives of 100,000 horses at risk.

The BLM argues for greater flexibility in managing the program to reduce long-term costs and achieve key goals. Over the past eight years, the program's budget has more than doubled, yet it remains far from fulfilling its statutory obligations under the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971.

The budget has been primarily consumed by the cost of caring for excess animals in off-range facilities. The BLM proposes to give itself the tools needed to manage the program more cost-effectively, including conducting sales without limitation.

However, advocates fear that sales without limitations would open the door to kill buyers, providing a cheap source of horses for slaughter. The BLM suggests reducing funding for the wild horse program by cutting gathers and birth control treatments, aiming to realign program costs and animal populations to more manageable levels.

The proposal was immediately condemned by the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), which argued that the budget request effectively seeks approval from Congress to kill nearly 100,000 wild horses and burros. The group called on President Donald Trump to intervene and save these animals.

Polls indicate that 3 in 4 Americans want wild horses protected on public lands, and 80% oppose horse slaughter. The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) asserts that the BLM's management tools would result in mass killings.

Another advocacy group, Wild Horse Education, urged the public to contact legislators and oppose the killing or sale to slaughter of America's wild horses. They criticized the budget proposal as a gift to the livestock industry, arguing that federal management caters to industry rather than protecting public resources.

Originally posted by Horse Talk NZ