California Wild Horses to Be Captured: Activists Fear Slaughter

October 5, 2018

One thousand wild horses are set to be rounded up in California by the U.S. Forest Service, causing concern among animal rights activists who fear that hundreds of these horses could be sold for slaughter.

The Modoc National Forest in northeast California plans to start the roundup and removal of the horses on Tuesday from the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory, according to a statement on its website.

The more than 250,000-acre (101,171-hectare) territory was designated for up to 402 adult horses, but their population has grown to almost 4,000. This increase has impacted the health of the horses as they compete for limited food and has also harmed scarce water sources, native grasses, and other wildlife, the agency said.

“It’s time we took a more active approach to taking care of the horses and the landscape,” Amanda McAdams, Modoc National Forest supervisor, said in a video on the roundup.

Under the plan, horses aged 10 and older will be available for adoption or sale, with limitations, in November. Younger animals are also up for adoption, according to the national forest’s website.

A purchase agreement on the website states buyers must agree not to resell horses for slaughter, which is illegal under California law.

According to the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), the Forest Service plans to exploit a legal loophole to eventually sell the older horses, numbering around 300, “without restriction,” thus allowing buyers to ship them to Canada for slaughter.

A ban on horse slaughter in the United States was renewed earlier this year. The practice is legal in Mexico and Canada, leading U.S. horse buyers to ship animals to those countries for slaughter and sale as horse meat to Europe and Asia.

In a statement, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) urged the Forest Service to reduce the wild horse population humanely over time by making removals incremental so homes can be found for all horses.

Officials for the Modoc National Forest and American Wild Horse Conservation were not available for further comment.

Originally posted by Reuters