Controversy Over Wild Horse Spaying Proposals

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Oregon State University have proposed a controversial plan to spay 100 wild horses as part of a research effort. This proposal has drawn significant backlash from conservation groups, who argue that the procedure is both barbaric and unnecessary. They advocate for the use of existing vaccines as a more humane alternative.

The BLM Burns District announced its decision to proceed with research involving three methods of surgically sterilizing wild mares, some of which are pregnant. One method, ovariectomy via colpotomy, involves sedating the mare and removing the ovaries through the vagina. The other methods use endoscopes and lasers, which are considered less invasive.

The BLM aims to determine if these methods, involving about 200 mares, can be safely used on wild horses in the future. The agency argues that the wild horse and burro population on public lands is too large, posing a threat to range resources. They estimate 67,000 wild horses and burros are on public lands, more than twice the number considered sustainable.

Additionally, the BLM cares for 46,000 unadopted wild horses and burros in off-range facilities. The agency seeks to develop new population management tools to reduce the number of animals, warning that wild horses and burros could face starvation.

The sterilization projects are part of 21 research studies with universities and the U.S. Geological Survey. These procedures will take place at Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) has criticized the procedures, labeling them as dangerous and outdated. They argue that wild animals cannot receive the same post-surgical care as domestic animals, increasing the risk of complications.

“It’s a bad idea,” Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Conservation, said of the proposed spaying methods. “None of this is practical; none of this is necessary.”

Roy advocates for an existing vaccine as a simpler, safer, and more effective solution. The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group also supports the vaccine, calling it a “humane population management tool” and criticizing the BLM's proposals as “unnecessary and unacceptable.”

The BLM, however, stated that longer-lasting forms of the vaccine, porcine zona pellucida, were not effective at suppressing population growth, and administering the vaccine annually is impractical in many areas.

The public has 30 days to appeal the decision.

Originally posted by The Bulletin