Forest Service Plans to Round Up Hundreds of Wild Horses, Potentially Sell Them for Slaughter

October 5, 2018

The U.S. Forest Service is reportedly preparing to round up hundreds of wild horses, with the possibility of selling some for slaughter. This "horse gather," scheduled to begin on October 9, will occur in Modoc National Forest in northeast California.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), a group of activists, claims the government is "exploiting a legal loophole" that could result in the death of a thousand horses. The roundup will focus on a herd located in the Devil's Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.

In a statement to the newspaper, the Forest Service explained that the roundup aims to reduce the overpopulation of wild horses. "Our territory is supposed to have 206 to 402 animals; we have almost 4,000 horses," stated Modoc National Forest Supervisor Amanda McAdams.

McAdams noted that despite the 250,000 acres within the national forest, there is "not a lot of vegetation and not a lot of water" to support 4,000 horses.

The AWHC stated that the Forest Service previously adhered to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s policy prohibiting the sale of wild horses to slaughterhouses, "but the Trump Administration is starkly changing that policy." The Forest Service technically falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which lacks such a policy regarding wild horses.

The Forest Service did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment. However, spokesman Ken Sandusky told The Sacramento Bee that this would be the first "horse gather" on public lands in 13 years.

In a statement, Sandusky said the Forest Service worked with various partners to facilitate the adoption of as many wild horses as possible. Despite these efforts, the government "cannot be reasonably expected" to adopt all the horses out.

"The other option is long-term holding, which makes unlimited sale the only fiscally responsible option," he added.

The AWHC indicated that after a 30-day period, all horses aged 10 and older—around 300 animals—would be available for sale without limitation for $1 each. This would allow "kill buyers to purchase a truckload of 36 horses once a week until they are gone, with the horses then shipped to Canada for slaughter," the group stated.

The organization urged the Forest Service to conduct incremental removals of the wild horses to allow the "humane placement of horses."

Additional information about the adoption and sale of older horses is available here.

Originally posted by Newsweek