Kornze Encourages Wild Horse Fertility Research and Adoptions

Although wild horse enthusiasts have been known to criticize federal stewards, Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze says the proof is in the numbers. Horses and burros on the range have thrived, he said, to the point where the agency has incorporated into its management regular attempts to round up the extra horses.

But the wild horse growth has come to a head with herds able to double every three-and-a-half years, he said. In many management areas, horses exceed the BLM-determined population caps.

Challenges in Wild Horse Management

“Wild horses remain a significant challenge for us,” he said in a meeting Tuesday evening with local media. Kornze said the BLM is seeking help in two areas: developing better contraceptives and increasing adoptions.

Birth control used now, PZP, lasts for only a year or two and applying it is expensive and labor-intensive. “It’s more than we can do,” he said.

Decline in Adoptions

There was a time when the BLM adopted out 10,000 horses a year. “Now we’re down to 2,000 – if we’re lucky,” Kornze said.

The BLM is working with the National Academy of Sciences, according to Kornze, to try to spearhead an aggressive research campaign to develop more effective contraception.

Current Population and Costs

He estimated about 50,000 horses run the range and another 50,000 have been gathered and sent to ranches to live out their days. BLM officials have said there is little to no space left for long-term holding, however.

Even if holding facilities weren’t filled to capacity, caring for captive horses is costly. “From the day we take a horse off the range, we spend nearly $50,000 on that horse between there and the day it expires,” he said. “In most states, that’s a very good college education.”

Support for Fertility Control

Many wild horse advocates support fertility control, particularly as an alternative to round-ups. They also argue that, historically, the wild horse population was significantly higher than it is today.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) estimates about 2 million horses roamed the West more than 100 years ago.

Originally Posted By Elko Daily Free Press