Rebellious Ranchers Round Up Federally Protected Wild Horses

Officials in a Utah county are planning an illegal roundup of wild horses from federal land to satisfy ranchers whose livestock compete with the horses for food. This controversial move has sparked significant backlash from advocacy groups.

County's Plan and Response

Commissioners in Iron County, Utah, complain that there are more horses on the land than the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has planned for, and that the bureau has done a poor job of managing the horses, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. County Commissioner David Miller claims there are 2,000 wild horses in the county, while wild horse advocates say the number is less than 500.

The commissioners say that if the BLM doesn’t act, the county will. However, public roundups are illegal.

Advocacy Groups Take Action

The county’s threat has drawn fire from advocacy groups. According to the Tribune, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), Return to Freedom, and The Cloud Foundation sent a letter from their attorneys to national, Utah, and Nevada BLM directors as well as the Iron County Commission and sheriff.

“We urge the Utah officials—who have no jurisdiction in this matter—to refrain from removing wild horses from BLM lands in violation of federal law,” the letter read. “We also urge the Utah and Nevada BLM offices to adhere to the federal laws, policies, and procedures that are in place to protect wild horses.”

BLM's Proposed Solution

Utah BLM director Juan Palma has offered a plan for captured horses to be kept on fenced land volunteered by a rancher. The bureau will feed and maintain the horses until they’re adopted or otherwise moved.

Public Opinion and Advocacy

The proposed roundup “is a bullying tactic by ranchers who consider our public lands as their private range for grazing livestock,” said Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign). “This practice is not economically or environmentally sustainable, nor is it supported by the public.” In a Public Policy Polling survey released in January, 72 percent of respondents supported protecting wild horses and burros as “living symbols of the history and pioneer spirit of the West.”

Originally Posted By All Gov.com