Secretary Zinke's Controversial Plan for Wild Horses on Capitol Hill
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recently faced Congress to defend his controversial plan for managing wild horses and burros. His proposal, which includes potential slaughter, has sparked significant public outcry. The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) is actively opposing these measures, advocating for humane alternatives.
On June 26, 2017, Secretary Zinke appeared before several Congressional committees to promote his plan to manage wild horses and burros, which includes the possibility of euthanizing or selling up to 92,000 animals for slaughter. This proposal has been met with widespread opposition from the public and animal welfare advocates.
During his testimony, Zinke defended the Interior Department's budget, which proposes a $10 million cut to the already underfunded Wild Horse and Burro Program. He emphasized the need for a balanced budget, stating, "This is what a balanced budget looks like." However, critics argue that the proposed cuts would further hinder the program's ability to manage wild horse populations humanely.
“As part of a broader effort to consider all necessary options to manage the unsustainable growth of this program, the budget proposes to eliminate current appropriations language restricting the BLM’s ability to use the tools provided in the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act and enable BLM to manage on-range herds more effectively and humanely.”
Zinke's reluctance to explicitly outline his plans for wild horses and burros has raised concerns about transparency and accountability. The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) advocates for the use of PZP fertility control, a scientifically proven method for managing herd growth, which the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has largely ignored.
Despite Zinke's claims of exploring public-private partnerships to improve efficiency, the BLM has not embraced successful models like the AWHC's partnership in Nevada, which has effectively implemented PZP fertility control on a large scale.
Throughout his testimony, Zinke emphasized his commitment to transparency, yet he avoided committing to written responses to Congressional inquiries. This lack of transparency has been a longstanding issue within the Wild Horse & Burro Program, as highlighted by the National Academy of Sciences in its 2013 study.
Ultimately, Congress holds the power to prevent the slaughter of wild horses by rejecting the Interior Department's budget request. The American Wild Horse Conservation urges the public to contact their Members of Congress to oppose lifting the prohibition on killing healthy wild horses and burros.
Get involved and urge your Members of Congress to reject the Interior Department’s request to lift the prohibition on killing healthy wild horses and burros or selling them “without restriction,” which would lead to the brutal slaughter of tens of thousands in slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.