Understanding BLM's Proposal for Wild Mares in Oregon
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a controversial spay study for wild mares in Oregon's Warm Springs Herd Management Area (HMA). This plan involves rounding up all horses and burros in the area, performing surgical procedures on mares, and potentially removing hundreds of horses from their natural habitat. The study has sparked significant concern due to its invasive nature and potential impact on the wild horse population.
Overview of the Proposal
The BLM's Burns District Office is accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Spay Feasibility and On-Range Behavioral Outcomes Assessment and Warm Springs HMA Population Management Plan. The first four years of this EA involve a spay study that will begin by rounding up 100% of the horses and burros in the HMA, primarily using helicopters, and then spaying over 100 mares.
Located in Hines, Oregon, the HMA encompasses 474,547 acres and is currently estimated to house 738 adult horses and 147 foals. After the roundup, 100 horses will be returned to a fenced area as the control group, and another 100 will be returned to an adjacent fenced area as the treatment group. The remaining approximately 685 horses will be permanently removed from the range.
Details of the Spay Procedure
The EA considers an extremely controversial and dangerous surgical spay procedure—ovariectomy by colpotomy. In the study, 28-34 mares will undergo this inhumane procedure. Eight mares will be released into the treatment group without the spay procedure. An additional 70 mares will be spayed but not returned to the range. These 70 mares are spayed only to contribute to the complication rate of the study.
The procedure will be conducted on mares three years of age and older, including those in three different gestational groups: not pregnant, early term (less than 120 days), and midterm (120-150 days). There is a known, extremely high risk of abortion in early to mid-term pregnancies following this procedure.
Post-Procedure Observations
In a hardly sterile environment, the mares are lightly sedated for the procedure. As seen in the BLM’s video of the procedure, the mares remain alert and aware throughout. After the excruciating 15-minute procedure, the mare is given a long-term antibiotic and placed in a half-acre pen with other mares to recover from the sedation. Once a mare recovers, she is moved to a larger pen with more mares and dependent foals. The mares will be held separately for only seven days of “recovery” for post-surgery welfare observations before being released into the treatment group. This period is to record instances of pain or discomfort following the surgery.
Any horses showing signs of distress will be closely evaluated, and further analgesia may be given at the vet’s discretion, but no post-operative antibiotics will be administered. Mares that worsen within 24 hours will receive further analgesia as necessary, and the vet will decide if euthanasia is required.
Implications of the Study
The 70 mares spayed but not returned to the range will be observed for 2-4 weeks by ultrasound to evaluate their pregnancy status. The BLM states in the proposed EA that this observation period will help with pregnancy loss data, meaning the BLM is spaying 70 mares in different stages of pregnancy to see if and how they abort their unborn foals. Unlike the 34 mares returned to the range, these mares will receive veterinary care as needed.
The study will last until 2022, and the Population Management Plan will be in place until 2028. If deemed successful, the plan will implement the controversial ovariectomy by colpotomy procedure and round up more horses to the low Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 111 individuals. Burros will not be involved in the study or sterilization treatments but will be rounded up as part of the Plan’s implementation.
If the BLM implements spaying as a management tool after the study, 25-37 mares, ages two and older, will be spayed, and 0-76 horses will be removed from 2022 through 2028. If the study is unsuccessful, the BLM will move forward with a humane PZP program instead. Under that scenario, 37 mares will be treated with PZP, but 110 horses will still be removed from 2022 through 2027.
Call to Action
This plan is incredibly inhumane, uneconomical, and reflects the BLM’s preferential treatment of privately-owned livestock, which will devastate the wild horse population in the Warm Springs HMA.
Remember – All horses and burros removed from the Complex are in grave danger of being killed if Congress grants the BLM's request to lift the restriction on destroying healthy wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter. Also, mares would be subjected to unprecedented and largely untested surgical sterilization procedures of spaying by colpotomy.
Now is the time to weigh in for humane on-the-range management and fair treatment of the wild horses living on our public lands in the Warm Springs HMA. Please get your comments in by taking action below!