Wild Horse Advocates Sue BLM Over Sterilization Procedures

Wild horse advocates have taken legal action against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), seeking to observe sterilization procedures on wild mares. The advocates argue that these procedures are experimental, invasive, and inhumane, raising significant concerns about the welfare of the animals involved.

The Cloud Foundation and the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) have filed a lawsuit against Neil Kornze, the BLM director, and other agency officials in the U.S. District Court in Oregon. This legal action follows a previous lawsuit in July aimed at halting the sterilization efforts.

The lawsuit demands a court order to declare the BLM's restrictions on public access unconstitutional. It seeks to ensure that advocates can observe and record the sterilization experiments at the Hines Corrals, thereby protecting their First Amendment rights and informing the public about the treatment of wild horses.

David Boyd, a BLM spokesman, stated that the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation. According to a BLM fact sheet, there are 67,027 wild horses and burros on federal land across 10 states, which is more than double the capacity the range can support. The BLM currently holds over 45,000 of these animals in holding facilities.

The BLM has awarded a research grant to Oregon State University to conduct three sterilization experiments on wild mares at the Hines, Oregon facilities. The procedures include the removal of both ovaries using a highly invasive surgical technique, which is disfavored by veterinary experts due to the high risk of death and injury, especially if the mare is pregnant.

The lawsuit argues that the other planned procedures are also inhumane and require veterinary resources unavailable on the range. The BLM's environmental assessment suggests that the study's results will help determine the social acceptability of each procedure.

Advocates claim that by denying public observation, the BLM has significantly deviated from its national policy of transparency and openness in managing wild horses. The 1971 law that allocated land to the horses also permits various commercial and noncommercial activities, including livestock grazing, energy development, and outdoor recreation. Advocates argue that cattle consume much of the forage on the 31.6 million acres of herd-managed range.

For more information, visit the original article from The Denver Post.