Wild Horse Roundup Begins in Modoc Despite Last-Minute Protests

October 10, 2018

A controversial roundup of 1,000 wild horses was set to begin Wednesday morning in Modoc National Forest despite an eleventh-hour appeal from U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Animal rights groups have expressed concerns that the horses could be sold to slaughterhouses. However, the U.S. Forest Service, overseeing the roundup, stated that the horse population needs to be reduced to sustain the natural ecological balance of the forest's Devils Garden Plateau Territory.

About 3,900 horses currently roam the territory, which is designated for no more than 402, according to a Forest Service planning document.

Although the Forest Service has been planning the roundup for years, the Modoc roundup is the first horse gather on public lands in 13 years, and media attention has intensified in recent days. Sally Carter, a Forest Service spokeswoman, said the roundup was expected to begin by mid-morning and is supposed to take a month.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), based in Davis, fears the animals will be sold to slaughter plants to produce horse meat for foreign consumption. The group stated, "While we understand the Forest Service’s desire to reduce the Devils Garden wild horse population, the agency must do so in a humane and socially acceptable manner."

Suzanne Roy, the group's executive director, mentioned that several animal rights groups plan to ask California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to intervene, citing California law that forbids the slaughter of wild horses.

Roy noted that the horses are protected from slaughter by the federal Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, but this law only covers the Interior Department, not the Forest Service, which is under the Department of Agriculture. She stated that in previous administrations, the Forest Service adhered to this law, but that has changed under the Trump administration, describing it as "a legal technicality."

Feinstein sent a letter to the Forest Service’s acting chief, Vicki Christiansen, late Tuesday, asking for a halt to any sales of wild horses unless the agency can certify that no horses sold will be transferred to third-party buyers who may end up slaughtering the animals for commercial use.

Originally posted by The Sacramento Bee