|
Wild Horses Safe For now
|
|
|
There is good news, at least temporarily, for those who are against the culling of wild horses in the American west. Last July, the House Appropriations Committee voted to remove from Interior Department budget passages outlining the banning of wild horse culls. Since then, wild horse advocates have vehemently opposed the reintroduction of culls. Viewed as an invasive species consuming valuable pasture and water resources that would be better used for cattle ranching, the government has been accused of siding with ranchers, rather than respecting the cultural significance and humane treatment of wild horses and burros.
Phone calls and letters by the horse loving public to Congress members is credited with the government’s decision. But, the fate of the over 45,000 feral horses and burros held in Bureau of Land Management off range lands and holding facilities is still undecided. The cost to keep them there is $5 billion per year according to the BLM.
In the past, adoption to private individuals has been the primary way to reduce the wild horse population. But, over the last decade only a few thousand horses per year have been adopted by members of the public. This, according to the BLM, is too few to make a significant difference in the wild populations. Currently, it’s estimated that there are three times the number of wild horses than the land they graze on can sustain.
One proposed method of population control is contraception. But this too has met with resistance by animal rights advocates and by the high cost of implementing and maintaining such a program. There is a proposed adoption program for burros. In partnership with Defense Security Cooperation Agency and Heifer International, an agency that provides livestock to poor communities and farmers, the BLM would provide healthy and gentled burros to Guatemalan farmers who would otherwise not be able to purchase them.
Even though wild horses and burros are safe from slaughter for now, there are still more battles ahead. The 2019 budget may allow the BLM to use a “full set of tools” to maintain what is deemed sustainable herd sizes, and that could still include sale and slaughter. |
|
|
|
|
 Related Horse News
|
|
In the year 1492, horses returned to the Americas after an absence of several thousand years. These horses arrived in the holds of the first ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Europe. Today, there are still feral herds roaming ...
|
|
Once again, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is coming under criticism for mismanaging Mustang herds, this time, in western Utah. On drought ravaged lands, Mustangs are being blamed for a shortage of grazing. However, proponent ...
|
|
The Cloud Foundation and American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, along with veterinarians and congressmen agree that spaying is a poor option for controlling the number of free roaming Mustangs in the American West. They very m ...
|
|
There is good news, at least temporarily, for those who are against the culling of wild horses in the American west. Last July, the House Appropriations Committee voted to remove from Interior Department budget passages outlining ...
|
|
In an effort to control the population of wild horses and buros in the U.S. midwest, the federal government is offering an incentive to anyone who adopts a wild horse or burro. The Adoption Incentive Program allows adoptees of wil ...
|
|
Animal rights activists are angered after the U.S. Forest Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that looks after the national forests and grasslands, began the roundup of about 1000 wild horses. The horses are be ...
|
|
A controversial bill is headed to the US senate. Those who approve of the measures set out in the bill, which includes sterilizing mares, say it will effectively control the size of the wild horse herds, ensure the humane treatmen ...
|
|
Wild horses and burros continue to be available to the public with a $1000 incentive. The horses and burros, removed from public land by the BLM, are being offered for adoption and the incentive should help new owners with the cos ...
|
|
In Defense of Animals is petitioning to halt the sterilization program being planned by the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon that will brutally reduce the herd size and cause harm to horses in the Oregon’s Big Summit wild horse herd ...
|
|
Approximately 250 feral horses graze the floodplains of the Salt River and areas in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. Once they were in danger of disappearing. But, a dedicated group of local advocates called Salt River Wild H ...
|
|
More News by Winniefield Park
|
|
Frigid winter weather has wreaked havoc on the southern States and has left many without electricity, water and transportation leaving animals and humans in peril. Four horses had to be rescued when an arena collapsed under the we ...
|
|
In a move that many hope will help prevent accidental horse deaths on the racetracks of America, The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into law in late December 2020. The law aims to standardize drug testing, enforce ...
|
|
Two breeds are currently holding the highest jump records on PonyBox. The Thoroughbred and Canadian Warmblood's are taking the top spots with vengeance and appear unstoppable. ...
|
|
Oliver normally enjoys being groomed by his young owner, but when she noticed Oliver getting restless she wondered at his was unusual behavior. It wasn’t until that she noticed some neighbor kids playing on a frozen pond that she ...
|
|
It’s no surprise that the top-winning mare and stallion are also Ponybox’s highest earners. Or, that the highest-winning stable also produces many of the most successful jumpers. Here is a look at the outstanding earners on Ponybo ...
|
|
Lots of sports fans pay top dollar to buy seats that put them almost in the middle of the action. But this race fan took getting into the action a little too seriously. It was a lot of risk for an experience that lasted a moment. ...
|
|
Take a quick armchair trip to see pastoral landscapes, otter crossings and adorable, furry Shetland ponies! This travel video highlights some of the sights on the archipelago that makes up the Shetland Islands. This is the native ...
|
|
As we reach the middle of February 2021 these horses are holding the top spots. A rare breed is making an appearance in the ranks of Best Jump while Friesians are holding many of the top spots in the ranks. ...
|
|
|
