With costs up, BLM considers euthanizing wild horses
Associated Press
Originally published 01:13 p.m., June 30, 2008
Updated 01:35 p.m., June 30, 2008
Photo by Essdras M Suarez, The Rocky, 1999
Bob Anderson, a wrangler from Rock Springs, Wyo., observes a recently captured herd of wild horses in the Red Desert of Wyoming in 1999. The roundup was part of the Bureau of Land Management's adoption and relocation program.
RENO, Nev. — Faced with too many wild horses on the range and in holding facilities, federal officials are considering drastic policy changes that include ending roundups and euthanizing animals.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Henri Bisson said today there is an overpopulation of wild horses on public lands and the agency can no longer afford to care for the numbers of mustangs that have been rounded up.
The number of horses adopted by the public has dropped off, leaving the BLM with more animals than it can care for, he said.
One option would be to stop all roundups — something the agency said would lead to "ecological disaster." "The other option is to use some combination of the (adoption program) and euthanasia, which would be really difficult to do," Bisson told The Associated Press.
"Our goal is supposed to be about healthy horses on healthy ranges. But we are at the point we need to have a conversation with people about pragmatically what can we do given the financial constraints of our program to meet the goals we have," he said before meeting with area horse advocates.
Bisson was in Reno to brief the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. He said there are 32,000 wild horses on the range in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada.
BLM has set a target "appropriate management level" of horses at 27,000.
Some 33,000 more horses are in holding facilities, where most are made available for adoption. But those deemed too old or otherwise unadoptable are sent to long-term holding facilities to live out their lives — some for 15 to 20 years.
Last week the BLM said it was seeking bids from people around the country to provide pasture and care for 500 to 2,500 horses taken from the range that are considered unadoptable.
Caring for so many animals is crippling the agency's budget, Bisson said.
Last year about $22 million of the entire horse program's $39 million budget was spent on holding horses in agency pens. Next year the costs are projected to grow to $26 million with an overall budget that is being trimmed to $37 million, Bisson said.
Continuing current practices would require a budget of $58 million next year, escalating to $77 million in 2012, BLM estimated.
"We have a responsibility to balance the budget, so we are going to have to make some tough choices," Bisson said. "We don't want to do this at the last minute. So we need to have a conversation with horse advocates and try to share the pain a little bit so people understand that if we have to make those tough changes it's not because we want to."
The horse management program had been successful until recently, according to the agency. But in the face of an economic downturn that means higher costs for fuel as well as feed, adoption rates have dropped off significantly over the past year with no improvement in sight, Bisson said.
"I think the high price of energy, the economy, the price of hay is having a huge impact on our program. People across America now need to make a choice: Do I buy another horse or buy gas for my pickup?" Bisson said.
Bisson said none of the alternatives will be popular.
If roundups are ended he expects an outcry from horse protection advocates and from sheep and cattle ranchers who see the mustangs as competition for feed on the open range. If horses are euthanized, the outrage will come from horse protection groups, he said.
"Those are difficult choices to make," Bisson said. "But the law allows us to utilize those choices or some combination of that."
At least three roundups are planned in the coming weeks to remove about 1,700 wild horses in Nevada, where the BLM says ongoing drought has left dwindling forage and water for an overabundance of animals.
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June 30, 2008
1:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
temurlan writes:
Everytime they have tried to manage or control nature, thay have caused an "ecological disaster." They'll never learn...
June 30, 2008
1:26 p.m.
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happymike44 writes:
Well lets see the only wild mustangs in the west and now lets just snuff them and be done with them.
These are wild animals and need our care not our destruction of them.
I was raised on a farm as a kid and know that you can not keep more then you can feed.
But with the developments encraoching on the wild. Why is it the animals that are the losers.
June 30, 2008
1:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
Scott writes:
Oh brother! The eco-terrorists from PETA, et al, are going to have a royal fit.
Scott
June 30, 2008
1:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
eadmund writes:
One possible solution would be to open up hunting of wild horses. Horse meat is supposed to be very tasty, and their hide is useful for a number of leather goods.
Given the trend in the US away from eating horse (it's still quite popular in Europe), I suspect that this probably won't happen though. Kinda silly: hunting is an extremely useful wildlife-management tool, one which funds itself rather than costing the taxpayer money.
June 30, 2008
1:58 p.m.
Suggest removal
wygent writes:
Part of the reason that adoption has declined is that once you adopt one of these critters, you are stuck with it forever. If, after investing huge time and effort at the adoption and more time and money in training and remediation it turns out (as it does in a fairly large percentage of cases) the the horse or burro is not amenable to training, is vicious or otherwise useless, the person who adopted it cannot take it to the sale barn and sell it for dogfood or whatever. He or she cannot, as most ranchers would, simply put a bullet behind its ear and call it a day. The horse must be fed and cared for until its dying day - unless of course you can find another kind soul with a room temperature IQ to readopt it to. Who in his right mind would take on that kind of burden? As an aside, maybe we could get the BLM to do what the PETA folks recommend for deer and elk, just sterilize them so they don't breed? Might work better on horses than it does with people, who knows?
WYGENT
June 30, 2008
2:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
freedomfighter1 writes:
Everytime people and wildlife try to share the same space, it is the wildlife who looses. Between this case and the older lady from the Lafyete area who had two babies with a teenager and got probation, I am wondering where is the justice in this country. Remember if you want peace, then fight for justice!
June 30, 2008
2:11 p.m.
Suggest removal
The_Punnisher writes:
A possible solution:
Euthanize the brain-dead population at the BLM...
Then use the $$$ for the ANIMALS, not a bunch of chair-warmers...
June 30, 2008
2:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
Shaggy writes:
Hey Scott, Gene and ect..
Did you guys read in the Post yesterday about how PETA is going to sue sports bars, restaurants, ect..who have "Lobster Zone" at their facilities?
Its the same game kids play with the crane and try to pick up toys, bears ect..
This is the same except you try to catch Lobsters and if you catch a Lobster at a Local establishment, JD’s Bait Shop, a sports bar in Greenwood Village, they will cook it up for you..
http://thelobsterzone.com/
PETA says it cruel and inhumane..
June 30, 2008
2:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
davies writes:
Just round them up and sell them to the pet food companies for slaughter. Those of you with moistened eyes dripping a tear onto your keyboard, spare me. You see a 'noble steed'; I see animals that are not native, are overgrazing, and that serve no useful purpose. And they eat like a horse!
Read the article before you reply. The feds already HAVE been rounding them up for domestication and sale to willing owners at a nominal price. It isn't working.
June 30, 2008
2:24 p.m.
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The_Punnisher writes:
Yeah, PETA is always CRABBING about something....pinched somewhere in the knicker region no doubt.
You probably noticed my response too. Colorado's famous export covered the PETA person accurately....
June 30, 2008
2:29 p.m.
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freedomfighter1 writes:
Davies:
These horses are not native to north america?
June 30, 2008
2:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
CyberHostage writes:
I tried to call the BLM to give them an earful, but was placed on-hold for 15-minutes and subjected to an endless loop of "Wildfire" by Michael Martin Murphy.
June 30, 2008
2:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
FlyfishDude52 writes:
The animals always lose. What a statement!
OK you animal huggers, it's the horses or you. Take your choice. At least horsemeat has multiple uses unlike tunnel-visioned PETA types.
By the way, prairie dogs are excellent for target practice but fail to have any other redeaming value except perhaps raptor lunch.
June 30, 2008
2:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
freedomfighter1 writes:
It's not the horses or me, it sounds like the horses or rancher's/farmers/new home developments? I don't just love animals, I love the planet and (most) of the people on it(not you flyfish). So let them run free and lets see what happens. Everytime sometime tries to talk about protecting the earth or animals, some POS starts taking pokes at them. You are borrowing the planet a$$holes, you don't own it!
June 30, 2008
2:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
temurlan writes:
Shaggy,
They have one of those machines at the Buffulo Rose. It was hard, because they are trained in escape and evasion, but I caught one. It was fun. The trick is to go after them when they are fighting each other and don't see the claw of death coming.
June 30, 2008
2:38 p.m.
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davies writes:
Not NATIVE native; they first came over with the Spanish.
June 30, 2008
2:45 p.m.
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jacka writes:
Glue or horsemeat, which brings BLM the highest return?
June 30, 2008
2:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
Phoenix58 writes:
Instead of killing the wild horses, while not being native of this country sure have played a part in the history of this country, why not geld the colts to reduce the reproduction process.
June 30, 2008
3:02 p.m.
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FlyfishDude52 writes:
Freedomfighter - Apologies are in order. I misconstrued your statement to mean the non-native to North America wild horses took precedence over humans. I, too, love the planet and it sickens me to watch some guy in Washington, behind a desk, make decisions based upon the popularity of the cause, not the reality.
The horses, right or wrong, will lose as their fate is controlled by beaurocrats trying to justify their existence. The problem began when enough horses escaped their owners way back and got together to breed. Now there are no, or not enough, natural predators to keep the numbers under control & being the large creature they are consume a lot of feed. They don't know that it belongs to some farmer or rancher, they're just trying to survive.
June 30, 2008
3:05 p.m.
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cariengon writes:
freedomfighter1 - Horses are NOT native to North America. The Spanish brought them from Europe.
June 30, 2008
3:07 p.m.
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freedomfighter1 writes:
I may have been a little harsh, you sound OK flyfishdude. It is very upsetting that we overlook the secondary effects of our actions.
June 30, 2008
3:09 p.m.
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freedomfighter1 writes:
Thanks cariengon, but Davies has educated me already.
June 30, 2008
3:12 p.m.
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FlyfishDude52 writes:
freedom - Or put our foot in our proverbial mouth by jumping to conclusions. Shame on me!
June 30, 2008
3:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
ColoNative writes:
Borrowing the planet? From whom are you borrowing it? Surely you are not implying a greater being than yourself exists? Or perhaps we are borrowing it from big government, the same big government that has identified a fiscal problem with the care and maintenance of these horses?
Is this the same big government that you want to turn your health care over to so that they can euthanize you when you get too expensive to care for?
The sheep and cattle the ranchers want to see on the land ar not native either, but they lack the stigma that horse flesh has in this country.
If you give the horses consideration because of their historical value here in this country, then have you not afforded to them the same privileges as native populations? What about the human populations? When will the humans of European descent be afforded native status in this country?
See, no matter where you want to take the arguments, there are no easy answers.
June 30, 2008
3:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
freedomfighter1 writes:
ColoNative
We are borrowing it from future generations. I do not borrow anything from the goverment, they get everything, including their power from us (like it or not). And to be honest, here we are talking about a farmer's land or America is our land. Your right the native americans should of treated us like we are discussing treating these horses. And should I believe, as the fate of the horses, that once the goverment gets its use out of something it just discards it. Hey kinda like the vets who don't get what they need.
June 30, 2008
3:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
horsinaround writes:
I know for a fact that they are gelding some of them. My neighbor is in vet school at CSU and he is going to North Dakota in two weeks to geld wild mustangs that have been rounded up. These are mustangs that are to be set free again; not remain penned. He is a student and, therefore, is doing this work for free. I'm not sure why the BLM can't seem to take this approach more often and see if it will work. They are not having to pay him a dime.
June 30, 2008
3:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
davies writes:
How about you guys cut the 'bureaucrats' some slack here? There is and has been for some time an ongoing program to round up a great many of these animals and try to find homes for them.
Yeah, maybe gelding them would help the situation. But first of all, they're a little hard to catch; and then consider that we're talking about a little surgical procedure that's going to be somewhat difficult to (ahem) administer on a large, wild animal. And what about the ones you don't catch? Who's to say that one mustang cannot and will not gladly impregnate 20 mares anyway?
There are very likely quite a number of so-called faceless bureaucrats who are horse lovers and who have worked very hard for many years on this problem. Maybe, just maybe, it has been a very difficult problem to manage. So try spending your ten minutes of outraged indignation somewhere else today.
June 30, 2008
4:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
Dan2 writes:
For all those that wish to see the horses survive and thrive, donate to the BLM for the sole purpose of Wild Horse Preservation.
This is the thing I just don't understand. Of COURSE there is a solution, it is in the funding of the program. But the details are in how the program is funded. If the horse lobby (for lack of a better term), doesn't want the animals slaughtered, then pony up (no pun intended) and donate to the "save the horses" cause.
If the ranchers are using public lands for their animals, then they too should be charged a fee for such use, because of the increased traffic from their animals. If the ranchers have private land, and the horses are eating that grazing pasture by jumping a fence (or in unfenced private lands), different set of circumstances.
But for those of us that really don't have a dog in this fight (or a horse or sheep for that matter), to raise taxes on all of us, should be out of the question.
So, the solution, really is simple. If having wild horses run free is very important to you, it's time to make sacrifices and pay for it. What is the old saying? It's time to put up, or shut up.
June 30, 2008
4:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
views_on_news writes:
davies writes:
Not NATIVE native; they first came over with the Spanish.
Wrong. They were here in the plains of North America millions of years ago, but
"..for reasons not fully understood, Equus caballus disappeared from North America around 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age."
And are you native? What... did you personally descend from a dinosaur? At least your last thread was really well-spoken.
People, I just don't get why you all always have to bash organizations that are actually trying to do something for the good of all. You sound just like high schoolers that have to cut down others to make themselves feel good because you're not doing anything yourself. What does PETA have to do with this article anyway?
There's an easy solution here. Oil problems. Horse problems. Let's go back to horse-drawn carriages. Good for the environment, good for our pocketbooks, good for the BLM's financial woes.
June 30, 2008
4:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
Logical writes:
happymike, freedomfighter - Adopt 15 or 20 of these animals yourself, if you are so concerned about them. Can't afford it? Don't have room? Just like the BLM. What is your viable solution?
We can't geld humans, we can't mandate a certain number of offspring per-person, so our population will continue to grow. We will continue to expand our area of habitation, continuing to encroach on wilderness. What is your solution? Not a bleeding-hart appeal to "do something nice", but a true solution?
Can't think of one? Then don't whine when someone else deals with situations realistically. We can't (heck, I don't WANT to) pay for supporting a growing horse population. Or, don't you know that if the government pays for something, it really comes out of each of our pockets? Government has no money of its own; we pay for everything Government does.
As unfortunate as it is, destroying many of these animals is the only way to preserve the habitat. Else, the horses will eat all the vegetation, then starve. It is either kill a certain number, or most will starve. Which would you rather do? Can't do "nothing", make a choice.
June 30, 2008
4:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
BFT writes:
It might behoove (pun intended) some of you morons to peruse the rules and pricing (take notice Wygent, you can get one for as low as $125) at this site: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Progr...
June 30, 2008
4:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
McGowdog writes:
""eadmund writes:One possible solution would be to open up hunting of wild horses. Horse meat is supposed to be very tasty, and their hide is useful for a number of leather goods.
Given the trend in the US away from eating horse (it's still quite popular in Europe), I suspect that this probably won't happen though. Kinda silly: hunting is an extremely useful wildlife-management tool, one which funds itself rather than costing the taxpayer money.""
I met a seemingly well-educated and ecologically-wise Native American that told me that horse meat can be very good. I told him that it brings thoughts of dog food to my mind. He said it's quite to the contrary. He said it is very tasty and nutritious.
He went on the tell me of how and where to build a home such that you won't need air conditioning installed; in the middle of such and such hill so as to take advantage of down-slope winds in the morning and upslope winds in the afternoon.
He also told me that a good dirt or gravel road is much better than asphalt/concrete in the long run and what that's doing to our weather patterns.
Back to the wild horses; why don't we try to relocate them and/or give them to Native American tribes and let them do with them what's best.
I'd think it's got to be better than euthanizing them.
June 30, 2008
4:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
mytwosense writes:
Native or not, there is something quintessentially American about our wild horses. What a shame that yet another national symbol is in danger, thanks to a government that is systematically plundering our Treasury. Meanwhile, we just authorized $160 billion more dollars for the endless war in Iraq...
The horses lose. The private contractors in Iraq win. Disgusting.
June 30, 2008
4:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
Norseman writes:
There are two sentences in this article that hint at the root of this problem;
Faced with too many wild horses on the range and in holding facilities...
The number of horses adopted by the public has dropped off...
Every horse rescue facility in the country is at full capacity. There was an initial attempt to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, but state level legislation finally succeeded in shutting down the horse slaughter plants in Illinois and Texas. These plants were used to supply meat to Europe, while at the same time culling down the number of horses that had become pasture ornaments. There is now a glut of horses on the market, and the perfectly healthy quarter horses in their prime are selling for a few hundred dollars, whereas they used to sell for $2,000 to $4,000 depending on training. People can't get find homes for their aging horses, and so are unwilling to take on additional boarding fees. Call any of the local horse rescue facilities, and ask if they have room for another horse. Otherwise, re-open the kill facilities and bring equilibrium back to the market. Horses are NOT "pets".
June 30, 2008
4:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
Squatch writes:
This is what happens when you try and manage an animal population the humane way sorry folks you cant do it. I have no desire to hunt a wild horse but it is an effective option as sad & cruel as it may sound.
June 30, 2008
5:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
SockRayBlue writes:
People got all excited and bugged Congress to enact a ban on horses (the unwanted wild ones and cast-off from society) being slaughtered and the meat being sent to Europe and Canada. The last slaughterhouse was recently closed in Illinois. Folks also got excited about horses being sent to Mexico where the animals are stabbed to death. Well, people, you saved the wild horse. Nice job. I guess euthanasia is better than a pnuematic bolt or a Mexican knife.
On another note perhaps people should look into horses for travel. With the price of oil quickly strangling our modern society it may be a good idea to start looking into an "alternative vehicle" (wagon or buggy). I'm sure the highway department would appreciate someone doing something with all that grass.
Who was it that said, "Let's bomb THEM back into the Stone Age"? If it all comes to an end all they have to do is go back to herding goats. We is screwed!
June 30, 2008
5:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
mollyrambo57 writes:
THE BLM HAS FINALLY LOST THEIR MINDS, OR THEY HAVE GATHERED UP ALL THE VILLIAGE IDIOTS AND EMPLOYED THEM, yes there is birth control for horses, and it is just plain stupid to house horses that are considered too old or unadoptable, nature takes care of that, instead of housing them for 15 or 20 years let nature take it's course, start taking only foals so they aclimate better they can be taken off of the mare as early as 2 months as long as they get a bottle, but i wouldn't suggest taking them any later than 1 year, too wild too long, geld the stallions and give the mares birth control, it is impossible to get them all so you will still have foals to rehome and let the occasional colt go ungelded to improve the breed, then they would have plenty of money to do this if they stopped housing horses like they are, nature is harsh sometimes, but that is one of the ways of population control, PEOPLE THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, GELD ALMOST ALL THE STALLIONS ABOVE 1 YEAR, AND THEY DO HAVE BIRTH CONTROL FOR THE MARES AND LET NATURE TAKE IT'S COURSE FOR A FEW YEARS AND THEN THEY CAN REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF STALLIONS GELDED AND MARES GIVEN BIRTH CONTROL, PETA still might have their panties in a bunch if you let nature take it's course, but turn loose all the ones kept in pens, that is no life, and the ones that are not too old make sure you take the proper measures to ensure they don't reproduce, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T DO IT THIS WAY NOT ONLY WILL YOU HAVE PETA UP IN ARMS, BUT YOU WILL HAVE A FAR BIGGER PROBLEM ON YOUR HANDS EVEN THOUGH LOTS OF PEOPLE THINK PETA PEOPLE ARE A BUNCH OF NUTS, THE AMERICAM PUBLIC WILL CRUCIFY THE WHOLE BUNCH OF YOU WHEN YOU START KILLING THE AMERICAN MUSTANG, THE BLM NEEDS TO TAKE IT'S HEAD OUT OF YOU KNOW WHERE AND START WITH TURNING OUT THE ONES IN PENS AND DOING A LOT OF BIRTH CONTROL, GET IT TOGETHER BLM THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WILL NOT STAND FOR YOU KILLING AN ANIMAL THAT IS THE MASCOT OF THE UNITED STATES, TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THE PUBLIC WILL GO CRAZY ON YOUR BUTTS
June 30, 2008
6:49 p.m.
Suggest removal
SockRayBlue writes:
mollyrambo57
Damn good idea! Do you think the BLM is doing this because of downsizing?
June 30, 2008
7:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
mytwosense writes:
Norseman: "Otherwise, re-open the kill facilities and bring equilibrium back to the market."
Oh yes, another believer in the "markets" to solve all our problems.
How about our federal funds go back to supporting our federal public lands again?
June 30, 2008
7:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
Norseman writes:
mytwosense: Ya know, if you don't know what you're talking about, ya oughta keep your pie hole shut. I walk the walk. I've owned my own quarter horse for years, I've contributed many weekends at Colorado Horse Rescue up near Longmont, and contributed money to same. My family owns four other horses, and we've seen the effect that closing the kill plants has had on the horse industry first hand. There are only so many places where a horse can be kept, and the aging and lame horses are filling up the rescue facilities, to the point where the young healthy horses have to be put down because there is no room at the inn. I'm also a committed environmentalist, and understand how non-native species can destroy the flora and fauna biodiversity. Next time, think first before commenting.
June 30, 2008
8:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
jb660462 writes:
Just out of curiosity, how many cattle and sheep graze on public land versus wild horses? The numbers I have heard are millions of cattle and sheep and thousands of the mustangs. Who do the cattle and sheep owners know that allow them to continue to overgraze the land while we foot the bill to capture and pen up and slaughter the mustangs? Hey neighbor,George Bush, can't we just remove the protection of these horses and give us some more land, we'll donate nicely to your campaign. Then when we catch all of them we can let your buddies adopt them by the hundreds to take to slaughter, nice little circle of friends huh? One day your great grandchildren can go to the zoo to see what a mustang is, keep rounding them up and killing them it will come to this.
June 30, 2008
8:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
jb660462 writes:
Dear Norseman, have you been to a slaughter auction lately? They are mostly young and healthy horses, the lame ones are not supposed to be shipped for slaughter and the old skinny ones are not worth it to the meatmen. I participated in a save of 162 horses from a slaughter auction in OH, 90% of them were strong young healthy thoroughbreds that couldn't run fast enough or were injured because they were ridden too hard too young, strong healthy QH's that were the wrong color, Draft horses used and abused for too many years to be productive to their Amish owners, and the same with the buggy horses. If you treat your own horses with respect, how can you turn a blind eye to the others? The AQHA association wants their members to breed more so they can get more membership fees and registration fees, they also clain that there will be a shortage of horses in a few years if their members do not breed more. approx 140,000 QH were registered last year, approx 127,000 horses were slaughtered, do the math, less breeding means less slaughter, but then agail it also means less $$$ for AQHA who by the way supports slaughter ( to get rid of the unwanted QH's?) Would you send your horses to the auction? Probably not, why? Not OK for your horse, but Ok for another one?Please have the courage to stand up for the horses and do what's right by them, not the almighty dollar.
June 30, 2008
10:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
HarleyCowgirl writes:
Isn't it funny how the BLM can complete these round-ups of the 'over-populated horses' to prevent the damage to the environment at tax payers expense- but then allow even more ranchers to bring in additional beef and sheep? But hey, when they can collect $1.30 a month per head or cow/calf, makes for a great relationship with big Ag biz. The grass and environment is no longer an issue. Have you been getting your 'cut' of the ranchers rent/land lease money...I know I haven't. As I see it - let the ranchers pay their own way and not the horses.
Recently, the National Black Farmers Assc.,some 95,000 members, made it known they would provide homes for any 'so-called' unwanted horses to prevent them going to slaughter. Then we hear the BLM is considering fee-waivers to potential adoptors and in their words - this would open up more business for the Candians (since they took over the slaughter of our horses). The BLM knows these 'free' horses would go straight to slaughter as they did the last time the BLM offered fee-waivers, something like 30,0000 mustangs were slaughtered back in the 80's from this. Here we have an available solution - but the government is, as usual, looking the other way.....must be the blood money they take from the ranchers blurring their vision. At this point, I would rather see the NBFA have the stewardship of all of the mustangs over the BLM considering their determination of iradication of our wild horses!
Save the horses and slaughter the government.
June 30, 2008
10:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
wvsandy writes:
This issue smells highly of a desperate, last ditch attempt of pro-slaughter's agenda. With their backs against the wall,the AHSP act coming to a vote soon, and timing being critical for them to attempt to drive their lying propaganda home! Why else would this bull crap be brought to the public attention at this time? I don't buy ANY of it.. Not one tit of it!! It smells worse than an open septic tank! And for the record, I'm not a PETA advocate either! But I AM activally involved in ending horse slaughter for human consumption!! I've done my homework and know exactly what the problem is and why.. Follow the money trail!
June 30, 2008
10:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
Duane_Burright writes:
The only reason the BLM removes horses is to make way for cattle grazing. Now some may say "great, we need those cattle for our nation's food supply." But the reality is that free ranging cattle only account for 3% of the nation's food supply.
We currently have about 25,000 wild horses on the range, versus over 6,000,000 head of domestic cattle. Government Accounting Office (GAO) studies show that cattle are the main cause of range degradation.
See this link for the facts on the wild horse issue: http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/...
Lastly this issue is one having to do with American culture rather than animal rights, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain is a co-sponsor of the bill banning horse slaughter. And for those who talk of eating horsemeat, you should know that the French eat horsemeat. I guess you'd be cool with it if the Koreans started exporting dogmeat from this country.
I don't know about you, but I'm not French. I'm a proud beef-eating American.
June 30, 2008
11 p.m.
Suggest removal
FootlooseHorse writes:
<< davies writes: I see animals that are not native, are overgrazing, and that serve no useful purpose. And they eat like a horse! Read the article before you reply. >>
The horse (genus Equus) actually evolved in North America and then spread to the rest of the world 2-3 million years ago. Using mitochondrial-DNA analysis, the Spanish horses of the 1500's (E. caballus or the caballoid horse) were proven to be genetically equivalent to E. lambei, the Equus species which evolved in North America (Kirkpatrick and Fazio 2005).
More than *6 million* head of private livestock are currently grazing on public lands (AWHPC Numbers 2004-2008). This amounts to subsidized grazing - ranchers pay a ridiculously low fee compared to the price to graze on private land.
Just by “doing the math” comparing the number of horses left in the wild (32,000) to the land that they occupy, it works out to be about 1 horse per 1296 acres in Nevada. *Livestock* out-consume forage and water by a ratio of *200 to 1* on *public land* when compared with equids. How then can horses be considered to be “competing” with livestock or, simply by existing, something that would lead to "ecological disaster."?
6,000,000 vs 32,000........
The 1971 Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act was unanimously passed by Congress - "It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.”
This was later amended by the 1976 FLPMA and the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978, but horses still have a legal right to exist in their management areas. It would be better to stop the roundups, stop managing the horses, save the money, and let them adjust naturally to the areas available to them. The population will self-regulate.
''Wild horses and burros merit man's protection historically, for they are a living link with the days of the conquistadors, through the heroic times of the western Indians and pioneers, to our own day when the tonic of wilderness seems all too scarce. More than that, they merit it as a matter of ecological right -- as anyone knows who has ever stood awed at the indomitable spirit and sheer energy of a mustang running free." President Nixon
July 1, 2008
11:04 a.m.
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rjyager writes:
As a taxpayer I do not want my money spent killing these horses. If the current management team cannot effectively and humanely manage them using current methods - try SOMETHING else and/or get new people involved. Perhaps those ranchers renting PUBLIC land for grazing need to pay more and have it put into an account for the horses. Get somebody to speak for the horses who does not consider them an invasive species to be eradicated. Native or non-native is really just an interpretive play on words since Eohippus or the Dawn Horse skeletal remains were found in the American West in 1871. Let the public decide what is to be done with THEIR horses. Their ancestors played a very important part in our country's heritage and they should be treated like living history.
July 1, 2008
2:25 p.m.
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DoubleOxer writes:
I agree that the best way to handle it is birth control. Darts for the mares. (whatever for the stallions) We've managed the coyotes well this way in TX.
I, too, have read that the horses were found to be in North America eons ago and crossed over to Europe when the land bridge was still there between what is now Alaska and Europe (Russia)
July 1, 2008
9:27 p.m.
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MJNYC writes:
This is an outrage.
The government is renting to the cattle farmers the Federal lands that we taxpayers support and that's why the lands are being ravaged.
And euthanizing? They are not going to euthanize these horses, they are going to send them to slaughter. Put the horses back on the land and remove the cattle that don't belong there. And, stop rounding up more wild horses!
I do not want to subsidize cattle ranchers, do you?
The government must think we are all really stupid.
July 1, 2008
9:30 p.m.
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MJNYC writes:
To Davies:
You are an idiot. Why don't you do some research before you spew stupid information.
There are no (none, nada, zero) dog food companies that use horse meat. Why? Because moral people won't even feed their dogs another companion animal.
Go hide under a rock where you belong.
July 1, 2008
9:55 p.m.
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dootlebug writes:
There is no requirement that the horses have to be kept for their lifetime, once adopted. The only requirement is for the first year, until the ownership is signed over by the BLM. After that you can do what you want with them. Responsible people don't take them home unless they plan to keep them forever. The problem really is that the BLM employs mostly non-horse people and do not have a clue as to how to manage horses. Perhaps they should consider having some horse people take over the program. It is not just the mustangs that contribute to the horse overpopulation issue. These back yard breeders that breed anything and everything should be shot. They are the biggest problem with the decline of the horse prices and overpopulation, not the mustangs. Let's face it, if there were a cost effective way to sterilize mares, this would far less of an issue.
July 2, 2008
12:51 p.m.
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mustango writes:
Can somebody tell me where I can call to see if I can adopt some of this horses. Please send info to axldv30@hotmail.com
July 2, 2008
7:35 p.m.
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wvsandy writes:
There are some mighty powerful organizations in the works quietly behind the scenes of this one, people... Cattlemen's association,AQHA,AVMA,just to name a few! Pockets are being lined all across the board. In Congress as well. Senater Craig is the ringleader in Congress who has, thus far,mananged to block a vote on the horse slaughter prevention act! The slaughter industry and those organizations who profit from it are up against the wall and I sincerely believe this is just one more ploy that is being used to gain sympathy for their purpose of horse slaughter for human consumption and their profits!
July 2, 2008
8:06 p.m.
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mustangrider writes:
Ok, look. hears an idea....when u round upthe mustangs,before you release the ones that arnt going to be adopted, geld some stallions! this will solve alot of probloms. These are inisent animals, there not taking over farm land...farmers took over there land. just like humans have been doing to animals all around the world. I train mustangs and im going to start adopting more and training them so i can sell them to good homes.
im going to do my part, do yours. geld some horses.....this will help. watch...
July 2, 2008
9:27 p.m.
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dootlebug writes:
Mustangrider
The Mustang Heritage Foundation has a program where you can take mustangs and train them and find them homes. They pay you for the training if you can find the mustang a home. They call it the trainers incentive program (TIP). Here is the link http://www.mustangheritagefoundation..... The application is at the bottom of the page. This way you do not have to keep them a year and once the training is done, the horse gets a home.
July 4, 2008
11:23 a.m.
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wvsandy writes:
I FULLY agree with MJNYC
An outrage at very LEAST and a cleverly disguised problem to exploit to the public at that! 6 million cattle graze the land! Compare that with the wild horses! Again, FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL, people and then ACT to STOP this!
July 10, 2008
2:14 p.m.
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Tavia writes:
Most of the first comments on here disgusted me.. The 'goal number' for mustangs is getting smaller and smaller every year anyways. There are lots of sollutions without putting these animals down. BTW, Mustangs are not vicious, untrainable animals over-running our nation. Save that bullSh*t for yourself.
Maybe if the BLM released those sum 2000 unadoptable, old horses and gathered more adoptable young horses they would be a lot more successful. Just a thought, I love the BLM, but really there's better options. It wouldn't cost that much to have a 'nut cutting' party in Navada compared to what they would spend in the future. Castrating a horse costs about the same as humanly euthanizing it.
I did cry when I heard about this -get over it cattle people. Go get a Vasectomy yourself man! =)
~Concerned equine enthusiast
July 11, 2008
9:44 p.m.
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HorseLover writes:
Read most of the comments above. Found them very interesting. I consider my self to be a horse lover. Had them all my life. We raise them - our remuda cosists of about 70 head. My mare was my best friend for 25 years. She died of a heart attack at the age of 30 and is buried in our pasture. Even though she has been gone for over 6 years and I am now pushing 45, the day she died still makes me cry like a baby. Now to my point. She is just an animal. If I had to make room for her or my children - my children would come first. Horses are NOT native to North America. Some PETA people have tried to state that horses are American icons - horses are not American icons. I think bison and turkeys fall into that catagory and they have survived and even increased in numbers due to animal management. And I must say that bison burgers and that turkey on the Thanksgiving table are pretty tasty. I don't know if I could eat horse steaks but if that is all there was I am sure I would. After all eating cow steaks in some contries is considered a sin. There are many other uses for horse byproducts - even more than glue and dog food. Sure, gelding all those wild stallions sounds good but have any of you ever gelded a horse? I have. You can't just band them like you do cattle. The horse has to be put out, both sacks cut open, the testies removed along with the cord that goes up into the body caviety. You don't stitch them up because they have to be able to drain. It can take over three weeks for a horse to heal from being castarated. They are given tetnus shots and about 5 days of penicillian which is given by shots in the muscle. This is major surgery and can you imagine trying halter those over 600lb. wild things to give them a shot everyday! Now, multiply that one procedure by the number of stallions running free and that is a lot of money. Not to mention that the price of grain and hay is at it's all time high! After all they would have to be kept pened until they healed. But you want to complain about not enough money for the public school systems! PETA has successfully shut down US equin slaughter houses and they are working on closing down the boarders so that horses can not be taken to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. This has traumatized the domesticated horse industry. Sure the high dollar winners in the rodeo and racing industry are still worth millions but the avreage horse is worthless. There are old and injured horses that need a place to go who are now suffering due to this law. And there are renagade horses that should just not exist becasue they hurt people. Horses are a commodity just like cattle, goats, sheep, swine and poultry.
July 11, 2008
9:45 p.m.
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HorseLover writes:
***********The rest of the story************
Many people are turning their horses loose because they can't sell them and it is to expensive to maintain them. (The wild horse population might grow faster than BLM thinks.) If the horse population gets out of control it would be detrimental to people. Have you ever hit a deer? What do you think a 1000 lb. horse would do? Now back to the slaughter of horses: Equin slaughter houses should be ran and monitored just like the beef and other meat industry slaughter houses. This job belongs to the USDA. Horses should be treated just like cattle. Europe was a big importer of horse meat. If horses are just "put down" what are you going to do with all those LARGE carcuses? Put them in landfills? Incenerate them? Why not put them to good use. You might think that horses are to beautiful to be done that way. Well, I have seen some beautiful cattle. And just so the city people know how that T-bone gets on your plate. Cattle are ran into a shoot and then shot in the head with a gun comparable to a 22. They are then hung by their back feet and beheaded and then sent on down the line to be disassymbled. If they were "put down" with any form of drug the USDA would no longer approve them for human consumption or be alowed in any part of the food chain. That is just the way it is. Horses are animals and as far as the wild ones go - they have no natural enemy. There are not enough wolves and mountain lions to keep the numbers in check. I don't think they should be hunted like deer because it would require a great marksman to drop one on the first shot and the animal would probably suffer. I think they should be rounded up and only let the healthyist of the healthy be released. That way the longevity of the herds would be insured. Hold public adoptions for the ones that are kept and send the rest to slaughter. The US government is paying local ranches $3.00 per horse per day to keep the wild horses that were not auctioned off. A ranch about 20 miles from me is housing over 100 head of these wild horses. I think government fund should be used more wisely than that! If the wild horse is not managed they WILL become over populated and then starvation and disese WILL set in and the horse WILL suffer! Sorry this is such a long response. The issue to kill or not to kill horses is a big thing in our home. The law to stop their slaughter has greatly affected our livelyhood in a very negative way. We have a handful of horses that are family pets but the rest are or should I say were raised to make a living.
Thanks for your time.
HorseLover
PS: Just so you will know we don't raise our horses for slaughter. They are registered American Quarter Horses and we take pride in our bloodlines but if people can't get rid of a horse they don't want they don't buy more horses.