Activists Fear Mass Roundup of Wild Horses Due to Government Rule Change

Wild horses, iconic symbols of the American West, face potential threats due to a recent rule change by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management. This change has sparked fears among activists about the future of these majestic animals.

Wild horses, often considered elegant symbols of the American West, may be in danger with a new rule change by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management.

The change to the Obama-era rule removes restrictions on the horses' sale, according to activists, who fear the rule change will accelerate “mass round-ups” of wild horses, pave a path towards authorizing their euthanasia, and ultimately lead to their extinction.

Thenew rule, first released in late May, allows for the sale of up to 25 wild horses, which are federally protected, to one buyer within a six-month period without written approval from the agency’s assistant director – which activists say is a sharp increase from the2013 rule’s maximum of four horses per buyer.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), anadvocacygroup, says the new rule means the agency “no longer has a requirement to describe the conditions in which the horses will be held.”

"The May 24, 2018 Instruction Memorandum that was released provides internal guidance for what is considered a sale eligible animal. It in no way changes the obligations and authorities given byCongressprohibiting the sale for slaughter or euthanasia of healthy animals. Secretary Zinke has made abundantly clear that he does not support slaughter or euthanasia of healthy horses and burros," the Bureau of Land Management told ABC News in a statement.

While wild horses have freely roamed the nation’spublic landsfor centuries, the Bureau of Land Management is concerned they’ll eventually overpopulate the land and become diseased.

Meanwhile, ranchers, who lease over 60 percent of Bureau of Land Management-ownedpublic lands, have been pushing the agency to round up these untamed horses, claiming they compete with the ranchers’livestockfor grazing resources.

“Population control must be implemented to protect scarce and fragile resources in the arid West and ensure healthy animals. To carry out this mission, the BLM controls herd growth...through the periodic removals of excess animals and the placement of those animals into private care,” the agency’sWild Horse and Burro Program webpagereads.

In January, the Bureau of Land Management considered allowing the euthanasia of wild horses for the first time in nearly 50 years. In late April, the agencysubmitted a report to Congressrecommending euthanasia as an option for population control.

Currently, the ban on selling wild horses for the purpose of euthanasia is still in place.

Originally posted by ABC News