BLM Plan for Mega-Gather Is a Budget Buster

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed a massive round-up and removal of approximately 1,705 horses from Wyoming’s Red Desert Complex. This operation would remove nearly two-thirds of the total number of horses the agency removed frompublic landsacross 10 states last year. If executed, it would not only negatively impact the horses but also cost American taxpayers up to $78 million in holding costs over the lifespan of nearly 2,000 animals who are about to lose their freedom.

The Cost of Wild Horse Management

Under theWild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the federal government, through theBLM, is responsible for protecting about 50,000 wild horses and 10,000 burros onpublic landsin the West. For years, theBLMhas been rounding up more horses than it can place with adopters, leading to a large number of wild horses in holding facilities.

The captive horse population has now swelled to 50,000, matching the number of free-roaming horses. Thecost of care for these horsesis consuming the agency’s budget at a time when Congress is focused on reducing spending. It costs over $43 million annually to care for these captive horses, and each additional horse added to this system costs taxpayers approximately $46,000.

Financial Implications and Alternatives

The plan for the round-up of the Red Desert complex horses is a budget buster, exemplifying government waste and inefficiency. TheBLMshould reconsider its approach, as it has previously reduced round-ups, gathering fewer than 2,000 horses in 2014 to avoid financial insolvency.

However, this restraint did not last, and the proposed large-scale round-up marks a return to financially reckless practices. Instead, the agency should consider alternative management methods, such asfertility control.

While theBLMclaims thatfertility controlis not effective for large herds, the agency has been hesitant to implement it. Only in Colorado has there been a modest effort to usefertility control. In 2014, theBLMtreated fewer than 400 wild horses and burros with fertility control, less than 1 percent of the total estimated population of 57,000.

The Need for Change

TheBLMcontinues to address crises reactively, as seen with this large-scale removal from Wyoming. This approach merely shifts the problem from open range to holding facilities. A change is necessary to prevent further suffering of America’s wild horses. The current plan is flawed, and theBLMshould not impose this liability on the next administration or taxpayers.

Originally Posted By HSUS