Congress and Activists Criticize BLM Over Wild Horse Management

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) wild horse and donkey control policies have raised the ire of Congressional Republicans and animal rights activists, who thoroughly criticized them during a hearing convened by the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

Some observers contend the population of wild horses and donkeys onfederal landsis reaching crisis levels.BLMestimates that the current population of wild horses is approximately 67,000, a significant increase compared to recent years. The agency attempts to maintain a balanced ecosystem on the range by removing wild horses when the population exceeds Appropriate Management Levels (AML).

Dr. JJ Goicoechea, Nevada’s state veterinarian and the deputy administrator of theNevada Department of Agriculture, reported during the hearing that certain Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Nevada are anywhere from 600 to 2000 percent over AML. The average acrossBLMlands is 250% of AML. He fears the wild horse population in Nevada could exceed 100,000 in the next five years.

The overpopulation of wild horses portends serious threats to both the rangeland and wild horses. With finite resources and burgeoning herds, the range cannot sustain the current population. The problem is exacerbated by drought conditions that have plagued the Western US in recent years. As such, the last year saw an abundance of horses die of starvation and dehydration, while less forage is available for other species.

Bureau officials contend that the wild horse population has increased so dramatically and so rapidly that they lack the resources to control the herds.

McClintock was unconvinced.

Several committee witnesses endorsed a policy of unrestricted sale, which would allow the federal government to sell horses in its custody to any buyer. Federal law places a variety of restrictions on the sale ofBLMhorses, including the 2004 Burns Amendment, which forbids the agency from selling to so-called “kill buyers” or slaughterhouses.BLMis also petitioningCongressto sanction a legal mechanism allowing them to transfer horses to other public entities in need of work animals.

Animal rights activists expressed serious misgivings about the proposal.

Activists further argued the overpopulation issue is largely a red herring. “Overgrazing and overpopulation are overgeneralized in nonscientific claims by theBLMto justify removals of horses and donkeys from our public lands,” Ginger Kathrens of the Cloud Foundation told the committee.

For its part, McClintock saysCongressis open to considering all options.

Originally posted by The Daily Caller