Time for Change: Protect Wild Horses

Denver, Colorado’s Huff Post, an online newspaper, reports that in Reno, Nevada the U.S. House approved an amendment on a voice vote that would cut the Bureau of Land Management's budget by 2 million dollars in protest of the agency's wild horse roundups that some people say are too costly and are inhumane.

Over the past 10 years, the cost of BLM's wild horse management program has tripled to 64 million dollars. About 37 million dollars of that was spent last year on housing the gathered horses at BLM corrals and leased pastures, which is a 30 percent increase from the previous year. "Instead of using that to fix this broken wild horse management problem, they permanently removed another 10,000 wild horses and burros and put them into tax-funded long-term holding pens," said Representative Jim Moran. BLM spokeswoman Celia Boddington said the agency had no comment on the House vote. Jim Moran said there were once thousands of wild horses in the West, but today there are more in captivity in BLM holding facilities.

Although many people either aren’t aware of the situation of wild horses or believe the Bureau of Land Management protects wild horses, my research has confirmed that the BLM is actually doing more harm to wild horse populations. The government has encouraged these roundups quietly because of the profit they get from ranchers. The BLM says they help the wild horses by keeping their populations in control so that the population increase doesn’t cause some of the horses to starve from overgrazing. But this isn’t true because the BLM clears out the wild horses so large herds of cattle can graze. The cattle aren’t starving though so neither would the wild horses. “If the program isn't funded appropriately and horses are not removed, wild horses will continue to overgraze the range which means starving horses,” said Representative Mike Simpson.  But if the population were to increase and some wild horses were to starve that would be alright because that’s nature taking its natural course which is humane and therefore better than roundups. The BLM’s roundups ruin the lives of wild horses by breaking up their families, injuring them, and sometimes causing their death. So earlier when i asked, should roundups be made safer, the answer is obviously yes. The more I research this issue I have realized my opinion has changed a little bit. Before my opinion was that roundups need to be safer and that the BLM is rounding up too much. But now I'm thinking that wild horses should be left alone and let nature take its course. 
We the people need to help protect the wild horses otherwise they’re fighting for their freedom and families everyday and could eventually cease to be wild horses at all and it’s just not the American west without wild horses.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/wild-horse-roundups-in-we_n_824493.html

"Wild Horse Roundups In West Prompt House To Cut BLM Budget." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

http://board.horsechannel.com/Topic335530-4-1.aspx

"Exposing the Truth of the BLM Wild Horse Roundups." HorseChannel.com Message Board. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

The BLM Vs. Wild Horse Advocates

The debate over roundups dates back decades, to the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which is a federal law that protects wild horses and burros and made it illegal for cowboys to round up the animals for sport or profit.

I found an article published in New York Times that discusses exactly what I am blogging about. Outside of Ravendale, California, more than 1,200 horses have been captured during the current roundup. Simone Netherlands, a wild horse advocate said, “They’re running at full speed for miles and miles for hours, with babies, little babies, and they don’t let up on them.” “They’re stressing them out to the max.”

The BLM says that the roundups are humane and that it must reduce the wild horse population to more sustainable levels, both for their health and for that of the other animals that live in the areas. “Some advocate groups would like us to leave the horses out there and let nature take its course,” said Bob Abbey, director of the BLM. “We don’t believe that’s a sound option.” Is the BLM right? Why keep rounding up so many if the demand for horses is low and the cost of feed is high? For example, in 2009, about 70% of the entire program’s $40.6 million budget was spent holding 34,500 horses and burros. Couldn’t this overwhelm the program? Is the BLM favoring livestock ranchers? The ranchers who pay the government for the right to graze and who can sell their animals? These questions may in fact be well…a fact. “We remove wild horses from the public lands so private livestock can graze, and then we ship the wild horses to private ranchers in the Midwest where we stockpile them and pay private ranchers.” This has been stated by the BLM.

“The method of capture is simple: horses are located from helicopters, which have been used in roundups since the mid-1970s, and pushed toward the trap site, essentially a funnel shaped by two netted walls that lead into a temporary corral. Once the herd runs into the funnel, Mr. Cattoor lets loose a Judas horse, which is trained to lead the rest into the trap, where — uncombed, unshod and often stomping and biting, they slowly settle into their new lives as kept animals. All of which is more humane than the old days,” said Mr. Cattoor from the BLM.

Regardless of the opinions of both sides, some wild mustangs do actually die during round ups, mostly from a combination of stress, heat, and dehydration. So why doesn’t the BLM make roundups safer?

 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/us/06horses.html

"Nevada's Wild Horses and Burros." Las Vegas News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - KLAS-TV 8 News Now. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

Holding Facilities and Sanctuaries

The Cloud Foundation visited a government holding facility in Utah and brought back video evidence of the poor conditions.

I actually had no idea the government rounds up wild horses and burros and keeps them in holding facilities. And after watching the video of the terrible conditions of some of the holding facilities I was shocked and it angers me. Even though the holding facilities are necessary after roundups there is absolutely no excuse for the facilities to be like that. Those horses are being neglected and kept in horrible conditions. I’d like to round up whoever is running those facilities and make them live in those conditions..... The government is supposed to protect the wild horses and burros so why aren’t they?

The Cloud Foundation posted the video online and sent a copy to the Bureau of Land Management. The agency responded and admitted the conditions are unacceptable.

The people of the Cloud Foundation are people like you and me, we care about the well being of the wild mustangs. The Cloud Foundation caught the poor conditions of the Utah facility. So can we help and make sure no more injustice is done to the wild horses? I’m thinking now that there is more unacceptable things occurring with the process of controlling the population. So what is the solution to this? If the government or the BLM isn’t watching closely then is it just up to us as individuals? Perhaps we need more detailed and concrete laws on this subject to be enforced.

Nevada is in a lot of financial trouble, so you’d think the state lawmakers would welcome a project that will bring millions of dollars to the state and attract tourists. The project is a wild horse sanctuary. But a panel in the Nevada State Senate turned down the project without even hearing from the investors who are backing it. Apparently The Natural Resources Committee has no power to do anything about wild horses because the state has no say over what happens on federal, BLM controlled land. It’d be a shame if the project were not to pass because the wild horses that have already been gathered and are warehoused in BLM holding facilities could be released to roam free in their natural environment in the new sanctuary. And like stated before, it’d be good for people too by generating money. So why not encourage the project?



DeMarco, Guy. "Wild Horses Removed from Utah Holding Pen." Las Vegas News, Weather,                        Traffic, Sports - KLAS-TV 8 News Now. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.             http://www.8newsnow.com/story/14500702/wild-horses-removed-from-utah-holding-    pen.

Jackson, Stephen. "I-Team: Anti-Wild Horse Bill Passes Nevada Senate Committee." Las Vegas News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - KLAS-TV 8 News Now. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.            http://www.8newsnow.com/story/14309867/i-team-anti-wild-horse-bill-passes-nevada-           senate-comittee.

Actions from The Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, stated there are more wild horses and burros today than there were in 1971, when the roundup program started. As the number of horses began to grow, the program began to shift to population control. And that has set off an outcry from wild horse advocates, which really took off in 2010. Members of Congress and other wildlife organizations paid closer attention to the issue last year, because the BLM removed more horses and burros in 2010 than in any other year. The BLM says there are about 33,700 wild horses and 4,700 burros roaming on BLM ranges in 10 Western states. According to the BLM, if the wild horses and burros were left alone, the population would drastically increase. And I’m sure the population would increase if the BLM stopped the roundups. The roundups should continue so population won't get out of control and the BLM should continue to regulate it. The government's plan is to reduce the population by 12,000, which would leave about 26,600 horses and burros on the 26 million acres set aside for these animals to live. Some of the land is used for recreational and mining interests. If the government decreases the population, they can downsize the amount of land needed for them to roam. Therefore, they can use the land for more mining which makes the government more money. And it seems to me that this is why the BLM is rounding up more horses. Much of the public land on which the BLM manages the wild mustangs is also home to other wildlife as well as livestock. So the BLM could be decreasing the population of wild horses and burros to comply with ranchers to make more room for livestock; mainly cattle grazing. 

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-03/us/wild.horses.government.roundup_1_wild-horses-horses-and-burros-herd-management-area?_s=PM:US

  I’m sure the population would increase if the BLM stopped the roundups. The roundups should continue so population won't get out of control and the BLM should continue to regulate it. I'm sure the BLM knows what they're doing so we should let them continue as they have been, shouldn't we? But maybe we should watch the BLM closely because I found a video that shows how the BLM may be conducting roundups incorrectly which is damaging to the wellness of the wild mustangs.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGkWVNLY_V0 

Wild Horses Are Protected Under Law

Wild horses roam free in family bands across the American west in several different states. A family band consists of at least a stallion, a lead mare, and a foal; to a stallion, a lead mare, other mares, yearlings, and foals. Bachelor bands are stallions that roam together until they can acquire their own families. Most wild horses are protected in wild horse sanctuaries which are open land where the wild horses are watched to make sure they aren’t being threatened or killed by anything not caused by mother nature. All wild horses are protected under federal law.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-195)

“To require the protection, management, and control of wild free- roaming horses and burros on public lands. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. 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.”  http://www.saveourwildhorse.com/

The Bureau of Land Management can conduct roundups to keep the wild horse population in control. But many people as well as myself feel they are threatening the wild horse population by rounding up too much. Roundups threaten the healthy breeding population of wild horses so that inbreeding could occur and cause wild horse herds to die out. Roundups also frighten horses and tear apart family groups essential to wild horse development and procreation. Roundups shouldn’t be taken away completely though because population should be controlled but they are rounding up way too many wild horses. Wild horses are so essential to the spirit of the west and the ecosystems they roam. I love horses so much and wild-born horses deserve to remain free.