BLM = Slave to cattle ranchers.
7
Stop giving so much public land to cattle ranchers, and leave it for the wild horses.
8
My experience with BLM is that they are not very competent, reflecting the Congress they serve.
8
Normal Rate: The average birth rate in a wild-horse herd is 20%; but half of foals perish as do 5% of horses other-than-foals. Hence, the growth rate is 5%.
Bogus Rate: In 2015, BLM said there were 35,000 mustangs; in 2016, 75,000. This biologically-impossible growth rate -- 114% -- is 23 times the norm.
Not Rested: The Advisory Board toured 3 areas that had been overgrazed by cattle. Just because allotments are officially rested does not mean they actually are. Permittees defy BLM's authority to rest allotments. Instead of penalizing the scofflaws, BLM lets the illegal grazing continue.
Underpopulated: The arbitrary management levels (AMLs) of 83% of wild-horse herds -- and 90% of wild-burro herds -- are set below minimum-viable population (MVP). Example: The AML for Oregon's Beaty's Butte herd restricts the stocking-density to 1 wild horse per 7 square miles. At 3 wild horses per 7 square miles, BLM would label them "overpopulated." The herd was recently displaced by cattle per a rancher's contract to supply grass-fed beef to an upscale grocery chain.
Predators: Mustangs have predators -- mountain lions, bears, wolves, and coyotes; but they are persecuted mercilessly.
Bogus Billion: The captive-mustang mortality rate runs about 8% a year. They don't breed, so their numbers will steadily drop, showing that BLM's billion-dollar care-figure is bogus.
Solution: BLM can reopen the 22 million acres of wild-horse habitat that it took away for political expediency. Cost: $0.
Bogus Rate: In 2015, BLM said there were 35,000 mustangs; in 2016, 75,000. This biologically-impossible growth rate -- 114% -- is 23 times the norm.
Not Rested: The Advisory Board toured 3 areas that had been overgrazed by cattle. Just because allotments are officially rested does not mean they actually are. Permittees defy BLM's authority to rest allotments. Instead of penalizing the scofflaws, BLM lets the illegal grazing continue.
Underpopulated: The arbitrary management levels (AMLs) of 83% of wild-horse herds -- and 90% of wild-burro herds -- are set below minimum-viable population (MVP). Example: The AML for Oregon's Beaty's Butte herd restricts the stocking-density to 1 wild horse per 7 square miles. At 3 wild horses per 7 square miles, BLM would label them "overpopulated." The herd was recently displaced by cattle per a rancher's contract to supply grass-fed beef to an upscale grocery chain.
Predators: Mustangs have predators -- mountain lions, bears, wolves, and coyotes; but they are persecuted mercilessly.
Bogus Billion: The captive-mustang mortality rate runs about 8% a year. They don't breed, so their numbers will steadily drop, showing that BLM's billion-dollar care-figure is bogus.
Solution: BLM can reopen the 22 million acres of wild-horse habitat that it took away for political expediency. Cost: $0.
18
Why did the Times so prominently print such a biased, misleading, one-sided, ignorant article? Start with the title -- "success". A program that uses helicopters to "round up" thousands of scared, frightened animals (many of whom are seriously injured and die in the melee) and then are driven hundreds of miles into corrals should be called ANIMAL ABUSE, not "success." ALL Americans own our public lands, but for way too long a small group of big ranchers have paid pennies to use vast stretches of these public lands for their own profitable businesses -- cattle ranching. And blaming horses who are penned up in a very small area for the resulting overgrazing is like calling the kettle black. Let's get rid of the cattle, and let the wild horses stay on the public lands that belong to all of us. I'd like to see a national referendum on use of our public lands!
23
Another hit piece on wild horses by the cattle industry and their millions of grazing cattle.
18
The BLM, like most government agencies, are on the side of business - in this case ranchers. Cattle are grazing on PUBLIC lands. The wild horses belong to the public. If anything belongs on public lands it is the descendants of the horses that helped develop this country - not the cattle that are owned by private industry. If populations of horses need to be controlled then humane non-lethal ways should be used or natural predators introduced. Costs should be borne by the cattle industry that has been getting a huge subsidy from grazing rights for decades and only contributed animal cruelty, pollution and an unhealthy diet to the world.
8
Horse meat is quite tasty and there are lot's of hungry people.
6
Some people would say the same about dogs, cats, rats, or worse, but here in the U.S., certain animals are valued by the vast majority of the nation's population. We simply don't kill horses, or specific other animals, for consumption. The time is coming, and can't come soon enough, that a majority will also not want to see cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, and other livestock, or even wildlife killed in order to satisfy someone's taste buds. We don't need meet or dairy products, as vegans have proven for decades.
4
Ok, NYT, now that I've learned about this slightly, I ask: where is the part about privately-owned cattle grazing on public lands, their impact, huge numbers and low rent? I would think that would be a source of significant revenue, and that the impact on the land would be even greater. I am quite ignorant, so feel free to educate me - seriously
6
It costs the Government many millions more to maintain the Grazing Program than they bring in in revenue from Grazing receipts.
"Receipts from grazing fees were $125 million less than federal appropriations in 2014.
Total federal appropriations for the USFS and BLM grazing programs in fiscal year 2014 were $143.6 million, while grazing receipts were only $18.5 million.
Appropriations for the BLM and USFS grazing programs have exceeded grazing receipts by at least $120 million annually since 2002. Had the federal government charged the average private forage market rate for non-irrigated lands in the western states, grazing receipts would have been on average $261 million, greatly exceeding annual appropriations."
"Receipts from grazing fees were $125 million less than federal appropriations in 2014.
Total federal appropriations for the USFS and BLM grazing programs in fiscal year 2014 were $143.6 million, while grazing receipts were only $18.5 million.
Appropriations for the BLM and USFS grazing programs have exceeded grazing receipts by at least $120 million annually since 2002. Had the federal government charged the average private forage market rate for non-irrigated lands in the western states, grazing receipts would have been on average $261 million, greatly exceeding annual appropriations."
7
Adopting the same type of "safari excursions" that African countries offer, in this case: to see and learn about the cultural heritage of wild horses in their natural habitat, who were brought to the Americas by the Spanish, before the Native Americans embraced horses, to then be called "the greatest light horse cavalry in the world" by General Phil Sheridan.
The campaign of adopting a wild horse or a herd could provide the BLM with a significant amount of income but, which given their record of mis-management and lack of creative thought, the best benefit would be the additional participation of like mined ranchers and Animal rights groups.
The campaign of adopting a wild horse or a herd could provide the BLM with a significant amount of income but, which given their record of mis-management and lack of creative thought, the best benefit would be the additional participation of like mined ranchers and Animal rights groups.
3
As many have stated, this is a one sided article. I for one would like to see you do a thorough investigation on this issue. That would include verifying the counts of horses still on our public lands as well as those in BLM holding facilities. I am sure the numbers will be far less than what the BLM is reporting.
Also investigate the public lands cattle industry and report what that industry costs the American tax payers. The welfare ranching cattle industry will far exceed the cost of managing the wild horses and burros. Investigate to see the damage done by cattle on our public lands. Cattle are non native, horses evolved in North America.
Our public lands are not private cattle and sheep ranches. Investigate who really benefits from public lands ranching. Dig deep, you might be surprised what you find.
Also investigate the public lands cattle industry and report what that industry costs the American tax payers. The welfare ranching cattle industry will far exceed the cost of managing the wild horses and burros. Investigate to see the damage done by cattle on our public lands. Cattle are non native, horses evolved in North America.
Our public lands are not private cattle and sheep ranches. Investigate who really benefits from public lands ranching. Dig deep, you might be surprised what you find.
11
The cattle that graze on public lands are just as much an invasive foreign species as the horses and burros. There are many more head of cattle devastating these lands than horses and burros. The US is addicted to beef which is more expensive to produce than other forms of protein and does more environmental damage. Cut back on cattle grazing. Raise the prices of beef to discourage the consumption of an ecologically unsound farm animal.
8
Better yet, boycott beef. I haven't eaten it since the day I heard the words "horse slaughter."
3
A sadly one-sided article. The real story is the egregious mismanagement of public lands in the West for the benefit of cattle grazing. Wild horses and burros are casualties of a corrupt and inhumane system that is destroying western rangelands. The land available for wild horses is ever shrinking at the behest of cattle grazers and the U.S. government officials who serve their interests. Hello NYT, where is the journalism on this issue? The "elephant in the room" is barely mentioned.
21
Speaking of BLM fraud … BLM uses biologically and mathematically impossible annual wild horse population rates and here are just a few (of many) examples that BLM published:
Carter Reservoir Herd Area – a 1257% increase in one year. That would be 7 horses having 95 foals in one year.
Centennial Herd Area – a 1281% increase in one year. That would be 40 horses having 487 foals in one year.
Nut Mt. Herd Area – a 417% increase in one year. That would be 6 horses having 25 foals in one year.
WHY is this so important? Because these are the figures that BLM gives to Congress when requesting funding for wild horse and burro capture and management plans. This is fraud against the American tax-payers who own these wild horses and wild burros and these public lands.
Reference: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/herd_management/Data.html
Carter Reservoir Herd Area – a 1257% increase in one year. That would be 7 horses having 95 foals in one year.
Centennial Herd Area – a 1281% increase in one year. That would be 40 horses having 487 foals in one year.
Nut Mt. Herd Area – a 417% increase in one year. That would be 6 horses having 25 foals in one year.
WHY is this so important? Because these are the figures that BLM gives to Congress when requesting funding for wild horse and burro capture and management plans. This is fraud against the American tax-payers who own these wild horses and wild burros and these public lands.
Reference: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/herd_management/Data.html
13
I know that this will make most men flinch, but why not try to geld the stallions? Many people would probably help to round them up and many vets would probably donate their time.
2
Friends of Animals suggest it is OK for wolves and cougars to kill wild horses but not humans.
Arguably overgrazing on public lands by cattle (and elimination of predators) has been a problem but BLM is taking substantial steps to reduce the negative impacts. Of course this is accomplished through a reduction in grazing allotments. The same should be done for horses which are a non-native invasive species causing substantial damage.
It is unfortunate that animal lovers are the left wing equivalent of right wing social groups. Out of touch, ill informed, overly emotional and hence easily exploited for political gain.
BLM needs to take a stronger stand based on science so as to control, or eliminate, all non-native species infesting our public lands. The problem with invasive horses is they will reproduce to the point they destroy our grasslands and then starve to death en masse along with native wildlife (and ultimately predators, as well) that depend on the same resources to survive.
Thanks for your short sighted foolishness, Friends of Animals! You're as bad as the Bundynistas who would turn all federal land to local government.
Arguably overgrazing on public lands by cattle (and elimination of predators) has been a problem but BLM is taking substantial steps to reduce the negative impacts. Of course this is accomplished through a reduction in grazing allotments. The same should be done for horses which are a non-native invasive species causing substantial damage.
It is unfortunate that animal lovers are the left wing equivalent of right wing social groups. Out of touch, ill informed, overly emotional and hence easily exploited for political gain.
BLM needs to take a stronger stand based on science so as to control, or eliminate, all non-native species infesting our public lands. The problem with invasive horses is they will reproduce to the point they destroy our grasslands and then starve to death en masse along with native wildlife (and ultimately predators, as well) that depend on the same resources to survive.
Thanks for your short sighted foolishness, Friends of Animals! You're as bad as the Bundynistas who would turn all federal land to local government.
2
The short sighted are you and those who assume man can manage wildlife at which we have been an abject failure. We have created a management nightmare creating the need for more management, a cycle not to be broken by man's stupidty, greed, selfishness and encroachment on wildlife habitat. The cattle industry is the real problem here in their zest to use grazing lands gratis while lobbying the government and trying to convince the rest of us to kill off all wildlife that might prey on those cattle. Boom! The result is a man-made fictional over population problem. And their made up numbers support the fiction. You say the horse defenders are "as bad as the Bundynistas who would turn all federal land to local government." I say, the cattle industry who would turn all federal land into their personal cattle feeding grounds are the root of this problem.
12
Eliminate all non-native, invasive species? Whether you realize it or not, you are including human beings as well.
1
How about some actual investigative journalism? Obtain actual use data for all livestock grazing permits in wild horse and burro habitat for each of the last five years and critically examine the BLM's assignment of blame range damage to wild horses.
The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has done some excellent work on this topic, finding that BLM scapegoats wild horses for range damage caused by livestock ("The method used by the [BLM] to assess range conditions is seriously skewed toward minimizing impacts from domestic livestock and magnifying those from wild horses and burros.")
Multi millions of head of livestock, versus 70k wild horses.
The article says nothing about how cattle are moved from one area of suitable grazing to the next, and the horses are left to contend with the area that has been eaten to the nubs.
The article doesn't say how ranchers are allowed to fence out access to water, for the wild animals on public land.
Time to limit the access to cheap and taxpayer subsidized grazing. We lose multi Billions in grazing fees. Put that up against the money used to gather and hold wild horses and burros.
Perhaps in the spirit of fairness the times needs to place an true INVESTIGATIVE reporter on the story.
The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has done some excellent work on this topic, finding that BLM scapegoats wild horses for range damage caused by livestock ("The method used by the [BLM] to assess range conditions is seriously skewed toward minimizing impacts from domestic livestock and magnifying those from wild horses and burros.")
Multi millions of head of livestock, versus 70k wild horses.
The article says nothing about how cattle are moved from one area of suitable grazing to the next, and the horses are left to contend with the area that has been eaten to the nubs.
The article doesn't say how ranchers are allowed to fence out access to water, for the wild animals on public land.
Time to limit the access to cheap and taxpayer subsidized grazing. We lose multi Billions in grazing fees. Put that up against the money used to gather and hold wild horses and burros.
Perhaps in the spirit of fairness the times needs to place an true INVESTIGATIVE reporter on the story.
24
I wish NYTimes had money for research, interviews, investigation, lol. I've noticed so many pieces in which the structure seems to be: here is the official story and framing. Here is what the corporate or government expert thinks. It's become so apparent that the NY Times is not enough, you have to look at the Intercept, Democracy Now, New Yorker, the Nation, etc
5
Let's also investigate how much of the processed livestock meat from animals grazing on, and destroying, our U.S. public lands is actually being shipped to other countries. At least one country is buying livestock (that's LIVE animals) that are raised in the U.S (some on public lands) and shipped to other continents until those countries can fully develop their own industrial factory/farm livestock industries. Currently we're shooting ourselves in the foot with a lose-lose-lose situations. We lose the public land enjoyment of seeing wildlife, lose good grazing lands via sheep/cattle grazing, lose the horses, and lose funding resources via dirt cheap, give-away grazing allotments. And the animals lose their lives for food that has many other alternatives.
3
If you think of the horses as really big rats, instead of lovable, romantic creatures, the perspective changes.
4
Man is the really big rat and has become its own problem.
6
You have been in Brooklyn too long, Porter.
The BLM authorizes livestock grazing on virtually all BLM land in the lower 48 states, or 155 million of the 245 million total acres. By contrast, wild horses are restricted to just 26.9 million acres, --just 11 percent of BLM lands. Horses share that small fraction of BLM land with livestock, and the agency routinely allocates the majority of forage in designated wild horse Herd Management Areas to livestock, not wild horses.
These cattle are owned by Corporate Welfare Cattlemen, for the most part. They graze their tax write-off cattle for $2.11 per month for a cow/calf pair. The calves are not tiny babies, either.
BLM has been spending millions for helicopter roundups and wildlife extermination, for decades, to protect these cattle. If you have ever been out of Brooklyn, Porter, you would see the evidence of these 2.11 million cattle, who foul the waters of the American West.
The Taylor Grazing Act was formed in 1934 to try to stop the destruction of Cattle, which had trampled the land for the previous Century, resulting in the Dust Bowl. The West is also littered with millions of miles of fences, used or abandoned by cattlemen.
They produce less than 3% of the Nations beef, which is sold at a Whole Foods and other high-end grocers. The time has come to remove non-native, destructive cattle from Public Lands.
The BLM authorizes livestock grazing on virtually all BLM land in the lower 48 states, or 155 million of the 245 million total acres. By contrast, wild horses are restricted to just 26.9 million acres, --just 11 percent of BLM lands. Horses share that small fraction of BLM land with livestock, and the agency routinely allocates the majority of forage in designated wild horse Herd Management Areas to livestock, not wild horses.
These cattle are owned by Corporate Welfare Cattlemen, for the most part. They graze their tax write-off cattle for $2.11 per month for a cow/calf pair. The calves are not tiny babies, either.
BLM has been spending millions for helicopter roundups and wildlife extermination, for decades, to protect these cattle. If you have ever been out of Brooklyn, Porter, you would see the evidence of these 2.11 million cattle, who foul the waters of the American West.
The Taylor Grazing Act was formed in 1934 to try to stop the destruction of Cattle, which had trampled the land for the previous Century, resulting in the Dust Bowl. The West is also littered with millions of miles of fences, used or abandoned by cattlemen.
They produce less than 3% of the Nations beef, which is sold at a Whole Foods and other high-end grocers. The time has come to remove non-native, destructive cattle from Public Lands.
12
Yes, and there are any number of analogues and thought experiments besides that from one that one could gain insight on this.
You really think you know the entire story?! The BLM claims that the land can only support 27000 horses, and yet they allow ranchers to put their privately owned livestock on PUBLICLY OWNED LANDS. Don't say the horses are the problem when the BLM hasn't done a thing which actually proves the point they are trying to claim. If you want more of the actual story, take a trip up to Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, the three states where the majority of mustangs are, and talk to everyone you can who actually knows anything about the plight of the mustang. Only then will you stand a chance of being more informed and telling the story correctly. Journalism is meant to be neutral in the first place, anyway.
18
Embedded deeply in this article is the real issue: "cattle (grazing on public lands) outnumber wild horses by 10 to 1." And worst of all, ranchers are charged only $2.11/month per cattle for grazing fees. This is absurd. Regarding the wild horses, the BLM has mismanaged these animals for years, which is why so many now languish in holding pens or overgrazed areas. The BLM has no excuse for failing to utilize darted birth control methods, instead playing Cowboys with helicopter round ups. The end result is an over-population of wild horses, yes, but the BLM is to blame. What should happen now is a realistic program of birth control methods for the horses along with a realistic increase in cattle grazing fees. Meantime, if any horses must truly be euthanized, it is imperative that they NOT be sent to Mexico, but better to end their lives humanely right where they've lived. The BLM needs new management desperately!
15
By rounding up way too many (when none should have been rounded up at all), the BLM/ranchers/kill buyers, pet food companies, Canadian and Mexican slaughter houses stand to make huge profits. Follow the money.
3
The horses are feral animals that are not a part of the natural ecosystem. No one is calling for eradication but something must be done to reduce the numbers of animals that range on public lands. Laws that prevent utilization of horses for meat are foolish and counter productive to the management of these feral animals.
5
We have lost our place as part of this natural ecosystem in our destruction of it with the poisoning of our environment, building of strip malls and outrageous development. We are the feral uncontrolled yet management is not considered. If something must be done, it is to reduce the number of our population and especially those whose use of the land is illegitimate and destructive.
2
Part of the problem is the iconic, beautiful photos that accompany this article. Taken in sunset conditions, they raise nostalgia for something that doesn't belong in the American wild ecosystem: horses imported from Europe with the Spaniards. Yes, they have history. Yes they are beautiful. But viewed with the right lens, and taken in the right light, cancer cells probably have a wonderful beauty to them, too. And just like a cancer, these horses will eat to death the ecosystem on which they feed.
3
Though your comment has an unrealistic comparison it does little to move forward the issue. Far more species have originated from somewhere else than are native to any geographical area. And as a reminder, so are we. And as we overpopulate and poison our environment with over development and the taking of habitat from animals for our own selfish greed and satisfaction, we continue to mismanage the wildlife and the health of the planet for those selfish ends. In this instance, we kill the hunter and create the problem of too much prey and all in the name of an industry that has the wealth to hire lobbyists to continue this travesty. The people are angry and rightfully so. We will not condone killing any longer for the gains of the few.
6
Horses are an invasive species. Unknown until introduced by Europeans. They should be managed like any other invasion. I know that they eat them in Europe. Perhaps they could replace some of the climate damaging cows?
2
Odd that we don't see our own contribution to this problem. Always we blame the species without a voice. Reminder: We are also an invasive species and one who causes more damage than the wild horses. Man is the biggest problem as we dysfunctionally mismanage and destroy in our efforts to fill our coffers.
7
The opposition to leasing public land to cattlemen overlooks the fact that we Americans eat plenty of beef but have almost total opposition to eating horsemeat.
3
...or eating each other as cannibals. The too-obvious answer is to stop eating meat. Some of us have not eaten meat or consumed animal products for decades. We get all our needed nutrients in plant based foods. As people become aware of what has been going on, the cruelty of it, hopefully they will stop eating mean altogether.
1
49 million divided by 77 thousand equals 637 dollars per horse. Seeings as a excellent race horse goes to stud at what 50 million, don't yathink we could farm some grass just to keep the gene pool diverse?
2
As an avid outdoorsman and frequent visitor to the grasslands and deserts of central Oregon I can attest to the devastation wild horses cause. They have, in effect, severely limited access to food to native deer, elk, and big horn sheep populations. These horses need to be culled so a natural balance can be restored to the ecosystems across the west.
2
No, we need to leave management to Nature. Reintroduce the land's natural predators, remove the cattle, which are nothing more than dollar signs to the cattle industry and let the natural cycle take its course. The cattle industry has encroached on public lands quite enough and it time to regulate their use with more oversight and demand for fair compensation.
4
There are some very important facts that are always missing from these articles that advocate for the horses. For one, the horses are "wild" like the pigeons in Central Park are "wild"...they are actually "feral". These horses are the random progeny of blooded stock abandoned on public lands intermittently since the late 1800s.
I'm fine with these horses occupying public lands provided that the folks who advocate for their residency are willing to join in the responsibility of "multiple use" and not just the right. Everyone who uses public lands in a consumptive manner pays for that right and accepts responsibility for the same. The hunters and fishermen pay license fees and they work diligently to protect the resource through foundations that fund habitat improvement. The mining and energy companies pay lease bonuses and royalties. The cattle ranchers purchase the grazing allotments, develop the water resources and maintain the fences and move cattle to manage the range condition.
So if the advocates for these feral horses are willing to purchase allotments, develop and maintain water resources, manage numbers according to range conditions and pay the grazing fees, they should have that opportunity...but they should not be allowed to displace those who pay for the right and accept the responsibilities and not do the same.
Just ask The Nature Conservancy how many of these horses they are willing to make a home for on the 119 million acres they manage.
I'm fine with these horses occupying public lands provided that the folks who advocate for their residency are willing to join in the responsibility of "multiple use" and not just the right. Everyone who uses public lands in a consumptive manner pays for that right and accepts responsibility for the same. The hunters and fishermen pay license fees and they work diligently to protect the resource through foundations that fund habitat improvement. The mining and energy companies pay lease bonuses and royalties. The cattle ranchers purchase the grazing allotments, develop the water resources and maintain the fences and move cattle to manage the range condition.
So if the advocates for these feral horses are willing to purchase allotments, develop and maintain water resources, manage numbers according to range conditions and pay the grazing fees, they should have that opportunity...but they should not be allowed to displace those who pay for the right and accept the responsibilities and not do the same.
Just ask The Nature Conservancy how many of these horses they are willing to make a home for on the 119 million acres they manage.
4
I agree with the 3 comments thus far. Re-introduce preditors; stop allowing cattle to graze public lands; geld some of the stallions.
The problem with allowing auction of these horses, is that many of them wind up in the hands of kill-buyers who sell them in Canada or Mexico, where they are inhumanely slaughtered, and their meat shipped overseas.
The problem with allowing auction of these horses, is that many of them wind up in the hands of kill-buyers who sell them in Canada or Mexico, where they are inhumanely slaughtered, and their meat shipped overseas.
11
I'M WITH HER!
1
If BLM would stop kowtowing to ranchers ( whose relative small production of beef would not matter significantly) and let our public lands be used to house the horses where generations have been born and died, BLM wouldn't have a problem. Discount land lease prices to ranches are the problem.
13
Most of us who live in the country know it's unpleasant, but necessary, to kill certain animals in order to preserve ecological balance or to prevent unsanitary conditions from developing. We kill mice, which are cuter and smarter than horses, without much serious thought. Why not horses? Is it "size-ism"?
We should not allow our emotional response, mostly born of unrealistic ideas about wild horses gleaned from movies, to prevent us from taking responsible action. We do not need to waste a billion dollars on a program to provide room and board for nuisance animals. I know this will outrage the horse lovers, to whom I respond: Put up or shut up! If you have extra money to spend on this cause, by all means spend it and "save" the horses. Otherwise, let those tasked with handling the problem do so.
We should not allow our emotional response, mostly born of unrealistic ideas about wild horses gleaned from movies, to prevent us from taking responsible action. We do not need to waste a billion dollars on a program to provide room and board for nuisance animals. I know this will outrage the horse lovers, to whom I respond: Put up or shut up! If you have extra money to spend on this cause, by all means spend it and "save" the horses. Otherwise, let those tasked with handling the problem do so.
7
The East also has wild horses. My children's book Seabiscuit Wild Pony of the Outer Banks describes the ponies of Shackleford on the coast of North Carolina, while Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague is a well-loved children's book. Everyone should make a trip to Shackleford to see these animals running free in the dunes and along the shore.
4
Many of our challenges involve resolving problems we have created, and this is a good example - trying to bring nature back into balance after we have upset it. We are human, supposedly more intelligent than all other creatures, we should know best, but we don’t when it comes to nature. We are irrational and hypocritical. We allow hunters to kill wolves and coyotes, but won’t allow the killing of horses, even if it’s for the benefit of the land and all creatures that depend on it. We love our companion animals, therefore we give them special treatment, and shame on the Asians for dining on dogs. We also favor cuteness, so shame on the Inuits for clubbing seals. Yet we silently and conveniently condone the torture of cattle, pigs, chickens in our feed lots and cages, millions every day. The solution may be to stop trying to regulate Mother Nature, but Human Nature will not allow it.
5
Why are we subsidizing the beef industry? How much of this subsidized beef do we ship overseas? Sounds like we are treating wild horses the same way we treat the indigenous nations, round them up and make them graze in restricted areas.
Here's a solution from the past. Let the Native American nations determine how and where to let the horses (and buffalo) roam. Give land back to the tribes (Honor the treaties.) and let them restore their culture and the environment. The European immigrants are destroying the planet with their version of progress. Try a social experiment and let Native nations take over parts of the country where they originally lived. Let's see if we can return the balance of nature and eliminate toxins and pollution. The American/European model is not working.
(disclaimer: I am the grandson of Austrian immigrants, a retired white guy.)
Here's a solution from the past. Let the Native American nations determine how and where to let the horses (and buffalo) roam. Give land back to the tribes (Honor the treaties.) and let them restore their culture and the environment. The European immigrants are destroying the planet with their version of progress. Try a social experiment and let Native nations take over parts of the country where they originally lived. Let's see if we can return the balance of nature and eliminate toxins and pollution. The American/European model is not working.
(disclaimer: I am the grandson of Austrian immigrants, a retired white guy.)
12
While this is problematic, this is exactly what needs to be brought to the negotiating table, part of the discussion. There are so many issues we have created and fumbled or ignored for so long, radical and alternative ways of looking at things are important. Because who I DON'T want to be deciding for me is the kind of person who would scoff and laugh off such an outrageous and profoundly-rooted idea.
2
The BLM repeatedly refers to "euthanasia" in this article, except in one instance where it correctly states that the horses are "sold to kill buyers." The BLM would like the public to believe that even if this killing of these beautiful animals will take place due to their flawed policies, that it will be via euthanasia, evoking a picture of a peaceful, pain free ending to the horses' lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. The BLM sells the terrified horses to kill buyers for profit. The experience for the horses is one of sheer terror and beyond inhuman treatment as they go from crowded transport to slaughterhouse for dog food. It has been well documented that the last days or weeks for these gentle animals which the BLM purports to "euthanize" consist of pain and terror at the hands of kill buyers whose only motive is profit and who have no compassion nor humanity. Yes, BLM should absolutely do its job and let these gentle animals live. But, when it talks about needing to reduce the numbers, don't lie to the public with the euthanasia story. Profit sales to inhumane horse meat butchers is the correct description.
11
I board my horse at a very nice stable in the Northeast. He has top-quality grain and hay, and yet his upkeep is nowhere near $1 million dollars a year. How is it possible to be spending that much on each of the wild horses in this program?
5
If the BLM had not always been in cahoots with the ranchers using govt lands and with the horse slaughter people, this would not have happened. The male horses should be gelded. No studs equal no foals. People who turn out their unwanted horses should be heavily filed and jailed. I've been anti slaughter since Wild Horse Annie saw that dead foal's blood coming out of a semi truck bound for slaughterhouse. The BLM employees sit on their tails and draw big salaries. Spend that $ on the horses not on employees. There are prisons which have men who back the mustangs. Invest more in that. This whole mess is the fault of the BLM and the secretaries of interior Udall was the worst, and the ranchers who kill and starve and fence off water to the mustangs so they can run their cattle on govt land for low low rent.
Don't tell an old woman like me that the above is not true. I've been for the mustangs since I was a small child and saw how the ranchers killed them off with the help of corrupt govt employees. (And i've been a govt worker who worked, so I've seen the lazy ones laughing at us.) Horse rider for 70 years, horse owner for 61 years. Not an uninformed animal rights person but an informed animal rights activist.
Don't tell an old woman like me that the above is not true. I've been for the mustangs since I was a small child and saw how the ranchers killed them off with the help of corrupt govt employees. (And i've been a govt worker who worked, so I've seen the lazy ones laughing at us.) Horse rider for 70 years, horse owner for 61 years. Not an uninformed animal rights person but an informed animal rights activist.
16
This article targets the wild horse as the "elephant in the living room". It presents such facts as the wild horse population is 77,000 and growing by 15,000 per year. In 1971 Congress allocated patches of public land that only support grazing of 27,000 horses. The BLM pays about $60 per month to graze each horse on private ranch land, costing $49 million per year. This cost is expected to total more the $1 billion over the life of the herds.
That sounds like a big problem. But the article hardly mentions the real problem - publicly subsidized grazing of privately owned livestock. The BLM allocated 155,000,000 acres of public land to graze about 715,000 privately owned livestock in 2015. That year the BLM charged ranchers only $1.69 per adult animal per month. It cost the BLM $36.2 million to administer the grazing program and it collected only $14.5 million in grazing fees from ranchers. It raised the monthly grazing fee to $2.11 in 2016 but that does not fix the problem.
A better solution is obvious. Congress should update the 1971 law so BLM stops paying $49 million per year grazing wild horses on private land plus losing about $22 million per year by subsidizing private grazing on 155,000,000 acres of public land. Let ranchers pay commercial rates to graze more of their livestock on private lands and, rather than killing them, graze wild horses on public lands.
That sounds like a big problem. But the article hardly mentions the real problem - publicly subsidized grazing of privately owned livestock. The BLM allocated 155,000,000 acres of public land to graze about 715,000 privately owned livestock in 2015. That year the BLM charged ranchers only $1.69 per adult animal per month. It cost the BLM $36.2 million to administer the grazing program and it collected only $14.5 million in grazing fees from ranchers. It raised the monthly grazing fee to $2.11 in 2016 but that does not fix the problem.
A better solution is obvious. Congress should update the 1971 law so BLM stops paying $49 million per year grazing wild horses on private land plus losing about $22 million per year by subsidizing private grazing on 155,000,000 acres of public land. Let ranchers pay commercial rates to graze more of their livestock on private lands and, rather than killing them, graze wild horses on public lands.
55
While the cost of AUM is much lower than a private lease would be, the difference is that the rancher is responsible for maintaining the allotment while using it. Think of it as the difference between a hotel and renting a house without a property manager.
Hmmm, wonder how many seconds of the defense budget $49M takes?
22
Ha ! You nailed it in one simple question ! Awesome !
3
This statement reflect all or most of the problem: "....has rarely equaled the number of horses gathered in roundups." The cruel heli roundups have simply tried to wipe out herds and should never been allowed or taken place. Cattlemen wanted those grazing lands for their own PROFIT. They and others try to spin the myth that because they "care so much" they don't want to see all those poor horses starve to death. First, the horses rarely starve to death. Second, left alone, habitat will determine and limit herd size, just as it does with all wildlife. There may be a few weaker ones that die, but another mistake was kowtowing to ranchers' demands to kill all predators. FOA's Mike Harris is exactly correct: Decades of failed management policies. Let's get "management" out of the picture, get cattle grazing OFF public lands, and keep apex predators protected until their numbers are strong.
41
Neither cattle nor horses are native to the west. Both should be removed from public lands. Habitat controls herd size by being totally destroyed, losing also all the native species. You are right that apex predators need to be protected, but mountain lions will, as they have, remove all the native bighorn before controlling the larger horses. And how pleasant is the life of horses in land degraded enough to cause their "control" by starvation? Horses are domestic animals and belong in the company and care of humans.
The wild (feral) horse management program can not be fully understood in the absence of a discussion of the political motivations behind the push to limit herd sizes. There's plenty grass to support horses on public lands, at least in larger numbers than exist today, if the land management agencies weren't required to maximize the number of cattle on those lands. It's a classic case of opportunity costs: economic, political and ecological.
The public should know that a relatively small number of well-connected ranchers that profits from nearly free grazing privileges and predator control has been the primary beneficiary of horse removal for decades. Not unlike what was done to Indigenous people who inhabited those same lands for centuries before ranchers took it. Or rather, the US government took it and gave it to cattle growers. Thus the history of the West is recapitulated.
Horses can be managed to be part of a functional ecosystem but only by allowing predator populations to live and thrive.