Searching Out New Ranges for America’s Wild Mustangs

Wild mustangs. Photo courtesy of National Geographic.

While having descended from domesticated horses brought here by early Spanish explorers, the American wild mustangs have always embodied virtues that we also pride in ourselves, such as strength, endurance, determination, and freedom.

Still exemplifying these virtues, the horses have experienced a powerful resurgence over the last four decades since the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed in 1971.

The law made it illegal to slaughter these animals as a method of population control or providing meat for dog food. The horses and burros were seen as competitors with domestic livestock for grazing lands.

Today, these federally protected animals are being threatened by their own successful comeback. They are eating themselves right out of their own protected ranges.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wrote a proposal letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid outlining a solution to the dilemma. In it, he said that, “The current path of the wild horse and burro is not sustainable for the animals, the environment, or the taxpayers.”

Wild burros. Photo courtesy of the Elevenmile Resevoir State Park, Colo.

Salazar said that, “the total wild horse and burro population is now approximately 69,000. This number includes approximately 37,000 currently roaming the public lands, and approximately 32,000 held in expensive short-term corrals and long-term pastures. In contrast, in 1971 the total population was approximately 25,000.”

The Bureau of Land Management reported that, “In Fiscal Year 2008, the cost of holding and caring for these animals exceeded $27 million. In the most recent FY (2009), which ended September 30, holding costs were approximately $29 million,” or about 70 percent of the total 2009 budget.

These measures are taken to prevent overgrazing of public lands. The BLM also makes efforts to find private homes for the captive animals, though adoption numbers have decreased over the last few years.

The BLM said that it “placed 3,706 animals into private care through adoption in FY 2008— down from 5,701 in FY 2005.” The bureau added that while it has the authority, it “has not been selling any wild horses or burros to slaughterhouses or to killer buyers.”

Salazar outlines three potential strategies in his letter for bringing the horse and burro numbers back into balance with the environment.

• Exploring the availability of new grazing areas that could accommodate a large number of horses and burros that could be managed through partnerships with existing conservation programs. These partners could also contribute to promoting adoption programs.
• Requiring the aggressive use of birth control through vaccinations that are effective for two years. A drug called Porcine Zona Pellucida is currently used. In addition, actively managing sex ratios on the range (more males to females), and introducing non-reproducing herds in some existing herd managtement areas.
• Educating the public and creating eco-tourism programs surrounding the horses.

Reader commentary and input is always welcomed!