On June 3, 2010, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) director Bob Abbey announced intentions to change the course of the Bureau’s wild horse and burro management strategy.
According to Abbey, the new strategy will not include euthanizing healthy horses or sale of any Mustangs without protection from slaughter. Some options that may be included in the management strategy include: increased use of fertility control; introduction of wild horses and burros into areas where they do not currently exist; increasing the availability of forage for wild herds; and establishing herds for unadopted Mustangs and burros.
The BLM’s currently scheduled wild horse roundups will continue as planned.
Read BLM director Bob Abbey’s full statement regarding public input here.
Read the strategy development document and provide your input here.
i think they should let the mustangs be. It’s our fualt that to build houses we are taking THEIR land which is bad enough. Rounding them up is worse and if you bring them somewhere else what if they don’t like the climate or something. They don’t even seem to get a choice!
Wild mustangs have been adopted out for many years, also as sad as it is they have also been slaughtered. In my opinion the mustangs should be left alone for the most part. Every four or five years come in and manage the herds a little, but let them be WILD mustangs. The biggest problem is with humans taking over the land they have less and less land to survive on so its almost necessary to control them, its a alot more humane then them starving to death.
there is just not the room for them like there was. Its sad but if we dont do something they suffer as they have nothing to eat. So we have to take steps to correct what we can so there is no suffering.
Mustangs should be left alone. People rae managing them to extiction. They are native species to North America, no matter what the BLM or anyone says. There is scientific evidence of that. Anyways, ocassionly the herds should be managed. If not, they will starve and die. But, this is a big BUT, if you have to round up our wild horses up, do it HUMANELY! That’s my only request. One more thing, if we destroy the wild horse population we destroy the history of America.
It is a shame the roundups scheduled for 2010 can not be stopped. Better land management, better water availability and everything should be able to survive and get along, cattle/natural resource development and pipelines included. No animal will venture near a human development, there should be no need to eliminate any. Sterilization is also a reasonable option. Helicopters are still not the only vehicle for roundups too. Most cost effective, use horses to round up horses…. of course this would be alot of work for humans and horses alike. Probably do not want to put owned horses to such a task.
Thank you so much for the online article concerning the mustangs. I think that the BLM should sell outright the animals that are adopted. I understand the need to keep track of these animals, but it only adds to the problem of “unwanted” horses when they have to re-posess one (or more) of the already adopted animals. Couldn’t they just offer temporary assistance (i.e. cash or feed, or a local professional trainer) for the adopted family, If they are having trouble caring for their newest family member? Why take the animal back? What happens to these “re-posessed” animals?
I agree that the horses should be sold and then forgotten. There are enough to deal with without having to keep track of animals for the rest of their lives. Microchip them to help ensure compliance and then leave them alone.
I think the mustang’s homeland needs to become a certified and protected wildlife preserve.The mustangs are literally being driven out by people moving into thier homes and the land that’s left isn’t big enough to sustain the population. Therefore, i believe the round-ups are necessary ,but i think that less horses need to be gathered at one time and they need to be captured according to whatever there is majority at that time.For example, if one year there is an abundance in colts and stallions instead of mares and fillies than round-up more colts and stallions.I don’t think that would keep the numbers under control ,but i think it might make more sense than gathering up just what ever they can get and it might keep the herds more balanced.Long live Mustangs!!