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Categories: Horse News

BLM plans massive wild horse roundup

According to the Bureau of Land Management, federal land managers are proposing a massive fall roundup of wild horses and burrows. Reportedly, the agency wants to remove approximately 725 wild horses from public rangelands in southwest Wyoming to reduce two wild horse herds.



The wild horses will be captured from White Mountain and Little Colorado herd management units located northwest of Rock Springs, Wy.



Federal officials say wild horses have no natural predators, and they cite a reproduction rate among the herds of about 15 to 20 percent annually.

The BLM’s target management level in Wyoming is 3,263 wild horses.

The BLM’s goal is to remove the excess horses and put them up for adoption as part of the agency’s adopt-a-horse program. The agency also plans to use birth control methods on selected mares in the herds to reduce population growth over the next few years.

The primary capture method will include the use of helicopters to drive the wild horses into a temporary trap, according to BLM plans. Gathering operations are scheduled to start around Oct. 1.

View Comments

  • I think the horses are doing just fine out in the wild and should be left alone. It's o.k. if they are in large herds. They aren't dying because of a lack of resources. We should just let them be wild.

  • I think that we should leave them alone too. Although I do believe that they have some predators such as mountain lions?! Not sure though but ne way they are fine just the way that they are and I don't think that we should interfere with their lives.

  • Wild horses are an essential part of North american history. Yet we are still trying to keep them out of the territory the should be thiers?

  • They say they are going to more or less put the mares on birth control to keep the herd from expanding further, why not make that where people who just breed horses for a quick buck and not a certain discipline. I think the goverment should focus more on that than rounding up americas history. There are to many unwanted horses out there. They need to redirect their focus. Hope this makes sense.

  • I think it is sad that my taxes are used to round up wild horses on my federal property. There are so many horses since again, my federal taxes are used to kill the predators that kill wild horses. Wolves are being delisted so Wyoming, Idaho and Montana can kill more of them. This round up of wild horses is so the ranchers can have more cattle so we can kill them then recall the meat due to poor handling practices causing e coli contaminination.
    I think my taxes should be used to eliminate more BLM workers, I would rather have more wild horses, more wolves, more grizzlies and less humans, less development and less interference with how nature is supposed to work.

  • I think the BLM is doing a grate job with the wild horses. I have adopted one and it turned out to be a grate horse for my grand childern. keep up the good work guys, because i'll be for a nother horse.

  • I think it's sad these poor animals have to be scared half to death by helicopters just to be put in pens so someone can line their pockets. These horses have the right to live their lives FREE! Just like the goverment to take land away from animals who can not defend them selfes. Let them LIVE FREE!

  • After capturing, the mares are given birth control. Why then, can't they be released back into the wild? Wouldn't this qualify as managing? If there's enough pasture up mountain, wouldn't nature take it's course? Survival of the fittest. The horses should be left in the care of mother nature. So sad to see them standing around in temporary corrals.In these days of overspending, we should 'manage' our own selves first.

  • I think that the BLM should leave these magnifient creatures alone all together. They were here first!!! It is not our land it is theirs! Where in the history of America do you see just a person building this country? America was built from people on the backs of horses! Now, people think they can just seperate families and scare these beautiful horses to death. For what? People are greedy and don't care about what helped build this country! I just wish that people would let these creatures be what they were born to be FREE AND WILD!!! God Bless these Wild Horses! May God have mercy on these poor horses because greedy people NEVER will! In my eyes it is their land NOT THE GOVERNMENTS! I just wish they would take a minute to look deep into these wild horses eyes and see the pain and hurt they must feel as they are ripped from their homeland and people try to break their wild and free spirit! PLEASE just let them be WILD AND FREE LIKE GOD WANTED THEM TO BE WHEN HE PUT THEM HERE!! Again, God Bless these Wild Mustangs and please let them be able to be wild and free and untameable without fear of the punishment being death. I love the wild mustangs and I wish I could save them all! But, they are in God's hands. I'll be praying for ya'll.

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