Wild Horses: BLM Announces Sterilization Studies of Wild Horses
July 8, 2015Wild Horse Freedom Federation Joins Fight to Save West Douglas Wild Horse Herd Again
August 24, 2015
Wild Mare and Foal in Sand Wash Basin, Colorado
The BLM has released more information about its proposed studies of wild horses, that they will be initiating 21 research studies for population control. They will be spending $11 million on these studies which will include spaying of mares, gelding of stallions, chemical castration of stallions, chemical sterilization of stallions, and drugs causing permanent sterilization of mares. These barbaric practices will be performed in the field. The risk of infection and trauma to the wild horses is severe, especially with the likelihood of no medical follow up after these procedures.
The 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act requires managing wild horses and burros in order to maintain sustainable herds. Sterilization is counter to this requirement, and will inevitably lead to the ultimate extinction of our wild horses and burros. The current plans of the BLM require managing 78% of wild horse and burro herds in 10 western states at below genetically viable levels, which require least 150 adults in a herd.
Experimenting on our wild horses and burros is cruel, inhumane and absolutely unnecessary. There are proven methods of birth control that are safe and humane including PZP which has been studied for over 40 years. The Pryor Mountain Herd in Montana, the McCullough Peaks Herd in Wyoming, the Spring Creek Herd and Little Bookcliffs Herd in Colorado are all using PZP to successfully manage population growth, but the BLM refuses to use PZP on other herds.
Earlier this year I traveled to Washington D.C. with other groups to meet with BLM Director Niel Kornze and Deputy Assistant Director Mike Tupper to discuss solutions to wild horse and burro issues. Some of our recommendations included a significant expansion of the number of mares treated with PZP in order to make a difference in population levels as well as possible voluntary retirement of livestock grazing permits in Herd Management Areas. We also discussed returning wild horses currently housed in Long and Short Term Holding facilities to Herd Areas that had been zeroed out. We offered to work with the BLM, and to find volunteers to help.
Mike Tupper was supposed to respond to our proposals but as yet has failed to do so. Instead, the BLM is embarking upon these sterilization studies, without public comment, without oversight, without protection for our wild horses and burros.
Despite the fact that these sterilization studies have been in the works for over a year (first announced in August 2014), the BLM has not released the names of the herds that will be experimented upon, nor have they responded to queries about this.
Sand Wash Basin Stallions – soon to be sterilized?
This unwillingness to work with wild horse advocates and commitment to dangerous and inhumane treatment of our wild horses clearly demonstrates the BLM’s ultimate goal – the destruction of our wild horse and burro herds.
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2015/july/nr_07_07_2015.html
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/science_and_research/fertility_control.html
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/science_and_research/usgs_partnership.html
23 Comments
You nailed it Carol. TCF echoes what you have written. Sitting at the meeting with Director Kornze in March was a jaw dropper. His first shot out of the box was this. Increase adoptions by “paying adopters $5,000 to take a horse”! It was all downhill from there. The Agency is truly clueless and appears uncaring and cruel as they set out to butcher stallions and mares on the range, rendering them unable to reproduce. Permanent sterilization would mean the end of wild horse families as we know them. Permanently altering the social order would end a complex and endlessly fascinating social structure that has allowed wild horse families to successfully navigate the rigors of a wild life. We will fight this to the bitter end!!! We stand with you Carol!
Well said Ginger! We need to fight this together.
Thank you Carol for all you do!
Thank you Ginger for all you do for the wild ones.
BLM needs to use the time tested, proven method of PZP. Why cause intentional pain and suffering? BLM should be dissolved and replaced.
I respectfully disagree. BLM horses aren’t in any danger of going extinct because they are not any different than any other horse; they aren’t a unique species. These horses may be able to be managed adequately with PZP in a few herds, such as those you mentioned, but most herds are too scattered over too large a range to make that a practical option.
Not all the horses will be spayed/gelded. Even if the BLM TRIED to spay/geld all the horses in a HMA, it couldn’t be done…the areas are to vast to even find all the horses.
Spaying and gelding BLM horses is no different than trap/spay/neuter/release programs for feral cats. It is a win/win for the horses: They will get to stay on the range, they will be healthier for not having a foal every year, and the range will be healthier when there are less animals eating it down to the dirt.
Dear Susan,
Wild horses cannot be compared to feral cats. They are not the same as domestic horses, they are in fact unique and they need to be managed on the range, humanely, not treated like livestock or like lab rats. Lab rats actually have more protection in place as to how they are treated than our wild horses – there are no guidelines for humane treatment with these studies.
How can I help? I am a horse lover and had always respected the BLM, until this story came out. They need a wake up call. If anyone has a plan, count me in. I currently live in California, and am willing to travel.
I agree with both of you. The BLM’s horrific plans need to be shouted to the world as I firmly believe that no sane person would support this plan. The idea of major surgery out on the range is incomprehensible. How any vet would agree to do this is beyond my comprehension.
What steps are the horse advocacy groups taking to protect the horses from these barbaric atrocities? Please say that there will be more than just talk. And how did this plan get approved without our knowledge? Who slipped up or was paid off? This is an act of war whether you want to hear or talk about it. The horses need protection NOW before any of them are butchered.
The BLM did not need any public comment or approval before launching these studies. This is wrong. Yes we need to stop it – do you have ideas? Getting this story in front of the media will help.
Would it be possible to obtain the same animal protection group that moniter the movie industry involved in this situation? They have done wonders for those animals’ rights and protection. That is what our wild horses need – someone to protect them where they live in the wild when the BLM starts this activity.
How much time do we have to get the media involved? Sit ins and boycotts, and any blocking means worked in the past. Granted the territory is vast but would it be possible to put the herds under civilian protection?
Would a WWWHAD (WHat Would Wild Horse Annie Do) campaign stir enough attention for the media?
One more thing came to mind. Mentioned in a prior comment of mine was reference to Wild Horse Annie. A bracelet with WWWHAD accompanied with a flyer describing the BLM’s plans for inhumane handling of the mustangs flooding the country would create attention. We are all over the states but time is of the essence.
Horrifying. Shameful. Then there’s this, right next door to Sand Wash Mgmt. Area, concerning the West Douglas Herd Area: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/wrfo.html – the BLM’s Wild Horse Herd Reduction AND a proposed amendment to benefit gas and oil leases in the Piceance Basin – where the herd lives – both of these in the same BLM document: “In the Spotlight”. And this from the Craig Daily Press (Craig, CO) yesterday: http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2015/jul/29/blm-gather-wild-horses-northwest-colorado/ – BLM’s more detailed plan to remove 167 wild horses from the West Douglas Herd Area. (see next post)
We need a huge dissemination of facts on BLM management and mis-management, of facts on ranching vs welfare ranching – numbers & percentages (data is readily available), facts on livestock animals who don’t need free food from the BLM, facts on RE-WILDING – i.e. Yellowstone, The Netherlands, European Green Belt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rewilding_%28conservation_biology%29
How about a National Conference on Wild Horses and/or Rewilding the West? Or on the public taking back public lands. (There are conferences on everything else: storytelling, the cattle industry, Comic-Con, bee guardianship. (NOT: a wild horse show, nor training advice, nor how to adopt wild things.)
A gathering of people who know about and care about the wild horses, a symposium of FACTS: experts, scientists, speakers, a “TED talks” of sorts. Forums, Q&A, booths, including cattlemen who get it. Check this out from The Daily Pitchfork: http://dailypitchfork.org/?p=631
Who’s in? Let’s form a group of hardworking individuals who want to do this. It’s got to happen soon, or we’re going to loose the viability of existing wild herds, if not every last wild horse.
Amazing photos!
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