The Bureau of Land Management announced it will not accept the recommendation from their National Advisory Board to euthanize the upwards of 46,000 wild horses. The recommendation was followed by a major public outrage, but the BLM says they will continue to seek out other management options.
Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Kristen Lenhardt said those alternatives include the BLM’s already established wild horse and burro adoption program, as well as using birth control to reduce overpopulation.
Lenhardt said reducing overpopulation is crucial and it poses a serious challenge for the agency. Lenhardt added that overpopulation is determined by the amount of land and food resources in the management area and whether or not there is enough for the wild horses as well as other wildlife in the area.
“The reason you see healthy horses out there is because we do take the steps to try to keep that balance of uses out on the range land,” said Lenhardt.
Lenhardt said the BLM is committed to having healthy horses on healthy range lands.
