The War on Wild Horses
Advocate sees how disturbed the Sheldon wildlife preserve wild horses are after decades of experimentation
Tracy Mohr writes:
Here is a link: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/science_and_research/usgs_partnership.html to the BLM’s page of all the research they are proposing to do on the wild horses to “effectively manage them” on public lands. Keep in mind that the bottom line for BLM is that the proposed procedures, “when applied, are expected to result in a static to decreasing population level”.
In other words, the goal of all this research is to reduce the number of horses on public lands over time through permanent sterilization, with extinction being the eventual result.
If anyone is familiar with the concept of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) with feral cats, it is the method proven most effective to reduce and eventually eliminate feral cat colonies.
The most concerning part of all this is that according to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) 2013 report, there is no scientific basis used by BLM to determine the number of horses that should be on the range, nor does BLM know how many horses are actually on the range. Population estimates have been know to be 800% higher than actual numbers. The NAS report also stated that current management practices (ie. removals) are actually contributing to higher rates of population growth due to decreased competition for forage and water.
So how can BLM say they need to reduce wild horse reproduction when they don’t really know how many horses are on the range or how many horses the range can hold?
Yet the BLM continues to reduce the number of horses allowed while increasing the number of livestock permitted to graze on public lands.
Make no mistake, the goal is to eliminate wild horses from public lands.
We currently have 45 horses from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, and some of these procedures had been done on the horses prior to their removal. It is obvious to us that higher male to female ratios, and spaying of mares and gelding and vasectomizing of males, does affect herd dynamics.
This was not the intention of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, which was to preserve wild horses and burros on the land where they were found, and keep them free from slaughter and harassment from man.
This research is not only unnecessary because there is no wild horse or burro overpopulation, but it is redundant, has already been shown to be detrimental to overall herd health, and will result in the eventual elimination of wild horses from our public lands.
~ Tracy Mohr, founder The Mustang Project
While it is possible to take the research on spaying to the extreme, the base truth is that since 1979 the BLM has been searching for methods to slow herd population growth down so that they can do what the public has asked and reduce the number of horses gathered. While gather numbers seem high to people who have not been around the program for long. Those who have watched horse numbers climb on the range over the recent years know that a feasible method or preferably methods of reducing herd population growth has to be achieved for the good of horse and burro herds as well as the taxpayers pocketbook. And while we continually hear information contradicting the 15-20% herd growth per year we also see that proven fairly accurate every time the majority of herds are gathered. So while we would love to see all mustangs run free with no contraception or gathering it is not a realistic choice unless you prefer to see herds decimated by starvation. We saw the results up close of a hands off management policy with the Cold Creek HMA near Las Vegas that required the humane euthanizing of numerous horses that were in such an advanced case of starvation that their systems we’re shutting down. And yet the locals were calling for leaving them alone because it was better to starve as free horses than to be gathered and fed. I don’t cons that a very humane attitude personally.
While Dee John , brings up a good point , I totally agree with Tracy Mohr .I remeber her from 2014 , researching & providing a safe haven for the Sheldon Mustangs that survived BLM ! For this I know she is correct in her statement .
No wouldn’t want to see horses starving on the range, although I believe in survival of the fittest and nature taking its course. I believe that if you would keep the cows where they belong on the ranches, this would not be an issue.
Keeping cows and sheep on the privately owned land and stop fencing off grass and water sources that are on public land so all wild animals have access while increasing the number of natural predators will allow Mother Nature to “manage” the population naturally at no expense to the BLM.
It won’t happen because the ranchers are too powerful an too used to free or low cost forage and too scared of wolves and cougars and bears impact on them. It’s pretty simple keep your cattle at home with human supervision to protect the cattle on their land
this has been and will continue to be a government sanctioned GENOCIDE by our government to a non viable wild herd end . this is the agenda and they will not stop till the bitter end . liars all cheats all murderers all . they the blm is the scapegoat for our government against all who know what is happening our wants wishes for the wilds will be a carrot dangling in our faces win a few lose sooo many more actions. big money speaks RULES what happens to these beautiful creatures till the greedy land hungry ranchers are brought up on crimes committed ,till the government enforces the laws and stops all the big oil, mining, leasing out all the lands deemed for the horses to these interest these battles are everyday. mankind created this mess everytime mankind oooh look we need to fix this the animals suffer .