U.S. Unveils Plan To Care For Wild Horses

It has been a hotbed of controversy whether or not the United States’ would be slaughtering wild horses. According to the department which handles the horses, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the cost was too high to care for the horses any longer. However, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced an alternative.

Currently, there are about 69,000 wild horses in the western United States. 32,000 horses and burros reside in Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota under the care of varied corrals and pastures. 37,000 horses and burros roam freely in California, Wyoming, Nevada and a select few other states.

The cost for caring for the wild horses jumped from $36 million in 2008 to $50 million in 2009. The Bureau of Land Management expects care for the horses and burros to rise to $85 million in 2012. The department has indicated that the cost is not sustainable and the number of horses on the land is not sustainable for the environment either.

According to Secretary Salazar, wildfires and drought are putting the horses at risk as well. Food and water have been found to be limited for the horses. The West, according to officials, is not currently able to sustain a large wild horse population without damage to the environment.

Secretary Salazar recently announced a plan to allocate seven horse preserves for the horses and burros. Two of the preserves would be operated by the Bureau of Land Management. It would cost approximately $92 million to create the two BLM preserves, however, the cost is expected to be made up for in the end with decreased BLM costs.

Approximately 25,000 horses would be able to find homes on the seven preserves, leaving thousands others still in the West. Salazar has indicated that quite a few of these animals would be neutered in order to control the population.

In addition, it is expected that the BLM will be making the preserves open to the public at some point in time. This would potentially draw in more money for the program.