The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has sparked major controversy with its plan to remove nearly 3,000 wild horses from southwest Wyoming. Their decision is part of a strategy to address what it claims is an overpopulation problem in herd areas in order to protect land health and resolve management conflicts. This decision has received criticism from wild horse advocates throughout the country.
Under the plan approved on May 8, 2023, the BLM aims to round up and remove all wild horses from the Great Divide Basin, Salt Wells Creek, and part of Adobe Town. Critics argue that the removal disregards the cultural and ecological importance of wild horses in these regions. They state that horses are vital to maintaining biodiversity and could be managed through more humane methods rather than inhumane removal.
The BLM stated in a release: “Due to the size and complexity of the designated areas, gather operations may take place over multiple years to ensure all wild horses are removed from this area. Proposed removal operations are planned to begin on July 15, 2025, with the goal of eventually fully removing all wild horses.
“All removed horses will be transported to BLM holding facilities. Upon arrival at the facility, they will be prepared for the agency’s wild horse Adoption & Sales programs. Wild horses that do not meet adoption age or temperament criteria may be shipped to public off-range pastures.”
The BLM’s wild horse adoption program faces criticism for overcrowded facilities, inhumane conditions, and strained resources. Challenges include animal welfare concerns from stressful helicopter round-ups and horses being sold to kill buyers who have in the past exploited the $1,000 adoption incentive, resulting in horses ultimately being sold for slaughter.
According to American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), “The United States District Court for the District of Colorado has overturned the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) controversial Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), ruling that it violated multiple federal laws by failing to undergo required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Administrative Procedures Act (APA) requirements.
“The court found it was ‘not hard to imagine’ that slaughter of wild horses could be ‘fairly traceable’ to BLM’s actions regarding the national AIP program, and noted the legally required need for vigorous public comment and agency review, which the BLM failed to conduct.
“The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Eubanks & Associates, PLLC on behalf of American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), Skydog Sanctuary, Carol Walker and other petitioners, who argued that the program, which paid individuals $1,000 to adopt unhandled wild horses and burros, incentivized the unnecessary suffering and slaughter of federally protected wild horses and burros.”
Advocates for keeping wild horses on American soil point out that these animals have roamed the American West for centuries and are an important part of our cultural landscape.
“There should be no debate, wild horses belong on American soil. They are a crucial part of our heritage as symbols of freedom, embodying America’s spirit. We must do everything we can to protect their integrity on the few wild spaces we have left. We need to create stronger policies to preserve wild horses for future generations to come,” stated Katie Cleary, founder of Peace 4 Animals.
