Roaming Free: What is the Right Balance for the Wild Horses and Burros in the West?

One animal that I have always loved is the horse. Whether it is a wild mustang or a domesticated horse, they have such a beauty that cannot be put into words. So when I saw the clip about them on ABCNews.com from the show "Good Morning America" titled "Wild Horses Rounded Up in West", my interest was piqued.

After watching the clip, I did a little of my own research on the subject. The federal government that takes care of the wild mustangs is called the Bureau of Land Management. While I am not that big of a fan of the federal government being involved in everything, I can see their point of view.

The BLM claims that there are so many of these wild mustangs that they must round them up and adopt them out. Otherwise, they will get so overpopulated that they will starve to death or die from illnesses. They see what they do as a preventative measure.

The BLM says that the wild horses double their population every four to six years. That is a very large increase in a small amount of time. Since they have very few natural predators to keep the population in check, the BLM feels that it is their responsibility to do so.

"The Bureau of Land Management's top priority is to ensure the health of the public lands so that the species depending on them - including the nation's wild horses and burros - can thrive. To achieve that end, the BLM's wild horse and burro program must be put on a sustainable course that benefits the animals, the land, and the American taxpayer." BLM Director Bob Abbey from the website blm.gov.

I tend to agree with that. Coming from a background of hunters, I have seen the years in which the white tail deer was overpopulated to the point that they were starving to death and disease was spreading fast. It is not a kind way to let the population control itself, although it is a very natural way.

People must also consider that the wild horses are not the only animals trying to survive on the land. It has to be managed to where all animals can thrive.

On the other hand, I also understand why there are protesters to the round up of these animals. In our minds, they are a native to the west. This, of course, is not true because horses were not introduced to the west until the Spaniards started exploring it. They are only running wild now because many were let go for various reasons including during the Depression when farmers could no longer afford to feed them and chose to set them free to fend for themselves.

It's really all a "catch 22", where both sides are right and wrong at the same time and the well being of the horses are stuck in the middle.

Madeleine Pickens is very much against the federal government interfering with the horses and certainly doesn't trust them.

"While the BLM has all the canned answers down pat, there remains so many compelling questions about appropriate numbers of wild horses on the range, the lack of accounting of the acreage that has been taken away from the wild horses over the years, the issues of excess wild horses and where they will go and how we the taxpayers will pay to feed them. And none of the BLM answers speak to those questions in any meaningful way. The BLM presents the argument in such a way that it looks like it is just a matter of removing thousands of wild horses for the good of the horses." Madeleine Pickens from Madeleine pickens.com.

Although people want a clear and simple solution to every problem, there rarely ever is. There must always be compromises made. People also need to remember that it is not all about them, it is about the animals.

There are already about 33,000 of these beautiful creatures in captivity with a plan for capturing about 12,000 more in 2010. There will probably end up being more in captivity than in the wild, but if the horses and burros are cared for properly, we should support that.

The appropriate level, according to the BLM, is around 26,000 that should be allowed to roam freely in the west.

While protesters want you to think that most of the captured horses end up in slaughter houses, that is not true, according to the BLM. Most of the horses end up in private care after being adopted out. Many are finding new homes in the grasslands of Kansas and Oklahoma and are not being kept in small holding pens.

No matter which side you choose to take, all Americans should be watching it carefully. We do not have to side with the federal government, nor with the protesters. As Americans, we have to do our job to make sure that the government cares for these animals as they say they are. We should be the "watch dogs".

Sources:

www.wildhorses.com
www.madeleinepickens.com
www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro.1.html