Euthanization Imminent for Wild Mustang Herds in Western Utah
|
|
Once again, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is coming under criticism for mismanaging Mustang herds, this time, in western Utah. On drought ravaged lands, Mustangs are being blamed for a shortage of grazing. However, proponents of the Mustangs say, they are being made scapegoats unfairly. The problem is really the amount of livestock allowed to graze on public lands.
Starting within the next few days, if conditions allow, wild horses will be rounded up with an eye to reducing what is perceived as an overpopulation. This roundup was initiated after Iron County commissioners issued an ultimatum to the BLM and threatened to take care of the problem themselves. They believe that the horses are a threat to grazing livestock and wildlife, and they are concerned that conditions may result in the starvation of the horses themselves. The BLM has asked that ranchers reduce the number of cattle and sheep they are grazing on public lands by 50 percent. But ranchers feel they are taking a loss because they are not getting the full value of their grazing rights and blaming the horses for using up valuable resources.
At the ready, are pens, volunteers and feed, should the BLM not take immediate action. Iron County has stated if they take matters into their own hands and round up the horses, they will do what they can to see that the horses are adopted. The horses would be kept on private land, and on the commission's threat the BLM has offered to feed and manage the animals until they are adopted or moved elsewhere. But, Iron County has not ruled out euthanization as a solution.
Opponents of the roundup, whether it be carried out by the BLM or Iron County claims that the wrong animals are being blamed for the problems. And, states the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, that any removal of wild horses from federal lands by BLM or Iron County Commissioners would violate federal laws. They also revealed BLM statistics showing that the numbers of cattle and sheep grazing the area greatly exceeds the number of Mustangs. Mustangs they say, are not the problem. The proposed actions by Iron County they point out, are clearly illegal. Public roundups are prohibited. And they accuse the BLM of favoring ranchers above the opinions of the American public, who support the preservation of the Mustang herds on public lands.
The AWHPC claims that roundups are not the answer when it comes to controlling wild horse herds, and the horses are not responsible for depleting the grazing. The roundups are dangerous for the horses and expensive to carry out. A better solution, they propose is fertility control, as was done with Assateague Island's feral herds. Another possible solution are the creation of self managed herds that are kept within natural boundries such as the California's Montogomery Pass herd and the Dülmen pony herds in Germany. |
|
|
Arabesque International
The ranchers feel they they are having their rights violated by being requested to reduce their numbers on public lands by 50%?!
What is unfair is that these horses, that have roamed the lands longer than those ranchers have been there, are being treated worse than those sheep and cattle. The ranchers should be forced to remove some of their animals to let those wild horses to have a better fighting chance.
Let Iron County round up some of the horses in the larger bands and adopt them out. "The horses would be kept on private land, and on the commission's threat the BLM has offered to feed and manage the animals until they are adopted or moved elsewhere.."
But if thee horses are rounded up ranchers should not be allowed to continue to fully graze on public lands until the drought problem as lessened.
The ranchers feel they they are having their rights violated by being requested to reduce their numbers on public lands by 50%?!
What is unfair is that these horses, that have roamed the lands longer than those ranchers have been there, are being treated worse than those sheep and cattle. The ranchers should be forced to remove some of their animals to let those wild horses to have a better fighting chance.
Let Iron County round up some of the horses in the larger bands and adopt them out. "The horses would be kept on private land, and on the commission's threat the BLM has offered to feed and manage the animals until they are adopted or moved elsewhere.."
But if thee horses are rounded up ranchers should not be allowed to continue to fully graze on public lands until the drought problem as lessened.
|
Apr 27, 2014
• 3,708 views
|
|
|
|
|
Related Horse News
|
|
In the year 1492, horses returned to the Americas after an absence of several thousand years. These horses arrived in the holds of the first ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Europe. Today, there are still feral herds roaming ...
|
|
Once again, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is coming under criticism for mismanaging Mustang herds, this time, in western Utah. On drought ravaged lands, Mustangs are being blamed for a shortage of grazing. However, proponent ...
|
|
The Cloud Foundation and American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, along with veterinarians and congressmen agree that spaying is a poor option for controlling the number of free roaming Mustangs in the American West. They very m ...
|
|
In an effort to control the population of wild horses and buros in the U.S. midwest, the federal government is offering an incentive to anyone who adopts a wild horse or burro. The Adoption Incentive Program allows adoptees of wil ...
|
|
There is good news, at least temporarily, for those who are against the culling of wild horses in the American west. Last July, the House Appropriations Committee voted to remove from Interior Department budget passages outlining ...
|
|
Animal rights activists are angered after the U.S. Forest Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that looks after the national forests and grasslands, began the roundup of about 1000 wild horses. The horses are be ...
|
|
In Defense of Animals is petitioning to halt the sterilization program being planned by the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon that will brutally reduce the herd size and cause harm to horses in the Oregon’s Big Summit wild horse herd ...
|
|
A controversial bill is headed to the US senate. Those who approve of the measures set out in the bill, which includes sterilizing mares, say it will effectively control the size of the wild horse herds, ensure the humane treatmen ...
|
|
In this good news, bad news video from ABC News Prime 'It’s Not Too Late', host Ginger Zee takes a look at the evolution of the BLM’s management of wild horses on American’s public lands. The BLM claims there are too many horses, ...
|
|
Approximately 250 feral horses graze the floodplains of the Salt River and areas in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. Once they were in danger of disappearing. But, a dedicated group of local advocates called Salt River Wild H ...
|
|
More News by Winniefield Park
|
|
3P *Starring Ruth* has captured two spots on the leaderboard joining * Queen Of Hearts. Starring Ruth is a 17.1 hand Friesian mare out of the PythonPonyPalaces stable and was foaled September 7, 2023. She not only was #1 ranked ho ...
|
|
DNA testing can tell you a number of things about a horse’s risk of developing a hereditary disease, coat color, genetic markers for speed, temperament and gait and can give some insight into a horse’s breed. In this video, The Cl ...
|
|
Here is a story of how a passion for horses led one woman to a life of secrecy and dishonesty. Over twenty years she built a life of glamor and competitive success. But many people asked how she funded her extravagant lifestyle th ...
|
|
One of the world’s rarest breeds is the Suffolk Punch. Native to Britain, these stocky draft horses once had pride of place in agricultural work, hauling artillery, pulling public transportation vehicles like busses and towing bar ...
|
|
*V For Victory* is entrenched on the leaderboard and still holds the Best Streak with an 18,792 run and a jumpoff record of 29,444 - 19. But two mares have taken over the Top Rank and Highest Jump records. At 16, the 17-hand Crown ...
|
|
Get your daily dose of nature with this 49-minute video of wild horses travelling to a water hole in Sand Wash Basin, a BLM managed area in Colorado. The small herd drinks, grazes and swish's flies in the semi-arid desert environm ...
|
|
Halloween is just around the corner and it's time to consider costumes for you and your four-legged friends. A recent viral trend is dressing your pet as a ghost. Some sheets and paint are the basis of this costume, and you can se ...
|
|
Good riders do what they can to make their horse’s job easier. Especially when jumping, your position can help or hinder your horse as it adjusts its strides and balance between and over obstacles. Here’s a video with good suggest ...
|
|
|