Wild horses get birth control
Wild horses get birth control It's not exactly the old West as portrayed on TV. But it is a western drama, nonetheless. This time, however, the cowboys are riding helicopters and administering birth control to wild horses. It's all part of a federal Bureau of Land Management program to protect mustangs under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. |  |
Of them, about 80 mares will be injected with birth control and returned to the area along with 50 stallions. The balance - some 445 horses - will be put up for adoption at the BLM's facility in Herriman.
Thinning the herd
The intent is to reduce the Cedar Mountain herd - one of 24 in Utah - to about 200 horses, according to BLM spokeswoman Lisa Reid.
Federal range scientists have determined forage in the Cedar Mountain area will support some 400 horses.
"In this herd, we see 20 to 25 percent annual growth," said Gus Warr, who heads up the wild-horse program in Utah. "By law, we have to manage them so there aren't large die-offs."
BLM herd supervisors will return here in four years to determine again the size of the herd and the amount of food available.
Birth control has been administered to mustangs in the past, this month's operation will be the most extensive use of contraceptives to date. Mares injected with birth control will be branded so they can be recognized for future operations, said Alan Shepherd, BLM research coordinator.
It's being done in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States. That organization would like fewer wild horses captured for adoption, said spokeswoman Holly Hazard.
"We think the range will support more horses."
Beyond that, she said a thorough and continued contraceptive program could keep populations down, meaning fewer wild horses would end up in captivity.
From a peak of about 55,000 free roaming mustangs across the country, there are now only 30,000 left. A similar number are now in captivity.
Adoption plans
Recently, Madeliene Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, said she would adopt most of the horses if she could find enough land to support them.
Until then, the BLM will continue to put the mustangs up for adoption. The Cedar Mountain horses will be available Feb. 21.
According to a report from the federal Government Accountability Office, the BLM will spend $27 million this year caring for wild horses in captivity. That's about three-quarters of its horse and burrow budget.
Thus far, the agency has not killed any animals. But some fear budget constraints could lead to that.
"We have to be responsible," Hazard said.
"We made a social contract to find alternative places for all of them."
Original Report: By Christopher Smart Salt Lake Tribune
Added on: 16/12/08.
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