The BLM's GRnad Plans for the Horses

The Bureau of Land Mangement, in response to Congress's demands for a plan for the wild horses, has unveiled their grand plan to Congress and the public.  Dept of the Interior Secretary Salazar announced in a phone-in media event that they would begin moving horses to seven privately (or possibly public) held ranches called "preserves".  The preserves would hold about 25000 animals.  This is their grand plan for protecting and preserving our wild horses for generations.  In addition the BLM will institute an aggressive program to use PZP, a controversial birth control, to the animals remaining on the range.  They are also planning on introducing gelding only herds to the range.  Some groups have applauded the program and see it as an answer to the wild horse and burro "problem".

Personally and professionally I have a BIG problem with the program as well as those that support it. 

First, the BLM claims this will protect the horses.  This isn't true as the non-breeding and non-viable herds would eventually die out as even any zoo realizes that a breeding program is necessary to continuing to supply animals for their future.  As a matter of fact, most zoos struggle to find adult animals to breed, but wait we would have the ones from the range to supplement them with right?  WRONG!  Remember they are going to aggressively administer PZP to the ones on the range.  This effectively will eliminate any and all foals.  Not to mention that all gelding herds will count as herds and they too will be non-reproducing.  Eventually all wild horses will be gone, forever eliminated by this grand plan.

Next, the BLM forgets their mandate to manage them on the range with as minimal amount of handling as possible,  Not to mention that during the debate on the 1971 Act it was discussed and decided that they didn't want the animals in a "zoo-like" setting.  What would these preserves be but a glorified zoo?  When removed from the wild these icons become not an animal in the wild but a caged animal.  The BLM says that the preserves can be a draw for eco-tourism.  What a crock!  If someone wants to see a penned mustang I have some, come pay me a visit and I bet it would be cheaper than going to the preserves to see them.  When removed from the wild they lose their innate wildness and their majestic uniqueness to be indistinguishable from a domestic horse unless you are training it or caring for it daily.  Going to see them in a preserve will be nothing more than watching horses fenced in and grazing.

The BLM also fails to recognize that the horses and burros are supposed to be managed as "self-sustaining".  This means REPRODUCING.  The plan they have to inject them all with PZP only helps one group that is paid to oversee the PZP program.  Which is why that group is in support of the plan.  BOO and HISS to them.  This group is already one of the largest and wealthiest groups in the world.  Why do they need to make money off the backs of these animals?  I guess to pay them those big salaries, while other groups struggle to pay the bills.  (Trust me I am having a hard time writing this as they are so big and wealthy that a war with them could end up closing down AHDF.  They have attacked and shut the doors to other orgs that have spoken out against them.  Not to mention that they employ people who I think of as friends.)

Did you know that the BLM has turned America into backyard breeders?  They have and this is how.  70% of the existing herds are below genetic viability and to introduce new blood into those herds they move horses around.  They don't pick the horses with the best survival skills or what improves them, but what looks the prettiest.  Some herds are now being managed for their "adoptability", this means how pretty they are and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  This is what backyard breeders do.  These herds should be self-sustaining, the key word here is self.  Not pick the pretty one and breed it just to be breeding. 

During the Pryor Mountain Roundup not to long ago they tried pairing horses.  They took mares and put them with younger stallions hoping that they would pair up and breed at some point after the PZP wore off.  The stallions they paired the mares to hadn't proven themselves to earn a mare.  This is how the breed continues when a stallion is strong enough to take a mare.  They just wanted to intervene with nature and take a pretty mare and put it with a pretty stud and hope for pretty babies.  This is what we call backyard breeding.  The goal wasn't to produce a foal that can survive, it wasn't to insure that any offspring would be hearty, it wasn't to improve the breed.  Shoot, it wasn't even to ensure that the mare would survive because if the stallion acts foolish, as young stallions do, the mare could parish as well.  Good job BLM!

Did you know that there are only about 2000 burros left in the wild?  They aren't all in the same place so forget genetic viability.  They are clinging onto their freedom and to survival, but they are losing out.

The BLM also fails to take into account that this has been tried before, it was called long-term holding.  This plan is nothing but a glorified long term holding facility.  They also tried a sanctuary once before and it was nothing but a money pit, so much so that they moved to long term holding facilities.  Now they want to go back to the first problem to solve the new one?  How stupid is that?  Not to mention that a while back the BLM was sending horses to a ranch in Nebraska called the Three Strikes Ranch and most of us know how that ended and it wasn't well. 

This plan also involves  huge cost to taxpayers.  It is estimated that it will cost about $96 million for 2 sanctuaries.  Most range plans show that if BLM simply implemented their plans to add water resources the range could support more horses more effectively.  The Pryor Mountain Range Plans show that 10 years ago it was noted that if they added 5 watering areas the range grazing would be evenly distributed.  To this day the BLM has added only 2 of those water sources.  In addition in other areas when volunteers have offered to provide the labor and supplies to water animals their offers have been rejected.  Most notably this was in the Clarke Mountain area where the burros were fenced off from their traditional watering hole to protect the desert tortoise, the local Boy Scout troop and others volunteered to provide the water by piping it to the burros.  Instead the BLM insisted that all the burros be removed.  I guess the taxpayer can foot the bill to water cattle, but not the native wildlife which includes the burros and horses.  I would personally donate to a plan to provide water on the range to prevent another senseless gather and I know many others would as well.  They can afford to turn down those types of offers, but they can afford millions to pen them to turn them into some side of the road attraction?   What about the fact that they aren't to be used commercially?

As a taxpayer this "plan" sucks, as a horse lover this plan sucks and as a person who really understands and loves the mustangs it sucks big time!

I will get off my soapbox now, although I still have lots more to say about this plan and will at some future date when I get done being sick to my stomach at the BLM plans and those that support it.