An opinion piece in The Ely Times dated 05/04/18 yields three more components of the wild horse narrative.
A fourth element, mentioned last week, is they were turned loose or escaped from ranches and therefore have no special significance.
Note that the ranchers—bless their hearts—have reduced grazing on public lands to accommodate our poor horses and burros. Just like the welfare recipients who voluntarily give up some of their government benefits after being told how those programs are driving the country into debt.
The WHB Act of 1971 did not include a provision for unrestricted sale of unadoptable animals.
That feature was added in 2004.
Do you really think the government would close departments, sell buildings and lay people off if wild horse and burro populations were reduced to their AMLs and there were no more animals in long-term holding? Do you think the proposed measures would actually lead to a reduction in government spending? Good grief. Not as long as liberals are in charge.
The narrative is not about saving money. It’s about getting the horses and burros off public lands and the ideas they represent out of the public’s mind.
Western Horse Watchers Association 