The subtitle of a column in Deseret News paints a dire picture of the American west:
“The rangelands can’t sustain the overlarge population of wild horses. New homes is the next best option.”
Anyone with a basic understanding of the situation knows the writer is full of crap, a shill for the public-lands ranchers.
“A population crisis is spiraling out of control and resulting in tens of thousands of horses enduring starvation, extreme thirst, disease and death.”
“The BLM estimates 82,000 wild horses and burros endure horrendous struggles to survive on a landscape that can only sustain roughly 27,000 of them.”
“Horses are malnourished with their ribs and hip bones protruding.”
“The wild horse and burro overpopulation crisis is also detrimental to other wildlife.”
More horses than allowed by plan does not necessarily mean more horses than the land can support.
AMLs are small because most of the resources have been assigned to privately owned livestock.
Herd sizes doubling every four years? Data from roundups don’t support that claim.
Foals typically represent fifteen to twenty percent of the horses captured, consistent with herd growth rates of ten to fifteen percent per year.
Horses starving? The BLM usually doesn’t report body condition scores during roundups but if they did the numbers would show the horses are in good condition overall, corroborated by eyewitness accounts.
Too many animals in off-range holding? Every one of them could be returned to their lawful homes by ending permitted grazing. Several times over.
HR 9154, which would alter the AIP, will die in committee. It is of no concern.
The goal remains the same: Get the horses off the range by any means necessary.
Western Horse Watchers Association 