The Bureau of Land Management will resume sales of wild horses and burros after issuing new rules that require buyers not to "knowingly sell or transfer ownership" to anyone who plans to slaughter the animals.

The rules were drafted after the BLM found out that wild horses sold to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and other buyers ended up being slaughtered. The tribe was one of the first to participate in the agency's wild horse program.

The sales are authorized by the 2005 omnibus appropriations act. It allows BLM to sell wild horses and burros that are more than 10 years old or have been unsuccessfully offered for adoption at least three times. An estimated 8,400 animals are eligible for sale.

Get the Story:
To Protect Mustangs, BLM Imposes New Rules on Animal Sales (The Washington Post 5/26)
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Relevant Links:
Wild Horse Program - http://www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/whb_authority

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