BLM struggles to manage wild horse population as herds grow


The Onaqui Herd near Dugway, Utah. Photo from Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is spending $50 million a year to store wild horses on private property even as the herds continue to grow.

Nearly 50,000 wild horses are in storage, The New York Times. Meanwhile, about 48,000 roam on public lands -- a number that's expected to grow to 100,000 in five years.

“It’s a triage situation,” Steve Ellis, the BLM’s deputy director for operations, told the Times. “We can’t do all we need to.”

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) introduced H.R.5058, the Wild Horse Oversight Act, in July. The bill allows tribes and states to take over management of wild horses from BLM but it hasn't received a hearing before the House Natural Resources Committee.

Get the Story:
As Wild Horses Overrun the West, Ranchers Fear Land Will Be Gobbled Up (The New York Times 10/1)

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