The article discusses the ongoing controversy surrounding the management of wild horses in Wyoming, with some viewing them as invasive and harmful to ecosystems while others see them as a symbol of the West. The Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act has been reintroduced by bipartisan lawmakers to protect American horses from commercial slaughter, with the American Wild Horse Conservation organization supporting the act.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for managing wild horse herds on federal land, and the agency has faced criticism for its Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) that some claim leads to horses being sold to slaughterhouses. AWHC has tracked horses from the AIP ending up in “kill pens” and advocates for ending large-scale helicopter gathers in favor of on-range management using fertility control.
Despite the BLM’s commitment to animal welfare and providing humane care to wild horses, the AIP has been criticized for incentivizing adopters to sell horses to slaughterhouses. The AWHC supports the SAFE Act as a step towards protecting wild horses from entering the slaughter pipeline and advocates for de-incentivizing adoptions and transitioning to on-range management using fertility control to save taxpayer money and protect wild horses.
