Free-roaming horse management in North America

Mustangs in Wyoming

Management of free-roaming feral and semi-feral horses, (colloquially called "wild") on various public or tribal lands in North America is accomplished under the authority of law, either by the government of jurisdiction or efforts of private groups.[1] In western Canada, management is a provincial matter, with several associations and societies helping to manage wild horses in British Columbia and Alberta.[1] In Nova Scotia, and various locations in the United States, management is under the jurisdiction of various federal agencies. The largest population of free-roaming horses is found in the Western United States. Here, most of them are protected under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRH&BA), and their management is primarily undertaken by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), but also by the U. S. Forest Service (USFS)[a]

Because free-roaming horses multiply quickly, able to increase their numbers by up to 20% per year, all North American herds are managed in some fashion in an attempt to keep the population size at a level deemed appropriate. In the western United States, implementation of the WFRH&BA has been controversial. The law requires that "appropriate management levels" (AML) be set and maintained on public rangelands and that excess horses be removed and offered for adoption. If no adoption demand exists, animals are to be humanely destroyed or sold "without limitation" which allows the horses to be sent to slaughter. Since continuous Congressional fiscal mandates have prevented euthanizing healthy animals or allowing sales that result in slaughter, and more animals are removed from the range than can be adopted or sold, excess horses are sent to short- and long-term holding facilities, which are at capacity. The population of free-roaming horses has increased significantly since 2005, triple the AML and at the numbers estimated to be on the range in 1930. In Missouri, a herd on public land is maintained at 50 by a nonprofit according to law signed by President Bill Clinton.[2]

  1. ^ a b Zomorodi, Sanam; Walker, Tony R. (August 2019). "Management Strategies of Free-Roaming Horses in Alberta Compared with Other Jurisdictions". Rangeland Ecology & Management. 72 (6): 907–915. doi:10.1016/j.rama.2019.07.001. S2CID 202006442.
  2. ^ "Seeing wild horses in Shannon County, Missouri". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.


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