The
Washington Post is reporting that the government plans to sterilize wild
horse herds and relocate some to sanctuaries, according to Interior Secretary
Ken Salazar.
"We have a huge problem -- out-of-control populations of wild
horses and burros on our public lands," Salazar told the
Post. "The problem has
been growing and simmering over time, and it's time for us to do something about
it that protects the horses, the public lands and the taxpayers."
Two large
preserves would be created to support the horses, at a cost of $96 million. The
preserves would contain about 3,600 horses each and would be open to the public.
Wild horse advocates gathered in early October in Washington for “Mustangs
on the Hill” day. They met with various representatives to discuss the fate of
the horses, particularly poignant after the roundup of the Pryor Mountain horses
in Nevada in September. The advocates disagree with Salazar’s birth control
program.
Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, told the
Post she was unsure how Salazar’s plan would impact her own efforts to create a
preserve for 30,000 horses in northeast Nevada.
Congress will vote on
Salazar’s plan in the coming months. The Humane Society voiced its support, but
the American Horse Defense Fund called the plan a “stop-gap” measure.