Shrinking wild horse and burro populations to cost $5 billion: BLM

TheHill.com - Full Article

By Miranda Green - 10/23/19 02:57 PM EDT

The Trump administration is estimating that it will cost nearly $5 billion over the next 15 years to shrink the country's population of wild horses and burros by more than two-thirds to a number officials say is sustainable for the herd.

On a call with reporters Wednesday, acting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director William Pendley warned that the growing number of wild horses and burros on federal land, largely out West, has become "an increasingly difficult situation."

“It’s not good for the horses and burros to have these kinds of populations. It’s detrimental to their health and the health of other wildlife and plant species we maintain. It’s simply not sustainable,” Pendley said.

The agency estimates there are 88,000 horses and burros on public lands, mostly in Nevada. Pendley said experts say that number must be decreased to 27,000 to be sustainable for both the animals and the lands on which they graze...

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https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/467141-shrinking-wild-horse-and-burro-populations-to-cost-5-billion?utm_source=1500+CWP+List+Daily+Clips+and+Updates&utm_campaign=bfd9efae99-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_23_08_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4369a4e737-bfd9efae99-84222569