BLM cites ‘staggering’ cost of reining in U.S. wild horses

SLTrib.com - Full Article

By Scott Sonner | The Associated Press
May 15 2020

Reno, Nev. • Federal land managers say it will take two decades and cost more than $1 billion over the first six years alone to slash wild horse populations to sustainable levels necessary to protect U.S. rangeland.

The Bureau of Land Management's latest plans envision capturing 200,000 mustangs over the next two decades. It also wants to build corrals to hold thousands more than current capacity and adopt regulations allowing the permanent sterilization of horses roaming federal lands for the first time.

"The overall funding requirements could be staggering," the bureau acknowledged in a report to Congress this week.

The strategy underscores the volatility of the decades-long controversy pitting horse advocates against ranchers whose livestock compete for federally subsidized forage across 10 western states...

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https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2020/05/14/blm-cites-staggering-cost/