Euthanasia for Wild Horses?

Posted by Laura Thompson Nov 12, 2008

Euthanasia is an issue that most of us have had to deal with at some point or another. A horse is too sick or injured to live any kind of normal life, so the owner is forced to make the difficult decision to put him down. Mass euthanasia is likewise not a foreign concept; every day, hundreds of dogs, cats and other animals are euthanized when shelters are unable to find homes for them.

According to a report generated on November 10, 2008 by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Government Accountability Office, however, wild horses might be the next victims of euthanasia.

Over the last seven years, more than 74,000 wild horses have been removed from their homes on the range and transferred to holding facilities where most are put up for adoption. Of those 74,000, only a little more than 46,000 have actually found homes, which means that the other wild horses are costing the U.S. government money to house and feed.

Most of these wild horses are recovered from open grazing land in Nevada, California, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, where the influx of developers wanting to create homes and shopping malls continues to grow. Furthermore, wild horses left to their own devices will eventually create conservation problems, as there will not be enough food to sustain their lives.

Nevertheless, I am hard-pressed to believe that euthanasia for unwanted wild horses is the only option. I've written previously about the use of wild horses in equine therapeutic and rehabilitative programs for prisoners, These horses can serve useful purposes in society other than going to single-family homes. Wild horses can also be trained to use in riding lesson programs.

Furthermore, I never hear about auctions or sales for wild horses. It seems to me that the plight of these animals is not widely publicized, and if more people knew about their existance, perhaps some of those 46,000 would have homes by now. Thoughts? Suggestions? Check out the report and write to the government if you feel that they are making a mistake by proposing euthanasia as a solution.