Sparks: One of the most stirring symbols of the American West mustangs thundering freely across the range could be heading east.
The government wants to carry out what is believed to be the biggest-ever roundup of wild horses on federal land, moving as many as 25,000 mustangs and burros to pastures in the Midwest and East out of fear their fast-multiplying numbers will lead to mass starvation.
The plan is facing heated opposition from advocates, including celebrities Sheryl Crow, Bill Maher and Ed Harris, who contend the proposal is itself inhumane and unnecessary. They say the situation is not as dire as the government has painted it.
"The Obama administration must craft a new policy that protects these animals and upholds the will of Congress and the public's desire to preserve this important part of our national heritage," said William Spriggs, lawyer for the group In Defence of Animals.
At a public hearing Tuesday near Reno, a federal advisory panel heard impassioned pleas from two dozen advocates who oppose Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's relocation plan. They want a moratorium on roundups until an independent count of horses can be conducted.
The US Bureau of Land Management's National Horse and Burro Advisory Board adjourned late yesterday without taking any formal action. But at least two members of the board said after the meeting they support Salazar's proposal.
"It's the best and most cost-effective alternative I've seen to deal with the horse problem in my 10 years on the board," Gary Zakotnik said.
"Considering the reality of exploding horse numbers, it's a reasonable solution," Vern Dooley said.
Board chairwoman Robin Lohse said she expects the panel to make a recommendation sometime next year.
Rapid growth
The government argues that the mustang population in 10 Western states is growing so rapidly that the horses are quickly running out of food, in part because of drought ravaging the region.
The federal Bureau of Land Management says the number of wild horses and burros on public lands in the West stands at nearly 37,000, about half of them in Nevada. An additional 32,000 wild horses already live away from the range in federal-run corrals and pastures, and those are nearly full.
"We are concerned about the numbers," Robin Lohse, chairwoman of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, said during the hearing. "Time is not on our side."
The agency said last year it would have to consider destroying wild horses because of their escalating numbers and the costs of caring for them. But earlier this year, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the BLM, a part of the Interior Department, would instead ship 11,500 to 25,000 horses from the range to pastures and corrals in the Midwest and East.
25,000 Mustangs and burros could be moved
37,000 Mustangs and burros currently on public land
