‘The Wild Horse Is Us’

Survived the Ice Age? Does the reporter of this story not know that horses are not indigenous to the Americas?? Sad.

To HSINEEXAS. Horses were part of an older ecosystem but that ecosystem had evolved over thousands of years in the absence of horses. I agree that sheep, cattle and domesticated goats are also non-native species that should be banned from the range. Calling people ignorant is exposing yourself to the same criticism in your lack of knowledge on ecoystem evolution over long periods of time. Unfortunately these "wild" mustangs are anything but wild. Justifying the continued presence of one non-native species because the government allows others to exist is a very hollow arguement.

Hasen't anyone heard of "Wild Horse Annie"? She worked her whole life to save these beautiful creatures. the Population is thin enough. The Government will just do what they did last time. they will thin out the population until it is almost extinct. how do they plan to kill them? Euthinizing is when they stick a needle in the horse and it shuts the body down. how are they going to get the horses to stick the needles in them? If they use gas, it would threaten many more animals out there. And what are they going to do with the meat? they will probably sell it to slaughter houses to use for dog food! Also if a mother is caught and her nursing foal escapes and they kill her, the foal would die a slow painful death of starvation!!!!!!!! That is not fair. they should NOT thin out America's wild Mustang population. That would be like killing Bald eagles because they are increasing in numbers and people don't like their white heads. it would be so STUPID OF THE GOVERNMENT!

THE HORSES IN THE WEST WERE RAISED FOR SLAUGHETER!! YES! HUMAN COMSUMPTION! THEY WERE ALSO REMOUNT HORSES FOR THE CALVERY AND SOME WERE USED AS RANCH HORSES. WHEN THE TAYLOR GRAZING ACT WAS PASSED THE RANCHERS COULDN'T MAKE THE SAME PROFITS OFF THE HORSES SO MOST BIG OUTFITS LEFT THEIR HEARDS ON THE RANGE. UP INTO THE 1970'S RANCHES STILL HAD THEIR HEARDS (i know this because my family had thier own heard near highrock canyon) IN THE 1970'S THE WILD HORSE ANNIE ACT WAS PASSED AND THE RANCHERS WERE TOLD TO ROUND UP THEIR STOCK.. THE RANCHERS GOT WHAT THEY COULD/ WHAT THEY WANTED. THE REST LEFT ON THE LAND WERE MADE PROPERTY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.!!! people need to do their research and actually knwo what their their talkign about before they go fighting for a cause and making themselves look like burrohole!~ lol!!!

As usual "our" government is trying to control something that they have absolutely no clue as to what they are doing. The horses may be posing a problem to local ranchers however if the horses were to roam with their preditors as was done pre-human domination then the herds should self regulate themselves. Should our government employees opt to "reduce" the herd then will they decide again in the near future for another mass killing?

Someone had mentioned that the horses were extinct 8,000 to 10,000 years ago... What relevance does that have in determining the original of our wild horses as they were flourishing when Columbus first set foot on this soil?

I'm going to stray for a little bit... since the native americans were here before the europeans than since that population is also growing should they be killed also. The horses and the native americans are why this country so blessed.

We must remember to appreciate the wild and the native America.

No one is talking about killing off the entire population. Reducing numbers to sustainable levels. Hunting is done in other species, but not in Mustangs. Since the ban on horse slaughter in the US went into effect, there has been a huge increase in the numbers of horses that have no place to go, whether mustang or riding horse. The government is spending huge amounts of money to feed horses that the range wont support.

I think the government is taking the cowards way out or should I say the easy way out of a situation that can be remedied just by placing these majestic animals in other places. The Mustangs are a part of our history and we need to do all we can do to save these. As suggested by the author why can't a fund be set up for these horses in which the government will not have to spend the $39M they so graciously give (not) to the cause now. There are plenty of ways to save these horse, there is no need in senseless killing. And I completely agree with hsineexas' comment to horseluver. :)

How about we save some REAL money and euthanize the Bureau of land management?

Apust, you're right, these animals did not survive the ice age; at least not here in the Americas. They are the decendants of the animals the Spanish brought over. And where did they get the number of 2 million. No records show the numbers were ever that high. In fact the highest level I've ever seen, and the author even said this was generous, was 250,000.

So that being said, I really don't like the idea of putting these animals down for any reason. But lets bring more to the discussion than pure emotion like the author of the article did. Yes, there has been an adoption program in place for years. And, generally it works out great. Every now and then people buy the animals, realize that it takes a lot more work to break then keep the animal than they thought (many think you can buy them, throw a saddle on them and ride off into the sunset) and abandon or abuse the animal.

Let's look at what the argument behind putting the animals down is:

Lack of money? Money for what? Keeping them in a corral? Fine, put them back where they belong.

Destruction of grazing lands? Who's grazing lands? Isn't this federal property belonging to ALL US citizens? If so, why isn't the money being paid by those leasing the land being used to control the herds to prevent interference with the cattle?

Again, let's look at this with fact and not emotion. Only then can a true argument be made for or against this decision.

And Newsweek, once again, you've show what poor journalists you are. Facts are wrong (what few facts there were), emtionally written article and bashing the US Government without facts and supporting evidence.

I agree with Deanne Stillman, our community should be more involved with the preservation of our heritage, there are a wide variety of elements that we have managed to destroy that identified this country and pretty soon we will no longer be able to recognize it. I would most definetly donate to this cause if it was available, our community needs to take a stand for what this means to all of us, we have to take action before it's too late....

The dictionary defines euthanasia as follows:The practice of killing a human being or animal who is suffering greatly or has very poor quality of life, especially one with an incurable illness or condition. That said, the government doesn't plan to euthanize these beautiful animals. They want to MURDER them. Our lame duck president doesn't believe in global warming, doesn't believe in environmental protection and I guess doesn't give a c--p about saving endangered species. He should be forced to watch the movie Soylent Green where on his deathbed Edward G. Robinson gets to view his memories of a beautiful earth full of beautiful animals before he dies. In this movie there are no longer animals or plants because we destroyed the earth. I think that this is what Mr. Bush is doing to us. He is destroying our planet. With all the crimes he has committed against our country and the world, why would MURDER be any different? He commits the crimes and gets away with everything! PLEASE DON''T KILL THE HORSES!!!!! Everything on the planet doesn't have to have a purpose. Can't we just stand up and save a species just because it is beautiful?

kwhorselover: Please post your thesis. I live in Cali., but used to ride horses out in Nev, back about 30 years ago. I love them! The people in other states don't inderstand how it really works our here, with idiots running the wild horse budget and programs.. Please do it! Elizabeth R.

It is inexcusable and appalling the way this administration takes all our money to give other countries, fund wars, and give tax breaks to the richest people; all we get is a big screw you with higher gas and food prices. Now, it is so easy for them to dispose of the wild horses. STAND UP AMERICANS!!!!

I live in Northeastern North Carolina just hours away from Chicateague, VA and the Outer Banks. Every year in Chicateague, VA the local fire department has a round-up of the local mustangs. They auction off the 2-year olds and older mares. By doing this they raise money for their fire department, local charities and the also thin the herd. Why can't this be an option instead of killing off all of these horses. I would gladly adopt.

On the Outer Banks of North Carolina we have our own herd of Spanish Mustangs. Each year, in the spring, the herd is brought together, the 2 year olds are adopted out, the older mares are also adopted, and birth control is administered to mares that are not pregnant. This is our way of keeping the herd down. If you do not have a place to own a horse or the knowledge, we offer the "adopt a horse program" in which you make a contribution towards a particular horse and that horse is left with the herd, the money is put toward the charity that organizes this stuff and also pays for veterinarian bills resulting from the birth control. Can this not be an option too?

I guess in our grand country, we try there are some who just want to take the easy way out. I bet if if were cows they were killing off, Bush would have something to say about that, huh?

Why don't they just start a gelding program for the studs? They could keep only a few each year that were exemplary examples of the mustang breed and geld all of the rest of the colts born that year and the remaining older studs. This way they are not euthanizing any horses and are still controlling the population. Then they would have a much better control over the amount of of horses they needed to adopt out each year.

Just when you think that Bush can't mess us up anymore, now this. Maybe The government should look at it this way. Since all of Bush's oil Company Buddy's are watching their bank account grow, and the price of gas keeps going through the roof,no doubt so the government can get the american public to support opening up Alaska more and off shore drilling in the US so we aren't so dependent on other countries. Maybe we should save our wild resources like the MUSTANG, because no doubt we may just be using them for transportation again. I can't believe I just read this article. I feel like I have read an artical about wanting to uthenize all our pets. If this is allowed to happen where does it stop. It's pathetic and embarresing as an American to think our government would even consider this.

Show me one study that demonstrates that wild horses are damaging habitat - by the way, show me one where the author is a neatral party. This is b.s. You mean to say that the millions of cows on BLM land are causing less damage than 20,000 horses?

kwhorseluver - you are no horse lover....

This is just another example of the malfeasancents of the Bush administration to gut the National Parks Service and the Department of Wildlife Resources