No Longer Home on the Range

THE REAL TRUTH: there are always three sides to every story, your point of view, their point of view, and somewhere in the middle is the third - which is the truth, yes any population that is left uncheck with no predators will cause problems, not just for us humans and the environment but for themselves, they will have no food left to eat and starve; HOWEVER, to kill them is not a solution but someones idea of a quick fix. the fact is that inorder for there to be a balance there needs to be a long term solution, perhaps a combination of all of your suggestions as well as the introduction of a predator - but this predator would also need to have a predator as well, see the natural world is perfect, at least it was before we tried to control it, that whole circle of life thing isn't from a Disney cartoon, it's reality, the natives knew this and they respected and lived with the environment not against it, and so what did the influx of people who arrived to the land do: they hearded the natives up and pushed them from one beautiful plot of land to another until now they are fenced-in in the worst areas while the non-natives of this land roam free...so do I care about the horses...YES...but is that all we should be focusing on...NO...Because the truth is that there are a lot of issues we need to 'repair' as a result of 'our' trying to 'fix' the environment. And you are all right, the government spends way too much on causes that really don't have anything to do with us and as a result we all have to suffer the consequences...so let's do something about it, let us make a list of everything we need to take care of in our 'home land', let us all find a dollar and make a fund to aid all the causes,let us rally "peacefully" for these causes in Washington, let us not settle for quick fixes or stop until it is all done, and most importantly, let us realize that killing is BAD, as is only fighting for a cause only when it is shoved in our faces! With love from an actual descendant of a Pure Native.

Q: Should America's wild horse population be euthanized?
A: We should euthanize the politicians and anyone else who wants to get rid of these horses.
I???m not a big animal lover but this is a no brainer for me, these horses should be protected at all cost. Why aren???t these horses protected like the American bald eagle? They are a great symbol of American strength and the ability to survive. I think they are the greatest symbol of freedom that we have, why in the hell would we want to get rid of them?

Q: Should America's wild horse population be euthanized?
A: We should euthanize the politicians and anyone else who wants to get rid of these horses.
I???m not a big animal lover but this is a no brainer for me, these horses should be protected at all cost. Why aren???t these horses protected like the American bald eagle? They are a great symbol of American strength and the ability to survive. I think they are the greatest symbol of freedom that we have, why in the hell would we want to get rid of them?

Does anyone else find it absurd and more than a little ironic that they want to euthanize these horses (LIVING CREATURES) in part to preserve "natural habitation"? Don't they realize that a creature with a brain and a heart ought to take precedence over "natural habitation"? Unless they are posing a direct violent threat to humans and other animals, I don't see why the natural habitation should win out on this. Although I don't consider myself an animal-rights activist to an extreme, these beautiful, wild horses deserve to live -- have the RIGHT to live, just as much as you and I.

I own a mustang and of our 3 horses, she is the best one we have. I am proud to say I own a piece of American History. These magnificent creatures should not be slaughtered, like we slaughtered the Native Americans! We settled this land on the backs of these beautiful animals, not on the back of a Bald Eagle (which I have a great respect for... don't get me wrong...) and they should have just as much respect and protection.

Unbelievable to me. What I can't understand is why humans think we can come in and take over the natural habitat of these creatures - build our buildings, clear the land, and then say that the horses are the ones causing the problem. It's a bunch of bull. Oh - they eat all fo the vegetation so lets send them to slaughter. Pathetic. The people considering this should be ashamed of themselves. Put this on a ballot (since this is supposed to be a democracy) and I would vote to keep the horses where they are.

Yet again AMERICA (government) is making another HISTORICAL Mistake. Why can't we take care of our own with our OWN money instead of giving it away to every country out there that can't take care of their own. These horses should be treated as a national trust, like a national park. They are part of our history and should be part of our future. It is AMAZING to me how easy it is for us to just make decisions without seeing any concequences in our actions. We worry about all the wrong things and forget to worry and think about what it is to be Amercian and what our country has to offer that is unique to us and use it to attract tourist and to attract donations from citizens. I bet if you put this on the ballot people would be shocked and would vote to keep the horses. If I owned land I would put them on it and let them run free.

Yet again AMERICA (government) is making another HISTORICAL Mistake. Why can't we take care of our own with our OWN money instead of giving it away to every country out there that can't take care of their own. These horses should be treated as a national trust, like a national park. They are part of our history and should be part of our future. It is AMAZING to me how easy it is for us to just make decisions without seeing any concequences in our actions. We worry about all the wrong things and forget to worry and think about what it is to be Amercian and what our country has to offer that is unique to us and use it to attract tourist and to attract donations from citizens. I bet if you put this on the ballot people would be shocked and would vote to keep the horses. If I owned land I would put them on it and let them run free.

THIS IS THE STUPIDEST THING THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF! WHY DON' YOU PEOPLE WHO THINK YOU RUN THIS COUNTRY FOCUS MORE ON OUR GASPRICES AND OUR SOLDIERS BEING KILLED FOR NOTHING EVERYDAY AND LEAVE OUR ANIMALS THAT WERE HERE BEFORE US ALONE! MAYBE INSTEAD OR EUTHANIZING THE HORSES WE SHOULD EUTHANIZE SOME OF OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS! THAT WOULD SOLVE SOME OF OUR PROBLEMS! LEAVE OUR HORSES ALONE THEY HAVE RAN FREE FOREVER AND SHOULD ALWAYS!

America gives money to many countries but cannot use the money for good use in our own country! I think it's ludicrous whoever came up with the idea they should be euthanized! Wild mustangs are one of the great historix stories of our country but people want to destroy that. I don't understand why the conservationists can't get Federal money or raise money to protect these beautiful animals. Think they will sell the herd to me for $1 a piece? That's the sad thing we have to take care of the thng that matter to us since the U.S. goverment only cares about anything they can profit from! By the way Shannon Quill I respect and agree with your comment.

America gives money to many countries but cannot use the money for good use in our own country! I think it's ludicrous whoever came up with the idea they should be euthanized! Wild mustangs are one of the great historix stories of our country but people want to destroy that. I don't understand why the conservationists can't get Federal money or raise money to protect these beautiful animals. Think they will sell the herd to me for $1 a piece? That's the sad thing we have to take care of the thng that matter to us since the U.S. goverment only cares about anything they can profit from! By the way Shannon Quill I respect and agree with your comment.

JerryNielsen - ARE YOU NATIVE? Unless you are yourself native to this country I don't think you have any right to speak about native this and native that. I bet those horses are more native to this country than you or your ancestors. This country is made up of non-native species. That's what the United States is. It seems everyone who wants to keep talking about NATIVE is forgetting that one little fact.

The United States government needs to leave the MUSTANGS along!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are just a part of our nation's heritage and they stand for what helped to make our country great, they are free and they should be allowed to remain free!! What is the world coming too!! The US government wants to "thin out" the Mustang population, the horses are part of the eco system and they serve a purpose just like everything other living thing and if the US Government is allowed to euthanize those horses before long they to well end up on the endangered species list.

If you haven't looked at the BLM website-every year they auction off hundreds of these horses to good homes. Even after you buy them, it's a year before they are yours, so that the BLM can check and see that they are being trained and cared for. They are great horses to have for any reason. The sad thing is is that there are so few people who can or will take the time to buy, gentle and train these amazing animals, and fewer who have the places to keep one. And there are others who are willing to take on whole herds and give them places to live. That the BLM has to go to the lengths of a reality show in order to get people interested in saving this breed is a shame, but when the majority of people have nowhere to keep them, it's hard to actually step up to the plate. I just wish I had the requisite land, fence and barn to adopt them. I have four kids that would love having horses that would be around for twenty-five to forty years of their lives.

It would be wonderful if we could let the "wild" horses continue to roam. However, they are non-native and are not only destroying the range for native species such as antelope, deer, and wild sheep; they are destroying the range that supports the "wild" horses. If you think the term euthanize is cruel, how does starvation sound. Western rangeland cannot support a large mammal that is unchecked by any predator species. If wolves are being reintroduced to bring us back to the natural way, why are non-native horses allowed to stay.

I agree! Its outrageous to think that this country would kill a bunch of beautiful wild horses! What is the mentality of this country coming to? Are there really so many horses that they are "overpopulated"? Please! And even if they are nature knows how to take care of her own without our help. What about our over-crowded cities and the millions of illegal aliens in our country? We don't kill them. Oh yeah, but lets kill something pure and honest and majestic!

Unbelievable that this is the only answer we can come up with in a country that has billions of dollars to spend on a war that we can't win. I would think we were not only a little more intelligent than to decide to just "kill em all", but that we have come a little further up the evolutionary ladder. If we aren't... they we should be utterly ashamed. If we kill the wild horses, what's next? Any other inconvenient living creature that gets in someone's way... say like the homeless people who live on the streets of our cities?? This is disgusting and America should hang it's head. We are better than this. It's about time we started showing it.

I'm truly saddened by this topic! Why is there a need to kill anything at all? Let them run free! They are called "WILD MUSTANGS" for a reason.... they are harming no one... that's the problem with corporate America today.. we don't need more houses or businesses.. we need to work with the ones we already have! Stop destroying animal land for profit! These types of things make me ashamed of my America...... LET THE HORSES RUN WILD..... we need to be their voice!

I grew up on a cattle ranch in North Eastern Nevada. In the early spring, prior to the cattle roundup our summer cowboys would go out and "fetch" a few yearling mustangs. They spent their time before working the cattle training their mustangs. After the cattle work was done, they would continue to work with their mustangs. In the fall the cowboys would sell their fully trained horses. Ranchers would come from miles around to get in a first pick for the best horse trained by the best cowboy. It was a win-win situation; ranchers got themselves some very sturdy, fearless working horses, the cowboys made some extra income. I do know in some parts of the US, ranchers with large acreage keep single sex herds of mustangs on their property. These horses are allowed to roam free to do as they always have. They are fed in the winter when food is scarce and rounded up in the spring to ensure that there are no new foals. With proper humane management, we do not need to loose this iconic image of The West. Currently I have a mustang mare adopted from a BLM roundup 3 years ago. Cola is one of the best horses I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. Nothing fazes her, not rattlesnakes, not coyotes, nothing. Her "herd" is a small flock of Romney ewes and a goat I found on the side of the road one morning. Cola leads everyone out to pasture in the morning and back to the barn at night. If anyone out there has the space, I highly recommend adopting a mustang. Even if you never ride, they are loyal and loving companions.