The SolutionsThe dilemma facing policy makers and citizens is what to do when there are too many wild horses. Shrinking wilderness and encroaching urban space reduce habitat for horses. In this section, you'll explore some of the options.
Slaughter and the commercial use of horse meat
Although most Americans would not agree that this option is viable, unfortunately it is a realistic part of the wild horse story. For thousands of years, humans have eaten horse meat. Processing wild horses into chicken food in the 30's reached its peak, when nearly 30 million pounds of horse flesh were canned. In fact, for nearly 30 years federal policy was the unregulated exploitation of the wild horse herds.
Adoption
Soon after Congress passed the law protecting wild horses in 1971, their numbers began to increase. Twenty-five thousand became fifty thousand, with no end in sight. Ranchers and environmentalists joined in protest, claiming the horses were destroying fragile public land. In the heat of the controversy the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) came up with a solution: Three or four times a year the BLM rounds up thousands of excess horses, brands them and puts them up for adoption. Once charged with wiping out the mustang, the government now advertises the advantages of owning one.Sanctuary
In recent years, thousands of wild horses have died on federal ranges from starvation and thirst. Although hunger and thirst are the only natural enemies left to the wild mustang, it is a ghastly fate not befitting one of Nature's noblest creatures. Several activists are working to provide them with their own territories, as well as humane, sensible management free of politics, where the wild horse is allowed to be wild.
Birth Control
A more recent effort has been underway to help control the population of the wild horses in a more scientific manner.
