That’s what Madelaine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Rowe Pickens has proposed to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Currently there are about 30,000 wild horses and burros currently in holding pens operated by the BLM. Due to financial constraints, the BLM was considering euthanizing more than 2,000 of the horses held and selling “without limitation” an additional 8,000. Many of those animals were expected to end up being sold to slaughter.

The plight of wild horses in the U.S. has been in a state of deterioration since the 1970s. Many people blame the BLM for not properly managing the herds, but rather depending on a capture and adoption. Unfortunately, the BLM cannot account for more than 65,000 animals adopted, leading many to speculate they were sold for slaughter

According to reports on the wire services, Mrs. Pickens plans to create a permanent retirement ranch for the horses and burros that could be open to the public. “We have mismanaged the horse situation and I will fix that,” she said. “Everyone is on board with it. They want this project to happen.” Mrs. Pickens reportedly is seeking to buy 1 million acres in northern Nevada, the state where more than half of the 33,000 wild horses reside.

For more information, here are some other articles:

Million acres sought for wild horse refuge

Tycoon’s Wife to Buy Land as a Refuge for Wild Horses

Wife of Billionaire T. Boone Pickens Plots to Save Wild Horses From Slaughter