A contraceptive vaccine will now be used to control the herd size of wild horses and burros in the American west. Why did it take so long for this to become policy? It makes so much more sense than rounding up tens of thousands of wild horses, causing some severe harm, and ending up with horses that have little chance of being adopted.
The vaccine, porcine zona pellucida or PZP, has been used on Assateague wild horses for more than 20 years
There are now more than 45,000 wild horses in the U.S. Limiting the growth of the population by controlling fertility will be more humane, more effective and less costly that the round ups run by the Bureau of Land Management. In other words, it’s a win-win for all, but especially for the horses.
Honestly why didn’t they do this earlier – because the cattlemen want the horses GONE!
The last time this was brought up the cattlemen insisted that the reduction of herds would take too long, the horses needed to be removed. I hope they are really going to do it this time.
March 1, 2012, is National Protest Day for our wild horses and burros. Secretary Salazar has now appointed two pro-slaughter individuals to the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. Please call in on March 1:
http://www.wildhoofbeats.com/news/wild-horses-national-wild-horse-and-burro-protest-day-march-1
This is not the solution either – as these horses had been granted the land and if it wasn’t for a crooked politician undermining the law with another under the radar. These horses would still be able to run free. What they are doing to the horses is what they did to the Indians to a degree. Put them in encampments (holding pens for he horses – mot of the time separated from their herd and mares / foals dying needlessly, stallions fighting when put in together) which is a unnatural state of being, to be fed and watered by individuals of the BLM, (cattle ranchers at heart) – they were not supposed share the land and to let them run on the more then ample acres to house both cattle & horses. Really, why because they are greedy and money talks.
That means the horses lose!!