A horse wrangler uses a helicopter to herd wild horses into a corral during a gather near Tonopah in 2010.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 | 3:29 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who introduced a bill today to change the way the federal government rounds up wild horses.
Titus, a Democrat, along with Reps. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., introduced the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023.
If passed, it would compel the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to achieve more humane and cost-effective methods to gather equine populations.
“Nevada is home to more wild horses than any other state in our country,” Titus, a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, said in a statement “My legislation would eliminate the use of helicopters in BLM wild horse gathers and require a report to explore the benefits of alternative aircraft for humanely gathering horses and the workforce opportunities for traditional cowboys."
“I am proud to introduce this bipartisan proposal that would protect these icons of the American West which remain a source of pride for Nevada residents,” Titus said.
When engaging in population control of wild horses, BLM is directed to “humanely capture” free-roaming horses and burros and set them up for adoption, according to Titus’ office.
To assist in the roundups, BLM often contracts private companies to pursue the animals over long distances. Some companies use helicopters to round up the horses, which can create frightening situations and place the animals in a deadly situation, according to Titus’ office.
Since 2006, more than $57.4 million in taxpayer funds has been spent to assist in horse roundups, including $6.5 million since last year, according to Titus’ office.
Research has shown alternatives like fertility control are equally effective in controlling equine populations, Titus’ office said. But the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program spends less than 1% of its budget on such methods.
The proposed legislation was met with praise from wildlife advocates.
“Reforms are long overdue to the Bureau of Land Management’s failed management approach, which involves stampeding panicked horses through helicopter roundups,” Joanna Grossman, equine program director and senior advisor for the Animal Welfare Institute, said in a statement.
“These roundups are cruel, expensive and ultimately ineffective at stabilizing populations,” she said. “Wild equines deserve to be managed safely and humanely in their natural habitats for Americans to enjoy.”
Holly Gann Bice, director of government relations at the American Wild Horse Campaign, agreed.
“Roundups are inhumane and cost U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars each year,” Gain Bice said in a statement. “Grounding these helicopters and utilizing more humane methods of managing wild horse populations on the range, such as fertility control vaccines, would go a long way toward protecting our wild horses and burros and saving tax dollars.”
Titus previously introduced a similar bill, but it never advanced out of the House Committee on Natural Resources.
