Rep. Titus: There is a better way to help wild horses

For many, the American West is defined by its most iconic animals, wild horses and burros. My home state of Nevada has the largest population of wild horses in the country. This makes us acutely aware of the cruelty many of these creatures face on the range, including those caused by the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) roundup policies. To curb overpopulation on public land, BLM is directed to “humanely capture” wild free-roaming horses and burros and set them up for adoption. Yet recent events have shown that they are falling well short of that goal.

In a horrific video taken by American Wild Horse Conservation, a contractor hired by BLM is seen brutally beating a helpless wild horse after it had been wrangled at the Blue Wing Complex in Northern Nevada. After exhausting the wild horse by chasing it with a helicopter, an employee from Utah-based C.D. Warner Livestock LLC subsequently approached the collapsed horse and repeatedly kicked it in the head, a cruel and unacceptable act of abuse. 

In the quest for profit, government contractors like C.D. Warner Livestock LLC are paid by BLM to do its dirty work. According to the Bureau of Land Management, the Wild Horse and Burro program cost taxpayers $157.8 million in the 2023 fiscal year. C.D. Warner was paid $624,870 for the Blue Wing Complex roundup.

Summer roundups — when BLM pursues its most aggressive gather operations — began in July with 7,584 wild horses slated for removal from public lands in Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Colorado and California. In just six weeks, 59 wild horses and burros perished during these roundups, and more will follow as BLM chases the animals down in triple-digit heat, contracting with helicopter operators to pursue the horses over prolonged distances until they are ready to drop. Those that are captured then face a lifetime of cramped conditions in government holding pens, where respiratory infections are rampant.

Taxpayer dollars should not be used to support brutal methods of gathering, especially when more humane alternatives exist.

Nevada leads the way in developing humane fertility control measures for free-roaming horses and burros. A recent analysis of Nevada’s Virginia Range fertility control program conducted by the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in cooperation with the American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC); found that the sustained use of what is known as the PZP vaccine led to a 60% reduction in foal births within four years. The research received international attention and a representative from AWHC was invited to present findings at the 39th World Veterinary Association Congress.

The cost of fertility control for wild horses is far less than keeping them penned up: $1,320 for five years of treatment compared to around $48,000 for life in long-term holding. Programs like the one led by AWHC are entirely run by dedicated volunteers who brave the heat and cold to administer the fertility control method.

To more humanely manage our wild horse and burro populations, I reintroduced the bipartisan Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act. It would eliminate the use of helicopters in BLM wild horse gathers and require the Government Accountability Office to study more humane alternatives to protect these iconic animals. Moreover, I have led the charge to include provisions in government funding bills that require BLM to spend more on safe fertility control methods. Currently, the BLM spends less than 1 percent of its Wild Horse and Burro Program budget on fertility control.

Meanwhile, the voices against BLM’s cruel practices continue to grow louder. On National Horse Protection Day in March, AWHC organized a day of action that prompted 30,000 advocates to convey to their members of Congress support for an end to helicopter roundups and an increase in fertility control. I know many across the West share my passion for the welfare of wild horses and burros, but elected officials and BLM bureaucrats will continue to turn a blind eye to their plight if they do not hear from you.

As these deadly summer roundups continue in Nevada and across the West, let your statewide representatives and your members of Congress know you support a better path to management. It’s the humane thing to do.

Dina Titus is a Democratic U.S. representative for Nevada’s 1st District.