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Contact: Tom Gorey, BLM Public Affairs (202-452-5137) Wild Horse and Burro Quick FactsUPDATED AS OF OCTOBER 14, 2008 Wild Horse and Burro Population The Bureau of Land Management estimates that about 33,000 wild horses and burros (approximately 29,500 horses and 3,500 burros) are roaming on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states based on the latest data available, compiled as of February 29, 2008. Wild horses and burros have virtually no natural predators and their herd sizes can double about every four years. As a result, the agency must remove thousands of animals from the range each year to control herd sizes. The estimated current free-roaming population exceeds by some 5,700 the number that the BLM has determined can exist in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses. The appropriate management level is approximately 27,300. Off the range, there are nearly 30,000 other wild horses and burros that are fed and cared for at short-term (corral) and long-term (pasture) holding facilities. All wild horses and burros in holding, like those roaming the public rangelands, are protected by the BLM under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Wild Horse and Burro Budget In Fiscal Year 2007, the BLM spent $38.8 million on its wild horse and burro program. The cost for holding wild horses and burros in short- and long-term facilities was $21.9 million, meaning holding costs accounted for more than half of what the BLM spent in FY 2007 on its total wild horse and burro program. In Fiscal Year 2008, the cost of holding and caring for these animals exceeded $27 million -- or three-fourths of the FY 2008 congressional appropriation of about $37 million for the total wild horse and burro program. Removing Wild Horses and Burros from the Range and Placing Animals in Adoption To ensure that herd sizes are in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses, the BLM removed 7,726 wild horses and burros from the range in FY 2007 (which ended September 30, 2007). Of the animals removed during that year and in previous years, the agency placed 4,772 into private care through adoption in FY 2007. Since 1971, the BLM has adopted out more than 235,000 horses and burros. (For more information on the BLM’s adoption program, please select this link. To view the adoption schedule, click here.) Sale Authority About 8,400 wild horses and burros became eligible for sale under the December 2004 sale-authority law, which directs the BLM to sell "without limitation" animals that are either more than 10 years old or have been passed over for adoption at least three times. Since 2005, the Bureau has sold nearly 2,900 horses and burros. The BLM has not been selling any wild horses or burros to slaughterhouses or to "killer buyers." The proceeds from the sale of the eligible animals are used for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program, as directed by Congress under the sale-authority law. BLM’s Legal Mandates The BLM manages the nation’s public lands for multiple uses, in accordance with the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act. The Bureau manages wild horses and burros as part of this multiple-use mandate. The BLM manages, protects, and controls wild horses and burros under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (as amended by Congress in 1976, 1978, 1996, and 2004). This law authorizes the BLM to remove excess wild horses and burros from the range to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands. Law Enforcement In enforcing the 1971 Act, the BLM continues to work with law-enforcement authorities in the investigation and prosecution of those who violate this landmark law. The text of the law can be accessed here.
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