The BLM's Utah State Office has valued our relationship with the Utah Department of Corrections and we regret that it has decided to terminate the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP) at Gunnison. This program has aided in the rehabilitation of inmates and has, through the gentling of horses, helped place animals into good, private care.UDC's decision will complicate national efforts to make sure there is enough off-range holding capacity for wild horses and burros removed from public rangelands and it will force BLM-Utah to place virtually all of the 1,126 Gunnison horses in facilities outside of Utah.BLM-Utah has worked closely with Utah Correctional Industries for more than a year to resolve the financial issues set forth in the audit conducted by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General, which issued its findings in September 2013.The BLM estimates that it has overpaid UCI by approximately $2 million. The agency is in the process of securing an outside, independent audit to verify this figure.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
