This week, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unveiled a report focusing on the overpopulation estimates of wild horses and burros on public lands. The document indicates that the overpopulation issue has seen a decline since 2020.
The BLM's wild horse and burro program data reveals that as of March 1, 2021, at the start of the fiscal year 2021, there were 86,189 wild horses and burros. The following year saw a slight decrease to 82,834 wild horses and burros. In fiscal year 2023, there was a marginal increase to 82,883 wild horses and burros. However, by fiscal year 2024, the number had significantly dropped to 73,520 wild horses and burros as of March 2014.
"Protecting and managing wild horses and burros on public lands is a responsibility that the BLM takes extremely seriously. By addressing overpopulation, we are not only ensuring the long-term well-being of wild horses and burros but also safeguarding the delicate balance of our ecosystems for the benefit of all wildlife and the health of our public lands," said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning in a news release dated March 25.
Stone-Manning noted that her agency has been working to address this overpopulation issue for several years. While it is challenging to pinpoint an exact cause for this reduction in numbers since their estimates in 2023 were released, she revealed that BLM has removed 11,784 animals from overpopulated herds for adoption, sale or transfer. Additionally, fertility treatments in female wild horses and burros have increased from 2,606 treatments between 2016-2019 to 4,237 treatments between 2020 and 2023.
According to information available on BLM's adoption and sale program webpage, this initiative allows them to place wild horses and burros removed from herds due to overpopulation into private care. Since 1971, nearly 290,000 of these animals have been placed into private care and have become show, work or pleasure horses.
Despite witnessing the largest one-year reduction in overpopulation since 1985, the BLM maintains that the estimated population is still too large. According to a recent news release, public lands are almost three times as populated as they can sustainably support.
