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Plan to Euthanize Horses Spurs Debate

Animals (tags: AnimalWelfare, animalrights, cruelty, killing, suffering, protection )

Dusty
- 90 days ago - news.aol.com

RENO, Nev. (July 7) - Animal rights activists and ranchers are clashing over a federal proposal to euthanize wild horses as a way to deal with their surplus numbers.

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Dusty Ravenwolf (1044)

Tuesday July 8, 2008, 6:20 am
Horse advocates will mount a campaign against the proposal announced late last month by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute based in Washington, D.C.

Federal officials said they're faced with tough choices because wild horses have overpopulated public lands in the West and they no longer can afford to care for the number of animals that have been rounded up.

But Heyde maintained the agency is seeking a "magic bullet" for budget problems caused after it began rounding up the mustangs at an unprecedented rate in recent years.

He said the roundups left too many horses for the public to adopt, requiring the agency to contract for more private long-term holding facilities.

The proposal "is killing pure and simple to balance the books for an agency whose reckless management has caused immeasurable harm to a national treasure at considerable cost to the American taxpayer," Heyde said.

Ron Cerri, of the Rebel Creek Ranch in Orovada and president-elect of the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, said ranchers would prefer horses be adopted but euthanasia may be necessary to keep their numbers down.

"Unfortunately, it's something they'll have to consider," Cerri said. "I don't know of another solution."

Cerri criticized the federal agency's proposal to stop roundups of wild horses to save money. Ranchers view mustangs as competition for forage on the range.

Stephanie Colson (244)

Tuesday July 8, 2008, 9:00 am
This shouldnt even have to be debated...Leave them be.

bIG gORILLY hUGS

Joycey B. (511)

Tuesday July 8, 2008, 1:47 pm
I agree with you Gorilly Girl. Leave them alone. They are part of our history. They need to be here. Noted with thanks Dusty.

Donna Smith (17)

Wednesday July 9, 2008, 4:23 pm
noted,thank you Dusty

Morgan G. (215)

Wednesday July 9, 2008, 7:28 pm
Let them loose and then walk away from them. The big mistake was rounding up thousands of horses with no adoptees in the first place. Now they are trying to backtrack and fix that mistake with a bullet. Doesn't work that way guyz.