I read a wonderful story that horse lovers and horse owners will appreciate. To summarize, days after the Bureau of Land Management announced it was having difficulty managing its wild horse program, a billionaire�s wife stepped up to the plate.
Wild horses held in federal facilities have become a financial burden on the taxpayers of the United States and until last week, the government appeared ready to institute euthanasia to reduce its costs.
The practice of euthanasia has long been authorized as a means of controlling the population of wild horses in federal holding areas, but the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is tasked with managing wild horses and burros, has avoided it, fearing public backlash and rightfully so.
Two weeks ago at a hearing in Reno, NV, Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens, announced that she intended to step in to save not just the 2,000 horses that BLM had slated for euthanasia, but all 30,000 horses currently held in federal government facilities.
Madeleine Pickens says she plans to create a massive refuge for about 30,000 wild horses. Her plan includes buying 1 million acres for the horses, although a site has yet to be announced pending negotiations. The BLM has publicly stated it is on board with the Pickens plan and supports her efforts. Several other organizations have also stepped up to the plate. Mrs. Pickens said she plans to make the refuge accessible to the public and that no horse will be turned down from the program. “No Horse Left Behind!”
Federal experts say the population of wild horses grows by 20 percent a year, requiring the use of roundups in order to prevent the animals from depleting their natural habitat.
However, wild horse advocacy groups have condemned the practice, which they claim overestimates the number of horses and favors cattle grazing on public lands.
