Idaho Wild Horse Capture Operation is Sparking Controversy

In the Owyhee Mountains, dozens of wild horses enjoy a hundred thousand acres of public land. As part of an effort to manage their population, the Bureau of Land Management launched a roundup in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area.

The roundup was launched on September 6th, with BLM capturing 24 of the 220 wild horses they aim to gather. Once captured, BLM will treat 38 wild mares with a fertility suppression vaccine called GonaCon Equine to curb the growth of the wild horse population.

The roundup has continued steadily in the days following its kickoff, but not without sparking some controversy in the community. Wild Horse Education (WHE) is a small volunteer group that advocates for change in the management of wild horses on public land. The organization filed an Appeal and Stay Petition to halt the operation due to their concerns with the treatment of the horses being captured, and argues on a post on their website that the BLM “rushed to begin before the courts filed a ruling.”

WHE argues that there was no urgent need to remove wild horses in the area, citing that only 1.7% of the forage in the area is allocated to wild horses, impacting the calculated “appropriate” wild horse population. They also express health concerns with the vaccines being used and worry that the captures present dangers to young wild foals.

This controversy escalated after a week-old foal was trampled during the first day of the operation as the wild horses were being corralled. Foals also made up 25% of the horses captured on the first day, which WHE argues is an indication that the operation cannot be safely executed at this time.

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Despite the unfortunate events of the first day, the operation has continued steadily with no more reported deaths as 201 of the planned 220 wild horses have been captured.

BLM has opened the wild horse corrals to public viewing, explaining that the mares and foals have paired up and are safely enjoying grass hay while they are processed.

The horse gathering is anticipated to continue through September 16.