Gov't Is Mucking Up Mustang's Fate

Thousands of wild horses to be shifted east to reduce strain on federal land

(NEWSER) - Tens of thousands of wild horses are to be sterilized and shifted from range land in the West to preserves in the Midwest and East under plans announced yesterday. The move will help manage the unsustainable numbers of horses and burros roaming free in Western states without having to resort to euthanasia, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. A portion of the estimated 32,000 wild horses on federal lands will be sterilized and then released in an effort to cut the birth rate to 3,500 foals a year. More»

(NEWSER) - The Army plans to evict more than 1,000 endangered desert tortoises to expand a tank training ground in the Mojave Desert, the Los Angeles Times reports. Conservationists warn that the last effort to shift the tortoises proved disastrous: Many were wiped out by predators, and others traveled up to 8 miles to return to their old territory. More»

T. Boone's wife adopts 30,000 mustangs, blocking euthanasia

(NEWSER) - Some 2,000 wild horses of the American West were in danger of euthanasia—until billionaire T. Boone Pickens’ wife, Madeleine, stepped in and offered to adopt them and 28,000 of their closest friends, the Washington Post reports. The Bureau of Land Management holds the animals in pens, rounding up thousands each year to avoid a grazing shortage, but their numbers were growing too big to handle. More»

Proposed euthanasia of growing wild horse population sparks debate

(NEWSER) - In the debate over how to deal with America's wild mustang herds, both sides claim to have the animals' best interests at heart. Federal agency officials tasked with protecting the horses say the most humane—and economical—course is to euthanize some so the rest don't starve. But activists see more sinister motivations, reports the New York Times. More»

(NEWSER) - The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail. More»