Colorado officials are asking the federal government to pause planned wild horse roundups this month, citing concerns about animal welfare.
In a letter to Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leaders, Gov. Jared Polis and four members of Colorado’s congressional delegation asked for an “immediate freeze” on upcoming operations. They specifically objected to the use of low-flying helicopters to chase wild horses into corrals.
“The immediate concern is the inhumane nature of these helicopter roundups, in which horses are terrified, injured, scared. Some horses even are killed in this process,” said Polis in an interview with the Mountain West News Bureau.
The letter comes after an August roundup in northwest Colorado, where the BLM gathered 894 horses. Nine died in the operation.
Now the agency is preparing to remove more horses from the Sand Wash Basin near Craig. The operation is scheduled for Sept. 17 through 28, and the BLM plans to reduce the herd by about 60%.
The Interior Department said its wild horse management efforts are grounded in science and the law.
“Gathers are legally required when on range numbers exceed the Appropriate Management Level and they are necessary to prevent suffering and maintain ecological balance across the 177 Herd Management Areas in the West,” the spokesperson said.
The agency said its goal is “healthy horses, healthy rangelands, and transparent, responsible stewardship of America’s wild horse and burro herds.”
BLM officials also point to drought conditions, which have depleted food and water sources, affecting animal and range health.
Colorado officials agree that wild horse populations should be managed but say the helicopter roundups are “inhumane and unnecessary." The state’s Wild Horse Advisory Committee has recommended expanding fertility control, and Polis said it would be a safer and cheaper management option. He’s asking the federal government to work more closely with the state.
“People care a lot about wild horses because they're part of who we are in the West. They're iconic. They're part of our ecosystems,” Polis said. “It's unfortunate the federal government has such an adversarial and inhumane approach to keeping them at reasonable population levels.”
The BLM uses fertility control methods in some cases but said the helicopter gathers are needed to bring current populations down when herd numbers are much above target.
In addition to the Sand Wash Basin roundup, other wild horse gathers are planned this month in Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
