Group says horses don’t have to die

RENO -- Animal advocates opposed to a federal proposal to euthanize wild horses in Nevada say there are other solutions to the problems officials face with overpopulation.

Bureau of Land Management officials say their facilities are full and more space is needed to make room for thousands of horses that are rounded up from open ranges.

Federal officials, who are scheduled to meet on the proposal in September, say that while the idea of euthanizing is not popular, it may be necessary to prevent horses from starving to death on open ranges.

There are an estimated 33,000 wild horses in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada. Ranchers say the horses become a problem when they take water and food from other animals.

Agency officials have 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.

The 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act gives the agency the authority to euthanize and sell wild horses if necessary.

"There are better ways to deal with the problems BLM is facing," said Lacy Dalton, president of the Let 'Em Run Foundation. Dalton says the government should build sanctuaries and give tax breaks to ranchers who let wild horses in their grazing areas.

"These horses are a beautiful symbol of this country, and I believe the public will not stand for their deaths. The public is willing to do what they can to prevent that," Dalton said.

Susie Stokke, spokeswoman for BLM, said the agency doesn't have legal authority to give tax breaks or establish sanctuaries. "That's beyond what (BLM) can do," Stokke said.

The agency tries to control the number of wild horses on open ranges. The agency has set a target "appropriate management level" of horses at 27,000.