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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has dropped a research effort that would have led to the surgical sterilization of more than 200 wild mares at a facility in Oregon.
The agency said Friday the decision was made in response to litigation from groups that assert the procedures to be researched were unnecessary and barbaric. Advocates for wild horses sought to halt the study or, at the very least, allow the media and the public to observe and record it.
"This decision, though not made lightly, is in response to litigation that could have put the wild horses, BLM staff and our research partners at risk by requiring unnecessary persons or equipment be placed within the small confines of the space where the procedures would take place," the BLM said in a statement released through its Portland office.
BLM spokesman Greg Shine said the agency had no comment beyond the statement.
The BLM wanted to study three methods to determine whether they are safe, effective options for controlling the wild horse population.
Of the three methods, the advocates were most concerned about a procedure that involves removing ovaries from sedated, pregnant mares in various gestational stages. The veterinarian reaches into the mare's abdomen through the vagina to sever and remove the ovaries.
The Cloud Foundation and American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign filed a lawsuit last month seeking the presence of outside observers. Two other groups, Front Range Equine Rescue and Friends of Animals, sued to stop the research that would have been done at the Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon.
"The Bureau of Land Management is obligated to protect wild horses under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and has absolutely no authority whatsoever to experiment on wild horses with new and risky surgeries," said Jennifer Best, assistant director of Friends of Animals' wildlife law program. "Congress has expressly prohibited the use of funds for activities that would kill wild horses as this experiment may have done."
originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
originally posted by: eeyipes
a reply to: tetra50
If they are overpopulated, why not round them up, sterilize the males, and let them loose again to live in peace and freedom?
Sterilizing was considered and dropped as a solution. But the females would have been targeted.
It was considered unnecessary and barbaric....like murder isn't?
www.dailymail.co.uk...
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has dropped a research effort that would have led to the surgical sterilization of more than 200 wild mares at a facility in Oregon.
and
"The Bureau of Land Management is obligated to protect wild horses under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and has absolutely no authority whatsoever to experiment on wild horses with new and risky surgeries," said Jennifer Best, assistant director of Friends of Animals' wildlife law program. "Congress has expressly prohibited the use of funds for activities that would kill wild horses as this experiment may have done."
originally posted by: crazyewok
a reply to: DontTreadOnMe
I just read that as Black lives matters! I was thing dam I know they are crazy but killing horses? How are they racist!
But as to the topic that is sad. Are they a pest in the area?
originally posted by: FredT
Now that being said, this is necessary because of gross mismanagement in the past. The extermination of predatory species like wolves etc has lead to this etc. Now we have to make the hard choice.
No one should be happy about the wholesale slaughter of 44,000 living creatures. And the article says captive...I have to wonder where they are being kept, and under what conditions.
You know what, I wasn't going to respond to you but I changed my mind. IF you advocated the closing of the slaughter houses the way that they did and kept breeding then you caused this and YOU are responsible the unnecessary slaughter of those animals. Your ego was more important than the actual well being of any horse. If this second scenario is actually the case, I hate you. I mean absolutely despise you and I don't care how many horses you have helped, you have hurt far, far more and you don't even have the excuse of ignorance.
originally posted by: ATSmediaPRO
a reply to: DontTreadOnMe
No one should be happy about the wholesale slaughter of 44,000 living creatures. And the article says captive...I have to wonder where they are being kept, and under what conditions.
I'll assume you and every else is also very upset about the 10+ Billion animals slaughtered every year in the US.... Right?
Farm Animal Statistics: Slaughter Totals
The reality is 44,000 for the entire western US is not that much...