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Wild horse preservation is the protection of wild horses and burros on public lands. In Canada, protection of wild horses is a provincial matter, with several associations and societies helping to preserve wild horses in areas such as British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia. In the United States, wild horses are protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. There is some controversy over the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methods to thin wild horse and burro herds, including the cost and treatment caused by round-ups.

History
200 years ago, 3 million wild horses roamed North America. Fewer than 8,000 wild horses remain today. By 1965, only four small herds of horses survived- three in British Columbia and one in Siffleur Wilderness Area near Calgary. In 1974, the official wild horse population in Alberta was only around 1,000 due to horse hunting on crown land. In 1993, Alberta introduced the Horse Capture Plan which regulates the capture of wild horses, with between 25 and 35 horses being captured each year.

Provincial Matter
In Canada, there is no federal wild horse protection because Environment Canada considers horses to be introduced foreign animals, not native; therefore they do not qualify for protection under the Species at Risk Act. Instead, wild horses are protected through provincial jurisdiction. Today, wild horses are considered domestic livestock, not wildlife, under Alberta’s Stray Animals Act. In British Columbia wild horses are controlled for range management purposes through the Grazing Act.

Wild Horses of Sable Island
Wild horses of Sable Island, unlike the rest of Canada, are protected under the Sable Island Regulations section of the Canadian Shipping Act. Animals on Sable Island are protected because it is a federal responsibility.

History
At the beginning of the 20th century, it is estimated that 2 million wild horses and burros roamed America’s ranges. These horses were exploited as human settlements and livestock ranches expanded. Wild horses were exploited by ranchers who shot them to make room for other livestock, individuals who captured them for domestic use and breeding, and by profiteers who sold them to slaughterhouses.

Documented abuses led concerned individuals and humane organizations to push for federal protection of the wild horses and burros in the 1950’s. In response, the Congress passed legislation in 1959 prohibiting the use of “aircraft, motor vehicles, and poisoned water holes to trap or kill wild horses on federal rangelands.” This act was known as the Wild Horse Annie Act. Despite the act, wild horse exploitation continued, and by 1971 the population of wild horses on federal rangelands was down to 9,500.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, 1971
To preserve wild horse populations, Congress enacted The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. This act states that wild horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death. These horses are protected because they are considered an aesthetic and historical resource.

The Problem
Wild horse and burro habitat on federal land can sustain only 26,600 animals and the population now exceeds 38,000. This overpopulation, officials say, causes ecological damage. The wild horses and burros trample streams and strip vegetation, destroying habitat for other animals.

Response
In response, Congress amended the law in 1978 to establish protection of the land from wild horse overpopulation. This authorized the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to limit wild horse populations to suitable levels. Since 1980, BLM has “rounded up, removed, and disposed of more than 80,000 wild horses from federal rangelands.” These roundups have become controversial due to the costs involved and the treatment towards the horses. Total federal spending on wild-horse management during roundups topped $75 million in fiscal year 2012. Feeding wild horses in holding facilities costs the American taxpayer over $100,000 every day.

Besides being expensive, the roundups have also been linked to poor treatment for wild horses and burros. The Bureau of Land Management uses helicopters to stampede horses over “miles of treacherous terrain, causing trauma, injury and death”. The controversial 2010 Calico Mountains roundup injured dozens of horses, 40 pregnant mares spontaneously aborted and 130 horses were killed. The Tuscarora Roundup in 2010 caused 35 deaths to wild horses and burros due to dehydration from running in the heat of the summer in the desert. Not only do the round-ups cause senseless injuries and deaths, but they also “shatter the family bands that provide behavioural and reproductive stability to wild horse herds.”

Due to the overwhelming costs and limited space at holding facilities, BLM started an adopt-a-horse program which allowed individuals to adopt up to four horses a year. From 1984 to 1988, BLM placed 20,000 wild horses with large-scale adopters who took a minimum of 100 horses each. Non-compliance for approving and monitoring adoptions caused inhumane treatment and death of horses, with many adopters selling thousands of wild horses to slaughterhouses. BLM terminated the program in 1988 after negative publicity and pressure from the Congress.