QUIZ: How much do you know about the American West's wild horse population?
A recent evaluation by a National Research Council committee sheds light on the National Wild Horses and Burros Program.
A: According to the National Research Council (NRC) report, a committee of 14 scientists concluded that, left unmanaged, horse numbers on public lands would triple every six to eight years until food and water became limited. Under these conditions, horses would be in poor health, reproduction would be suppressed and deaths from starvation and dehydration would become common, with mass mortality events possible during periods of drought. High horse populations and limited resources would also degrade rangelands, which would affect all native species and public uses of these lands. The BLM believes this tactic would increase animal suffering and be an unacceptable management tool for herds and rangelands.
