45k horses to be put down.....

[JustRalph]

I was not aware of these numbers. It's incredible.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/12/12891714/bureau-land-management-euthanasia-wild-horses-cattle

[zico20]

I was not aware of these numbers. It's incredible.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/12/12891714/bureau-land-management-euthanasia-wild-horses-cattle

The budget is only 49 million. We are running a 20 trillion dollar debt and massive annual deficits. You would think the government could find cuts totaling 49 million somewhere to give to the BLM to keep the horses alive. Or just increase the debt 49 million more a year to save the horses. No one would miss that 49 million. Save the horses!!!

[PaceAdvantage]

Talk about taking the easy way out to a problem they themselves created.

Deplorable.

[TBD]

Where are the PETA weenies now?

[boxcar]

Where are the PETA weenies now?

The weenies "humanely" prefer to have the horses euthanized to put them out of the misery humans created for them.

[EMD4ME]

Disgusting. Lost my yearning to be called human today.

[chadk66]

My wife works for the National Park Service. Every few years they roundup and auction off some of these wild horses. Why they aren't doing that for these 45k is disgusting.

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Well, it's happened again sports fans. The Drudge Report (among others) took one story and turned it into something completely different. Two things are true though.

1. The feds do not plan to kill any horses at the present time. The BLM said they are "committed to having healthy horses on healthy range land" and would "continue to care for and seek good homes for animals that have been removed from the range. The BLM does not and will not euthanize healthy animals."

2. The BLM's wild horse and burro advisory board - a volunteer body with no binding decision-making authority did recommend that the BLM sell or euthanize the "unadaptable" animals among 45,000 horses in government holding corrals. Of course, any action is subject to Congressional approval and would have to withstand lawsuits filed by NGOs.

So rest easy for now. The horses are going to be just fine.

[Dave Schwartz]

Make no mistake, this is not about government money.

This is about ranchers wanting the range resources for their cattle (which graze on federal land for an amazingly low cost) instead of being used by wild horses.

This battle has been going on for decades.

[betovernetcapper]

This is nuts. I'd rather they didn't do it, but if they are, they should at least make some money out of it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/federal-eye/wp/2015/11/02/nearly-2000-wild-horses-sent-to-slaughterhouse-instead-of-pasture-after-government-sale-probe-says/

In meat, bones & hide an average horse is worth over $1000. If they are going to do this thing, then do it openly & make a profit. Having said that, I don't think either the profit or loss justifies doing it.

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Make no mistake, this is not about government money.

This is about ranchers wanting the range resources for their cattle (which graze on federal land for an amazingly low cost) instead of being used by wild horses.

This battle has been going on for decades.
You might be right. If I read the report right, the 45,000 horses are already being held by the government for adoption. It sounded like there were a number of additional horses running wild that were not part of the 45,000, and certainly they are on federal land. But, the critical part of the story is that no horses are getting euthanized, and even if they eventually consider it, it will be the portion that is unadaptable.