The Great Wild Horse Debate: On one side, we have Utah's governor, saying, "The horse issue in Utah is a good example of where the federal government comes in and says to the cattle rancher, 'You've got to cut back on your animal units. You've got to cut your herds back by 25 percent. Why? Because we are in a drought situation.' "
Meanwhile, wild horses are "breeding like rabbits."
Gov. Gary Herbert can point out that the Bureau of Land Management has allowed more wild horses than what its own target population calls for. A Deseret News graphic says there are believed to be 3,245 wild horses, compared to a desired population of only 1,956. So, reduce the number of horses, including maybe "taking down" some, and it will make more room for more cattle in these times of drought.
But, not so fast, responds the American Wild Preservation Campaign and the Cloud Foundation. Wild horses are a heritage of all Americans, and Americans overwhelmingly favor having them on public lands. The BLM should protect the interest of all Americans, not just the few who are using the land for cheap, taxpayer-subsidized grazing.
The two groups point out that the number of wild horses pales compared to how many cattle there are, with wild horses on but 2.1 million acres compared to the cattle being on 22 million acres. So, one can wonder, could you get rid of all 3,245 horses and still not make enough room for many more cattle and sheep?
If the debate continues, perhaps the governor's office will suggest that the point is, if it is to demand the ranchers cut their cattle, it is only fair that the BLM does its share, and cut the horses.
(Edited 5/1/14)
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