Regarding “Official says public lands overrun with wild horses” (The Associated Press, July 11): The slow extermination of our wild horses is on par with the extermination of buffalo 150 years ago.
A few facts: Prior to World War I, we had millions of wild horses on our public lands and yet species numbers (sage grouse, elk, antelope, etc.) were up and wild lands were thriving. Horse numbers have nothing to do with declining species numbers. As per all those millions of wild horses, many of them were shipped off and killed overseas as WWI Army horses.
Wild horses are systematically being replaced by cattle. A brief comparison of the two ungulates: Horses have one stomach, and native plant seeds are not digested thoroughly and are thus spread in their own fertilizer. Ruminants have four stomachs, thoroughly digest native plant seeds and do not assist with the local ecology. Horses are being utilized in Europe to help “re-create” wild lands that have been lost.
I don’t know why BLM chooses to send out misinformation about our wild mustangs. Personally, I wish they would leave the horses alone and get rid of most of the cattle. If species numbers are down, one needs to examine human encroachment, not wild horses.
