The current population of the Onaqui Herd Management Area is estimated by the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) at 500-550, but there are differing counts based on the source of ones data. The BLM has identified the appropriate management level to be between 121 and 210 wild horses. This population size was determined based on public input, vegetation inventories, allocation of forage, and other resource considerations, in order to support wild horses in balance with other uses and values on public land. This is one of the most popular and accessible wild horse herds in the West and there is no reason that the BLM cannot manage these American mustangs in their designated habitat on our public lands. The Onaqui wild horses should not pay the price for the BLM’s failure to adequately use scientifically proven birth control to humanely manage this federally-protected wild horse population. By modestly reducing extensive commercial cattle and sheep grazing in this public land area, the BLM could accommodate the current number of Onaqui horses and reduce the herd size over time through a robust fertility control program. American Wild Horse Campaign - website is https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/ - has offered to assist the BLM with the remote dating of horses with the PZP immunocontraceptive vaccine and help fund the fertility control program, but the BLM has not accepted this offer of a public/private partnership for the management of this cherished herd. The BLM plan for late 2019 is to round-up about 150-200 of these horses for removal.
The BLM’s preferred method of round up is to fly low overhead with helicopters and separate the herds and family units, corral them and remove them from the only home they have ever known. They are then trapped in pens and separated by gender and age (there is minimal to no consideration of keeping foals with the mares). A small portion may be adopted but most of the captured horses will be transported to government holding facilities and ultimate auctioned off to “kill buyers”.There are about 48,000 wild horses and burros in government holding facilities and fewer than 48,000 wild horses and 11,000 burros that remain free. The yearly cost of the federal wild horse program is about $80M. It cost the taxpayer $154,000 everyday just to feed the captured horses.
As I look at each of my photographs in this gallery, I get tears in my eyes, not knowing if that particular horse will survive the next roundup and/or be separated from their family. The pictures in this gallery fall into a few categories: 1) "The family unit" or band as they are called in horse world; 2) Small groups of two or three horses gently and lovingly being together in the wild and I believe each photograph represents their unique emotions towards each other; 3) Activities that are vigorous and energetic - some playful and some more serious - but all necessary in the life of these horses. The horses in these Onaqui herds are a beautiful mixture of colors such as: bay, black, pintos, cremellos, buckskin, grulla, red or blue roan.
I do not think you can look at these pictures and think for a moment that each one of these amazing creatures do not have emotions and will not suffer if rounded-up and separated from their families in future planned BLM round-ups which are cruel and unnecessary. There is plenty of land for them to live and survive. I am a firm believer that the more aware we are of how we treat our animals and question why and get involved - the better off we will be with each other as a human race.
The BLM’s preferred method of round up is to fly low overhead with helicopters and separate the herds and family units, corral them and remove them from the only home they have ever known. They are then trapped in pens and separated by gender and age (there is minimal to no consideration of keeping foals with the mares). A small portion may be adopted but most of the captured horses will be transported to government holding facilities and ultimate auctioned off to “kill buyers”.There are about 48,000 wild horses and burros in government holding facilities and fewer than 48,000 wild horses and 11,000 burros that remain free. The yearly cost of the federal wild horse program is about $80M. It cost the taxpayer $154,000 everyday just to feed the captured horses.
As I look at each of my photographs in this gallery, I get tears in my eyes, not knowing if that particular horse will survive the next roundup and/or be separated from their family. The pictures in this gallery fall into a few categories: 1) "The family unit" or band as they are called in horse world; 2) Small groups of two or three horses gently and lovingly being together in the wild and I believe each photograph represents their unique emotions towards each other; 3) Activities that are vigorous and energetic - some playful and some more serious - but all necessary in the life of these horses. The horses in these Onaqui herds are a beautiful mixture of colors such as: bay, black, pintos, cremellos, buckskin, grulla, red or blue roan.
I do not think you can look at these pictures and think for a moment that each one of these amazing creatures do not have emotions and will not suffer if rounded-up and separated from their families in future planned BLM round-ups which are cruel and unnecessary. There is plenty of land for them to live and survive. I am a firm believer that the more aware we are of how we treat our animals and question why and get involved - the better off we will be with each other as a human race.