Appeals Court: Roundup Not Required for Overpopulated Horses

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Appeals Court: Roundup Not Required for Overpopulated Horses

By MEAD GRUVER, ASSOCIATED PRESS CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Oct 11, 2016, 4:16 PM ET

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday against Wyoming officials who sought to require the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to round up wild horses from overpopulated herds, a decision praised by horse advocates as potentially precedent-setting for managing the animals across the West.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld a ruling last year that the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act doesn't mandate roundup of overpopulated wild horses.

Wild horse advocacy groups including the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign hailed the latest decision. The groups' attorney, Bill Eubanks, said the ruling could affect similar federal cases originating in Utah and Nevada.

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The appeals court found that Wyoming's wild horses aren't necessarily overpopulated because the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act doesn't clearly define at what point they would be, Eubanks said.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/appeals-court-roundup-required-overpopulated-horses-42734995

[asiliveandbreathe]

1. Our protest last year in AZ stopped the round up for now

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/08/07/forest-service-backs-away-wild-horse-roundup/31218725/

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., on Thursday provided The Arizona Republic with a statement from Neil Bosworth, Tonto National Forest’s supervisor, saying, “We appreciate the local community’s feedback and we’ve decided to take another look at the proposed gathering of stray horses at Tonto National Forest."

Great pics at link - this area is about 3 miles from our home..this is where we cook out - fish and tube..these wild horses have been on this route for +100 years..the Salt River Tonto National Forest...

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/hundreds-rally-to-save-arizonas-salt-river-wild-horses-7543834

Pics at link..

[NickB79]

2. Emotion screws the environment once again

The appeals court found that Wyoming's wild horses aren't necessarily overpopulated because the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act doesn't clearly define at what point they would be, Eubanks said.

So basically, because the law doesn't specifically state the exact carrying capacity of horses and burros on federal land (which is laughable because carrying capacity can change from county to county depending on habitat present), we get to ignore all evidence presented by numerous state and federal wildlife officials telling us horse populations have passed a point where they damage the native environment.

By the logic of this ruling, there isn't ANY level of horse density that would allow horse populations be be reduced, which is idiotic.

So now, the only feasible tool we had at our disposal to slow horse population growth has been removed, and the only thing left to do is sit back, let the populations explode, and see how much damage they do to the ecosystem until disease and starvation cuts their numbers.