WHAT IS THE BLM?
Managing..... to an extinction. And being paid $67,000,000 a year by taxpayers.
BLM stands for Bureau of Land Management. The BLM is a government funded program that is in charge of natural resources. In 1971, when the Wild Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act was placed, the government put the BLM in charge of the mustangs. The government orders them to keep the population at a 'healthy level'. Over the past nine years, over 40% of the mustang population has been rounded up by the BLM. Round-up teams are paid $350 per horse, dead or alive, so they go to drastic measures to capture as many horses and burros as possible. The BLM turnes a blind eye to abuse by the two main round-up contractors. In 1992, the BLM's primary round-up contractor was found to have sent 77 mustangs to a Texas slaughterhouse. In addition, 36,000 wild horses and burros that have been adopted are unaccounted for. They were most likely slaughered. In 1997, The BLM's director conceded that 90% of the rounded-up horses ended up slaughtered.
In 2010 the BLM's salary increased to over $60 million. It currently stands at $67 million a year. In 2008 it was discovered that less than 5% of that money went to herd managment. The other 95% went to the brutal capture, holding, and placement of the wild horse and burros.
In 1971 the BLM promised to manage the mustangs at their current numbers. The BLM's census concluded that there were about 17,000 mustangs in the wild. However, ten years later the National Academy of Science argued that the BLM's estimate was, "undoubtly low to an unknown, but perhaps substantial, degree". The BLM agreed that they would keep the mustang numbers at 26,600, yet there are less than 25,000. Also, oftentimes the BLM will claim a 0% death rate for round-ups that have been confirmed to have killed horses. In 1982 the National Academy of Science concluded that mustangs reproduce at a much lower rate than the BLM claims. The BLM also conducts recklass round-ups and does not base the removal of wild horses on how many animals the range can support. Apparently, the BLM is making removal decisions based on historic population levels or recommendations of advisor groups largely made up of livestock permittees. (for more information, see Mustangs vs. Cattle) The BLM relies on an annual population increase of 20% to justify the round-ups. Experts argue that 10% is a much more reasonable estimate. Finally, if mustangs or burros roam outside the boundaries that they are permitted in, the BLM captures them, removes them from public land permanently, and, in Nevada (the state with the largest mustang populations), determinded them 'strays' and sold at an auction filled with kill buyers. Why is the government lying to us?