Wild Horse Advocates Seek Lawsuit Dismissal

A group of wild horse advocates is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit asking the Bureau of Land Management to remove excess horses from public and private land in Utah.
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A group of wild horse advocates is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit asking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to remove excess horses from public and private land in Utah.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 federally protects wild horses and burros and places them under BLM jurisdiction. The BLM website states that more than 2,500 wild horses and 100 burros reside in 22 Utah herd management areas.

In a complaint filed in May in the U.S. District Court in Utah, 13 ranchers allege that the BLM violated the 1971 act by failing to remove excess horses from private lands and public grazelands under the state of Utah's jurisdiction. The complaint further alleges that the excess wild horses damage the rangelands and compete for resources with cattle and other livestock owned by the ranchers. Finally the lawsuit alleges that BLM's failure to control the expansion of wild horse herds threatens the ranchers' livelihoods.

In August, the court granted the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC), The Cloud Foundation, Return to Freedom, photographer John Steele, and wild horse advocate and adopter Lisa Friday permission to intervene in the case. And on Oct. 22, that group filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds that the ranchers' case lacks merit

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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