Stakeholder Acceptance of Wild Equid Fertility Control Mirrors Global Shifts in Attitudes to Wildlife Management

Authors

• Giovanna Massei, University of YorkFollow
• Stephanie L. Boyles Griffin, The Humane Society of the United StatesFollow

Date of this Version

Fall 2022

Document Type

Article

Citation

Human–Wildlife Interactions (Fall 2022) 16(2): article 17 

doi: 10.26077/9br9-vq41 

Special topic: New research in wild horse management

Comments

Open access. License: CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Wild equid (horses [Equus ferus] and burros [E. asinus]) populations have increased on public lands in the United States since the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. As of March 1, 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) estimated that wild equid populations on designated herd management areas (HMAs) may exceed 82,000 animals. In 2020, the total population of wild equids in the United States was estimated to exceed 300,000 animals. The BLM sets an appropriate management level (AML) for wild horse and burro herds on each HMA and removes animals when AMLs are exceeded. At present, the number of animals removed and placed in long-term holding is greater than the number adopted and sold. In 2021, the cost of caring for 59,000 animals in government holding facilities was >$72 million USD. Although the management of wild equid populations remains controversial among stakeholders, fertility control has gained wider acceptance, with injectable immunocontraceptive vaccines already employed to manage herds. Contemporary stakeholder views of wild equid management decisions may also reflect global shifts in public attitudes to wildlife management. These attitudes are driving both decisions and innovations in alternative approaches, such as fertility control, to manage wildlife. In this context, the Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control is acting as a catalyst to advance the use of effective, sustainable fertility control methods to mitigate human–wildlife conflicts and promote coexistence worldwide.