While many people in the USA believe there are too many wild horses and burros roaming on public lands and destroying the environment, the opposite is actually true. There are too few wild horses and burros roaming on public lands in the USA, and unless their population grows, the survival of this wildlife species is in jeopardy.
The International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros or the ISPMB in the USA plays an instrumental role when it comes to keeping wild horses and burros safe on public lands. It has joined hands with several prominent governmental agencies and wildlife conservation organizations to protect them on public lands with adoption programs.
During the 1800s to 1900s, it had been estimated there were over two million wild horses and burros in the West roaming on public lands. They survived with other wildlife species like prairie dogs, bison, and wolves; however, they later became poor victims of terrible extermination efforts, primarily paving the way for livestock grazing raised by domestic households.
Sadly, in 1971, there were even less than 30,000 wild horses and burros living on the millions of acres of public lands in the West. Tragically, the interests of these wild horses and burros, who are a reminder of the history and pioneer Western spirit, are being forfeited by commercial operations and the livestock industry for their own vested gains.
Wild horses and burros are on the brink of extinction if they are not protected
Herds of several wild horses and burros are dangerously managed in very low numbers making their genetic viability and health in the long run seriously in danger.
ISPMB has a rich history when it comes to the safety and protection of wild horses and burros in the USA. It has even seen some iconic accomplishments in its conservation as it was one of the instrumental forces with its first President named Wild Horse Annie, in moving the US Congress for offering permanent protection of wild horses and burros in 1971 on public lands with the monumental Wild Horses and Burros Act.
An insight into their adoption programs
Many of the adoption programs created and developed for the protection of wild horses and burros on public lands were the initiative of the ISPMB. They designed them for the Bureau of Land Management or the BLM, the governmental agency accountable for executing the Wild Horses and Burros Act’s provisions.
The sincere efforts of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros for the conservation of this wildlife specieshave been phenomenal. The organization is committed to its mission, and all of its adoption programs have been successful. For example, it has placed over 200,000 wild horses and burros successfully into adoptive homes. Thanks to its cooperation with diverse groups committed to the protection of this wildlife species, the conservation of wild horses and burros has moved forward in the West on public lands with success!