Why are 805 wild horses causing such a stir in Nevada. Yesterday I told you that the protestors were out full strength in opposition to what they feel is cruel and unusual treatment of this noble species that is a symbol of the wild west. The Bureau of Land Management has a round up plan in place and they’re using helicopters to drive the horses.  But there is a reason for rounding up wild horses and it relates to their breeding capacity. Herds double every four years according to BLM Wild horse and Burro Expert Steve Leonard due to a lack of natural predators…like wolves. “We have seen very little effect where we have wolves. You have to understand they were brought back to this continent so predators did not evolve with horses.”

 Steve is saying without the checks and balances normally provided by nature, the wild horse populations can run amok and that raises havoc with rangeland particularly in places like Nevada and Idaho which have a lot of high desert terrain. “If you just leave them to their own without any management on our end, you would end up with bare ground eventually.”

 So protestors…think about it. Do you want these beautiful animals to slowly and painfully starve to death?