In partnership with Colorado State University and the U.S. Geological Survey, the BLM is proposing a research project to evaluate the feasibility of spaying some wild horse mares as a means to slow population growth. | Photo: iStock

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon’s Burns District is seeking comment on a draft environmental assessment (EA) for wild horse spay feasibility and behavioral research. The research will be conducted at Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility, near Hines.

The BLM said wild horse herd populations can grow quickly, doubling in size in four years and tripling in six years if not managed. Since receiving Federal protection in 1971, the nationwide wild horse and burro population has soared to nearly 82,000 animals, more than three times the number that can survive long-term along with wildlife and other uses of the land, the agency said. There are no long-lasting fertility-control methods that can effectively control growth in most herds, the BLM said.

In partnership with Colorado State University and the U.S. Geological Survey, the BLM is proposing a research project to evaluate the feasibility of spaying some wild horse mares as a means to slow population growth. The BLM said the proposed procedure, ovariectomy via colpotomy, is a standard used for domestic horses and is generally considered less invasive than a typical spay procedure used for domestic cats and dogs. The procedure takes less than 15 minutes to complete and is more cost-effective than available short-term fertility control vaccines, the agency said. The BLM said it intends to study the impacts to mares and the wild horse band behaviors once the treated animals are returned to the range