Wild Horses and Burros: Assessing Welfare During Helicopter Capture Kathryn Holcomb, PhD and Carolyn Stull, PhD Veterinary Medicine Cooperative Extension University of California, Davis Our project: Develop Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program What horses and burros? The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 Established wild horses and burros as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the west” To be managed on public lands by BLM “in a manner that is designed to achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance” Called “wild” in legislation but are really “feral” What are the CAWP components? 1. Standards Facility design Handling Capture techniques Transportation Horse & burro care Euthanasia /death 2. Assessment Tool Based on Standards 3. Training Program Basics of animal welfare Behavior and handling Standards and requirements 4. Database Why the CAWP? Activist pressure Accountability Transparency Basis for improvement Why remove from range? 40,600 = number roaming free* (33,780 horses, 6,820 burros) 26,600 = for ecological balance 14,000 = excess Population can double every 4 years. Overpopulation leads to range degradation, starvation, and impacts other wildlife species *An additional 49,000 horses and burros are housed off the range in short term corrals or long term pastures. Does not include those on private, state, or tribal lands. Wild horses and burros under BLM management are located in 10 western states in designated Herd Management Areas Where are they? Then what? Develop CAWP for Short term corrals Long term pastures On the range Transportation For more information, contact: Kathryn Holcomb keholcomb@ucdavis.edu Carolyn Stull clstull@ucdavis.edu December 2013