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Wild Horses

Gary J. Johnson

ADM-624, Public Governance

Saundra McDavid

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Decision Making Techniques / The BLM

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Secretary of Agriculture has been

tasked with the responsibility of protecting and managing the wild free-roaming horses and

burros as components of public land (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. 289). In 1971 Congress

enacted the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act establishing the program management

guidelines. The Act was amended under the Rangeland Improvements Act of 1978 to address

the growing land management, short and long term storage, and over population issues.

Under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and the Rangeland Improvement

Act, Congress established guidelines to manage the growing over population and storage

concerns for both the wild horses and burros. Under the Congressional Acts the populations of

both the wild horses and burros have increased exponentially. The mission now is to decide how

to best manage the animal population and maintain a natural ecological balance. The BLM must

utilize decision making techniques such as cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis

to quantify expenditure output and weigh program cost against program benefits. The BLM did

not like to destroy healthy animals nor did they approve of the free selling of horses to be used in

alternative ways such as meat. This practice has led to sky-rocketing operational cost and a

shortage in both short term and long term holding space. In 2008 storage cost accounted for

more than 74% of the programs direct cost (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. 291). To frame a

decision, program administrators must identify and acknowledge over-population as the problem

needing to be fixed. Further, program administrators must focus on the root cause of the over-

population. The Rangeland Improvements Act of 1978 gives administrators guidance on dealing

with over-population and un-adoptable animals. The Act states that as a tool to manage land

erosion and over-population wild horses can be free sold or destroyed in the most humane way

possible (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. ). Applying the principle of cost benefit analysis,

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administrators should see the correlation between herd reduction and the costs associated with

short and long term housing. The benefit of herd reduction is a real one, it is direct and tangible

and can be recognized almost immediately. Utilizing a decision tree administrators can compare

the continued cost associated with doing nothing and the real cost after herd reduction strategies

have been implemented. Starling (2011) stated that if not controlled, off-the range holding cost

will continue to overwhelm the program (p. 291). Of the many decisions required to address the

current monetary and programmatic issues facing the wild free-roaming horse and burros

program, the first one should be to adhere to the population management guidelines that are

already in place.

BLM Suggestions

Without a change in management philosophy the Bureau of Land Management and the

Secretary of Agriculture will continue to face over-population, loss of habitat, and increased

budgetary cost. Starling (2011) informed that in 2001 the BML implemented the practice of

increasing removals as a way of managing wild free-roaming horses and burros populations in

the wild. After “Removal” the animals are sent to a short term holding area to be sold to

qualified owners or await adoption. If they are not adopted they will be moved on to a long term

holding facility where they will generally remain until natural death. The practice of removal

and the reluctance to euthanize or utilize any other type of population control has led to increased

sheltering cost and severe over-population.

One suggestion for the BLM is to implement new program management strategies

directed at educating the public on the global perspective of wild horse and burro population

management. Americans view the wild horse as a symbol of freedom and have given them an

almost mythical place in our culture. Because of this attachment many forms of population

control practiced around the world are considered taboo in the United States. In Australia, the

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government advocates shooting feral horses and burros as a form of population control and in

Europe horse meat is considered a delicacy (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. 293). Selling the

horses for slaughter to be used as meat presents an interesting opportunity cost for the BLM.

The income generated by the sale could be used to fund the program providing much needed

resources to build new and maintain current long and short range holding locations. In Australia

the commercial slaughter of feral horses, burros, and other livestock is a $100 million a year

industry (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. 292). The BLM must change their position regarding

the use of euthanasia, free-selling, and slaughter as a means for population management in the

wild free-roaming horse and burro program. To do so the BLM must educate the American

people and the horse lobby on the current state of the program illustrating how these alternative

practices are accepted around the world and should be viable courses of action for population

management of the wild free-roaming horse and burro program.

Modeling the Problem

The Bureau of Land Management and the Secretary of Agriculture have a systemic

problem. The operational cost of the wild free-roaming horses and burros program continue to

grow and the only management tool has been to ask for more budgetary funding. Administrators

must identify different methods of combating increased programmatic and operational cost and

modeling is a tool that can be used to do so. Utilizing a simulation model program

administrators can simulate the effects of utilizing different herd population management

techniques. The model will give program managers a way to estimate the effects of methods like

euthanasia, free-selling for slaughter and birth control on herd population. The simulation model

will allow program managers to estimate budgetary cost based on the decreased population and

make a decision on which methods are the most viable. Starling (2011) defines a model as a

simple representation of a real world problem. The models value is determined by how effective

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it is in helping solve the original problem (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. 270). In this case

study the problem of over-population and increased operational cost. A detailed simulation

model will provide the following (Starling, 2011, Case study 6.1, p. 272):

a. a consistent framework for estimating the value of new technologies

b. tool to increase awareness of the system interactions and consequences

resulting from everyday policy decisions

c. new criteria for monitoring and evaluating operating system

d. detailed investigations of operations throughout the program

Utilizing a multi-objective model will give administrators the flexibility to account for more than

one objective concerning the wild horse program giving a more comprehensive evaluation of all

possible solutions.

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References

Starling, G. (2011). Managing the Public Sector. 9th Ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage

Learning.