Interior's Wild Horse Chief Strongly Denies Claims of 'Extinction' Management

The Interior Department's wild horse and burro chief today assured critics that her agency is not selling horses for slaughter and has no intention of overseeing their extinction. Joan Guilfoyle, division chief for the Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro program, said a mix of fertility control and herd gathers is critical to maintaining a healthy balance on the range, but that extinction is not in the agency's bailiwick. "The mission is for wild free-roaming horses and burros to be a continuing living legacy of the American heritage," Guilfoyle said today in a speech to the International Equine Conference in Alexandria, Va. "Extinction is by no means on our agenda." She added that BLM sells horses only to those who have pledged to treat them humanely and not sell them for slaughter. "As a matter of fact, BLM prosecutes people who do that," said Guilfoyle...more