Nut Cuttin' in Nevada makes National News

Federal wildlife managers are fighting in court to take the unprecedented step of castrating 200 wild stallions in Nevada, in an effort to control surging populations of wild horses across the West. Animal-rights activists oppose the plan, which they contend would strip the wild stallions of their fighting spirit and change herd dynamics. A coalition of horse advocates last month filed suit to block the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from castrating the stallions, also known as gelding. In response, the agency agreed to postpone the castration until a federal court in Washington, D.C., can hear arguments later this year. Federal scientists contend they have no choice but to try dramatic steps such as castration because the wild horse population is out of control—and costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars a year. Mustangs have few natural predators, and herds can double in size every four years. "We're on an unsustainable path," said Tom Gorey, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management. Wild horses are not native to America; they're descended from domesticated horses brought over by early European explorers. Still, federal law protects mustangs as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West."...more