The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says it will scale back costly wild horse roundups that some critics say are inhumane.
Director Bob Abbey said the land agency will reduce the number of wild horses removed from the range by about one-quarter — to 7,600 per year — as well as expand the use of fertility controls and increase the number of animals adopted by individuals or groups. He said the agency continues to oppose horse slaughter, which some in the West have advocated as a way to thin herds.
The announcement comes a week after the House approved an amendment to cut the agency's budget by $2 million to protest the wild horse roundups. The program's annual cost has tripled over the past decade to $66 million.
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