Protecting the
Land in the
Wild,
Wild West
Every year, about 7,500 wild horses and burros are removed from their homes on the range and placed in new homes by BLM. If left in the wild, these species, which have no natural predators and are protected by law, could double their numbers in as little as five years, and the resulting over-grazing would wreak ecological havoc on public lands.
But, even with BLM management, public lands harbor about 46,000 wild horses and burros, "about 20,000 more than should be there," according to Malloy. BLM has not kept pace with the excess because the Agency "only removes as many animals as the market can now absorb," Malloy explains. BLM, however, believes that demand for these animals would increase if more people knew about their availability. That's why the Agency is reaching out to potential adopters via the Internet and satellite TV down-link auctions.
On-Line Auctions
Described by Business
Wire as "a first for a sophisticated, interactive government web site,"
BLM's new adoption site (http://www.adoptahorse.blm.gov)
regularly hosts Internet auctions of wild horses and burros. Several
weeks before each e-quine auction, the site posts a gallery of photos
and descriptive information about approximately 40 animals. Electronic
bids on these animals are then accepted during a two-week period that
follows, and the current highest bid for each horse and burro is posted
in real time on the adoption web site.
Like many other Internet adopters, Terry confirms that without BLM's new adoption Internet site, she "just wouldn't have had enough information or interest to pursue the adoptions." But, the value of the site extends far beyond the almost 150 adoptions it has generated in the six Internet auctions held since the site's May 1998 debut. Attracting about 300,000 visitors so far, the site also fans interest in live auctions that are held regularly at BLM permanent holding facilities.
Satellite TV Down-link Auctions
BLM also is expanding its search for homes for wild horses and burros through nationally televised satellite television down-link auctions. BLM sponsored the first of these auctions in August 1999, posting photos and descriptions of available animals on BLM's wild horse and burro Internet site (http://www.blm.gov/whb) before the event. During the auction that followed, pre-recorded videotapes of horses and burros located in Nevada were beamed, along with live coverage of an auctioneer located in Texas, to homes and other locations equipped with satellite dishes.
