Are mustang horses an endangered species?

(4) On January 25, 2012 at 8:23 pm Crypto666 [0] said:

Horses are not an endangered species. Otherwise there would not be legislation aimed at reopening slaughter houses for horses.

Mustangs in the western U.S. are the product of approximately 6500 years of genetic engineering by humans. (See the origins of horse racing)

They did not evolve here in the last 500 years; 500 years is not an acceptable time scale when talking about evolutionary biology.

Todays ecosystems in North America did not evolve under pressure from horse, thus plant communities are adapted to unmanaged horse grazing.

Horses, combined with other ecosystem problems such as invasive plant species, are creating ecological problems on a watershed scale. For example, some burn areas in the Great Basin are unable to recover due to continued horse pressure grazing off perrenial plants. This allows invasive annuals to dominate the area and fuel future fires. This leads to a dramatic change in disturbance regimes and loss of ecosystem function.

Today's horse is the product of genetic engineering by humans. Genetically engineered animals can not be defined as an "endangered species" when there is more animals than the land and people can support.

If horse populations are to be maintained on public lands, then they must be managed like the cattle, not like the wildlife.

(3) On July 8, 2010 at 10:26 am Hydron31 [0] said:

The BLM claims that the horses are over grazing areas and are with out water so they need to be rounded up, yet the BLM doesn't state anything about the millions of cattle that they let graze in the areas that were set aside for wild horse preserves, that they, the BLM have at tax payer expence fence off water sources fromm the horse, but have allowed cattle access, then claim that the horses are fouling these same water sources

(2) On April 14, 2009 at 4:30 pm RainbowUnderwear [0] said:

they should be be put on the list of endangered species!!

(1) On April 14, 2009 at 4:29 pm RainbowUnderwear [0] said:

Mustangs are beautiful, intelligent, wild creatures that deserve to have lives just as much as any animal or person. What ranchers do is understandable but at the same time unforgivable. Mustangs do not run off stock though the reality is not much better. They do survive in peace with each other but the horses eat grass that the farmers want for thier herds. The horses were there first and deserve a chance. I know the BLM does what they can but it is quite obviously not enough. No creature should have to die because some man decides that they don't fit in to thier idea of what is supposed to be!!

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