BLM announces $30 million USDA push for wild horse fertility control

Interior’s Bureau of Land Management used a national roundtable to announce expanded wild horse and burro fertility-control funding. The press release is a program and funding notice for Western rangelands.

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WASHINGTON – The American people have asked for more fertility control in wild horse and burro management, and the Department of the Interior is prepared to deliver. Today, at the National Wild Horse and Burro Roundtable, the Bureau of Land Management announced a $30 million investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand and accelerate fertility control efforts nationwide.

“The passion shown by the American people for safeguarding the Spirit of the West continues to guide and energize this work,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum . “Their steadfast support has driven major action to ensure wild horses and burros remain a cherished part of our national heritage. This progress is also made possible through the strong commitment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose partnership reinforces the shared responsibility of caring for these iconic landscapes and the animals that define them.”

Most herds grow by 15 to 20% every year, far faster than drought‑strained western rangelands can provide for sufficient forage and water. When herds grow beyond what the land can sustain, horses face real and immediate risks, including struggling to maintain weight and strength, starvation, dehydration, and long‑distance travel in search of food and water that can leave animals weak or injured. Removing wild horses and burros from the range is the safest way to get overpopulated wild horse and burro populations to a size that the range can support. Once herds are at sustainable levels, expanding fertility control will help stabilize herd growth, reduce the need for future gathers, and protect wild horses and burros from these conditions. The USDA investment will allow the BLM to increase field capacity, train and deploy more fertility control applicators, and expand vaccine delivery across remote herd areas.

Some advocates claim the BLM has “ignored cheap fertility control options for 20 years,” but that is not true. The BLM used 921 fertility control treatments in fiscal year 2025 and is actively expanding the tool. Fertility treatments alone cannot shrink an already overpopulated herd, and slowing growth requires treating about 75% of mares every single year, something not feasible across most of the vast, rugged western landscapes. Fertility control is most effective once gathers reduce herds to sustainable sizes. Gathers are still generally required to successfully treat horses with fertility control.

Original release: https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-delivers-call-more-wild-horse-fertility-control-30-million-usda-investment-and

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