Why does BLM offer wild horses and burros for adoption?
The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 gave the Department of the Interior’s BLM and the Department of Agriculture’s USFS the authority to manage, protect and control wild burros on the nation’s public rangelands in a way that ensures healthy herds and healthy rangelands. Federal protection, and a lack of natural predators, resulted in thriving populations of wild burros that grow in number each year. The BLM monitors rangelands and wild burro populations to determine the number of animals, including livestock and wildlife, which the land can support. Each year, the BLM gathers excess wild burros from area where vegetation and water could be negatively impacted by over use. These excess animals are offered for adoption to qualified people through the BLM’s Adopt a Horse or Burro Program. Since 1973, the BLM has used this popular program to place more than 25,000 wild burros into private care.
