The Colorado General Assembly has approved an unprecedented and groundbreaking legislation called The Colorado Wild Horse Project, which introduces state-level safeguards for the rights of mustangs and burros to remain in their natural habitats instead of being subjected to traumatic and costly roundups.
This action follows a tragic incident last year, where 145 horses lost their lives due to a flu outbreak in a holding facility that was later discovered to have violated 13 policies. For them, this unfortunate event should not happen again to their treasured horses.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Monica Duran (D), the Colorado House Majority Leader, and Rep. Mike Lynch (R), the House Minority Leader, highlighting the strong bipartisan support within the General Assembly. SB23-275 was passed with an overwhelming majority, indicating the significance of wild horses and public lands to a wide range of Americans.
At the national level, the US Congress unanimously enacted the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to protect America’s wild equids. However, in 2004, several protections provided by the law were repealed when Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana) attached a rider to the extensive 3,000-page Omnibus Appropriations bill.
“We are thrilled state legislators have honored Colorado citizens’ overwhelming support for wild horses,” said Ginger Fedak. She is a Colorado resident and Senior Campaigner for In Defense of Animals. “With (its) passage, we can lead the way for other states and national legislation to rebalance the rights of mustangs and burros to live on our public lands.”
For years, proponents of wild horse welfare have actively advocated for the implementation of more humane, practical, and cost-effective alternatives to wild horse roundups and long-term holding. Colorado is set to become the pioneering state in adopting some of these solutions at a state level.
SB23-275 focuses on prioritizing the preservation of healthy wild horse herds in Colorado’s four Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in order to minimize the need for costly and damaging removals. The legislation also aims to address the subpar conditions of expensive holding facilities where wild animals are confined indefinitely.
Additionally, the new law allocates more resources and personnel to implement fertility control measures for the state’s horse herds. A working group consisting of diverse stakeholders with expertise in wild horse matters will collaborate to identify alternative areas where hundreds of captured mustangs can live in sanctuary-like environments or be appropriately adopted by horse farms, provided they can adapt to domestic life.
The initial funding for this program will amount to $1.5 million from state funds, after which private funding and support will be sought.
The bill was passed by state legislators, including those with ranching interests, with a substantial majority of 58 to 7 last week. Governor Polis, a staunch advocate for improved management of wild equids through alternatives to roundups and removals, is expected to sign the bill into law in the near future.
“We hope Colorado can lead the way to a better, more humane approach to caring for these cherished wild horses,” shared Ms. Fedak. “We stand with our allies, ready to help Colorado’s innovative new plan work and show by example how we can save our wild herds of mustangs and burros.”
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