Alan Simpson: “this debate should be about one of public lands and wildlife management and nothing more. And I will be the first to say…”

“this debate should be about one of public lands and wildlife management and nothing more. And I will be the first to say that I do not like to see these wild horses taken off the range, but at the same time they have to be properly managed. Over the years, we in Congress and those in State governments have created a variety of methods to help control animal populations, whether it is placing a species under the protection of the Endangered Species Act when the numbers are dwindling or allowing increasing hunting for various species when the numbers of the species are too great. Wild horses should be no different. We must remember that wild horses have virtually no natural predators and the herd sizes can double every 5 years. If these herds are not managed, wild horse numbers will increase at alarming rates. Left unmanaged wild horses not only degrade our public lands but they also create conditions where many times these horses would be unable to survive on their own. In order to be good stewards of our public lands, these animals must be managed, and the only way to manage these herds is to take some of these animals off the range. The primary method for controlling horse populations has of course been adoption. But, unfortunately, adoptions have not kept up with our expanding wild horse and burro herds. Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to oppose this amendment and support our public lands.”