Wild Horses and Wildlife Politics:

Wild Horses and Wildlife Politics: No other species illustrates the complexity of wildlife politics better than wild horses.  There have been numerous battles over the species throughout the West and also on the East Coast. Now, a new case is occurring in northern California, where animal rights groups are fighting restrictions placed on where wild horses “can roam.” These restrictions are supported by the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, and ranchers who want the land for their grazing sheep and cattle. The restrictions on the wild horses are being challenged in court by an interest group defending wild horses, the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign.  The government agencies claim that the area can only support about 400 horses but it is estimated that some 2,500 now are in the area. This case illustrates that the divides in wildlife politics are not based on a simple left-right spectrum because coalitions can switch among government, private landholders and extractive industries, environmentalists, hunters-anglers, and animal rights supporters depending on the specific issue at hand.  Read the Jan. 11th story in the Wall Street Journal by Sara Randazzo in the Wall Street Journal at  http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-a-switch-ranchers-government-find-an-issue-to-agree-on-1484053201
​