BISMARCK, N.D. – The federal Bureau of Land Management says it is selling
wild horses to American Indian tribes for the first time.
The BLM has sold 141 horses to the Rosebud Sioux in South Dakota and 120
horses to the Three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota. More sales are planned in
the next several weeks, bringing the total to more than 500 horses.
The sale is under legislation recently passed by Congress that directs the
BLM to sell wild horses and burros that are older than 10 years or have been
unsuccessfully offered for adoption at least three times, director Kathleen
Clarke said.
“We look forward to completing more sales with tribes and all others
interested in providing long-term care for the wild horses,” she said.
The BLM said there are 37,000 wild horses and burros roaming the public lands
it manages in 10 Western states – about 9,000 more than the rangeland can
sustain.