BLM ends plan to sterilize SE Oregon wild horses

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Court records show the U.S. Bureau of Land Management intends to scratch plans to spay wild horses in an effort to address overpopulation on Eastern Oregon public lands.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the development comes after U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman on Friday issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the experiment to sterilize mares from the Warm Springs Management Area until a final ruling is made in a lawsuit filed by animal rights groups.

The experiments were scheduled to start Monday at a horse corral facility in Hines, about two miles southwest of Burns.

In court documents filed Wednesday, BLM attorneys say the agency plans to not move forward with its spay study but will retain the ability to return horses to the Warm Springs Herd Management Area and remove “excess” horses from the range.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com