Veterans for Mustangs Act
The Veterans for Mustangs Act would amend the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to shift federal management of wild horse and burro populations toward fertility-control methods rather than reliance on removal of excess animals as a first resort. Specifically, it requires the Secretary of the Interior (through the Bureau of Land Management) to implement humane, reversible, non-surgical immunocontraceptive vaccines (such as PZP) to manage on-range populations. A notable feature is the prioritization of military veterans: the bill directs the agency to recruit, train, certify, and compensate veterans to apply fertility controls, including the PZP applicator certification through the Science and Conservation Center’s program. The Secretary would be authorized to contract with veterans who complete the training to carry out management activities, with such contractors not treated as federal employees. The legislation also rewrites the on-range management language to require immediate action to reach appropriate population levels, following a defined priority sequence.
Key Points
- 1The bill requires humane, reversible, non-surgical immunocontraceptive fertility controls to manage wild horse and burro populations on public lands, prioritizing on-range vaccination (PZP) under BLM oversight.
- 2Training and certification of military veterans to apply fertility controls is prioritized, including the specific PZP applicator certification offered by the Science and Conservation Center.
- 3Veterans who complete the training program may be contracted to carry out management activities under this Act, with compensation provided, and such contractors would not be considered federal employees.
- 4The statutory language is revised to emphasize immediate action to reduce the animal population to appropriate management levels, with a defined order and priority for actions until populations are reduced or excess animals removed.
- 5The “short title” of the bill is the Veterans for Mustangs Act.