Is It Legal to Sell a BLM Wild Horse for Slaughter?
The Los Angeles Times carried a story by Randy Herschaft in its March 23, 1997 edition that raises the question whether it is lawful for a person who has acquired title to a BLM wild horse by adoption to sell that horse for slaughter. The U.S. Department of the Interior takes the position that it is not illegal for the title owner of a BLM horse to sell it for slaughter. Title is obtained after a one year probationary period, during which time the horse cannot be sold or given to another. In 1978, Congress amended the 1971 “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act” to make adoptions of such animals easier. One provision in the 1978 amendment said that “no wild free-roaming horse or burro or its remains may be sold or transferred for consideration for processing into commercial products.” Another provision making it a crime for an adopter to sell such a horse for slaughter was eliminated when the amendment was considered by Congress. Since 1978, lawyers at the Department of the Interior ha
