For decades, the Department of the Interior has wrestled with the problem of uncontrolled breeding of mustangs on Federal land. It is estimated that there are now 100,000 wild horses with every prospect of the population increasing to above 200,000 in the next ten years unless appropriate action is taken.
In an attempt to reduce the existing population, the Department of the Interior offered a $1,000 incentive payment for individuals willing to receive and care for a mustang. There was virtually no oversight of the program and many individuals collected their $1,000, taking as many animals as they could transport. It is now apparent that many mustangs were not relocated but were consigned to an auction where dealers purchased animals to be shipped across the Rio Grande for slaughter in Mexico. Effectively acquirers of wild mustangs received $1,000 from the Federal government and earned up to $500 from the sale yard.
This is yet another example of a poorly conceived program with good intentions resulting in a waste of federal funds. Biologists have recommended applying hormonal reproductive control to suppress estrus by administering commercially available products to mares using dart guns.