According to The Financial Express, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) advisory board voted to recommend the slaughter of 45,000 wild horses and burros currently in government holding facilities.
But why would the U.S. government want to kill tens of thousands of wild horses? Well, according to Ginger Kathrens, the only board advisory member to vote no on this proposition, the reason is simple: grazing land for cattle. The BLM wants to kill the wild horses to protect the land they call home for feeding cattle raised for beef.
This mass slaughter will purportedly help prevent cows from “starving out. But as Kathrens noted, livestock outnumber horses and burros 47 to 1, and livestock are allocated 82 percent of the forage.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time government agencies have slaughtered wildlife for livestock. Just a few weeks ago, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife announced it would kill an entire wolf pack, including five pups, to protect nearby livestock.
Each year, thousands of wild animals, including bears, coyotes, bison, and even endangered species, are killed because they are seen as a threat to the livestock industry — all so people can eat meat.
If the abuses that occur inside America’s factory farms don’t move you to stop eating meat, dairy, and eggs, perhaps a desire to protect wildlife will. It’s about time we stood up for all animals by leaving all meat, dairy, and eggs off our plates and transitioning to a compassionate vegan diet.
Visit ChooseVeg.com for tips, recipes, and meal plans.
