Wild Horse and Burro Research

Fertility Control - The BLM has promoted and supported the development of an effective contraceptive agent for wild horses since 1978. The most promising agent is a Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) vaccine that was developed in the 1990s, but is not commercially available. PZP is used by BLM under an investigational new animal drug exemption issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), held by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). 

Strategic Research Plan - The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-195) provided protection for all wild horses and burros roaming on public lands under the management of the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service and set forth guidance for their management as a wildland species. At the time the Act was passed, about 17,000 wild horses and 8,000 wild burros occupied public lands. Since 1971, the BLM has taken on the primary responsibility of managing wild horses and burros on public lands.

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