2). As of February 2008, BLM has set AML for 197 out of 199 HMAs. Most of the field offices we surveyed considered similar factors in  determining AML, such as rangeland conditions and climate data;  however, BLM has not provided specific formal guidance to the field  offices on how to set AML. The extent to which BLM has actually met AML  depends on the accuracy of BLM’s wild horse and burro population  counts. Nineteen of the 26 field officials we surveyed used a method that  consistently undercounts animals and does not provide a statistical range  of population estimates. Therefore, without clear guidance, BLM cannot ensure  that the factors considered in future revisions of AML determinations will  be consistent across HMAs. At  the national level, BLM was closer to meeting AML in 2007 than in any  other year since 1984 (when AML levels were first reported by BLM), with  a population of 28,563, or about 1,000 animals over the upper limit of AML  (see fig. Since 2001, about 74,000 animals  have been removed from the range, while only about 46,400 have been  adopted or sold. Thirty-six  percent fewer wild horses and burros were adopted in 2007, compared to  average adoption rates in the 1990s—a trend BLM officials attribute to the  decrease in adoption demand and increasing hay and fuel costs. As of June 2008,  BLM was holding 30,088 animals in short- and long-term holding facilities,  compared with the estimated 9,807 held in 2001. To accommodate the  increase in animals removed from the range and the decline in adoptions  and sales, BLM has increased the number of short- and long-term holding  facilities. Challenges to the Long-Term Sustainability of the Program Include Growing Holding Costs and Limited Options for Dealing with Unadoptable Animals

The long-term sustainability of BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program  depends on the resolution of two significant challenges. If Not Controlled, Off-the- Range Holding Costs Will Continue to Overwhelm the Program

The portion of the Wild Horse and Burro Program’s spending that is  directed toward short- and long-term holding has increased from  46 percent of the program’s direct costs in 2000 to 67 percent in 2007. 10). The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, as  amended, requires that excess animals, for which the adoption demand is  not sufficient to absorb all the animals removed from the range, be  destroyed in the most humane and cost-efficient manner possible or,  under certain circumstances, be sold without limitation. While  BLM has made significant progress in increasing the number of HMAs that  have set AML and in moving toward meeting AML, its recent removal  efforts have resulted in the agency managing almost the same number of  animals off of the range as they manage in the wild. However, despite public concerns about the  humane treatment of these animals, BLM has not provided the public with  easily accessible information about their treatment. To improve the management of BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, we  make four recommendations that the Secretary of the Interior direct BLM  to:  finalize and issue the new Wild Horse and Burro Program Handbook  that establishes a policy for setting AML to ensure that AML is  determined based on consistent factors across HMAs into the future;    continue to adopt and employ statistically based methods to estimate  animal populations across HMAs, such as those being evaluated by  animal population researchers, to improve the accuracy of population  estimates integral to BLM’s management of wild horses and burros on  the range and in planning for capacity needed for excess animals once  they are removed from the range; track the number of animals harmed or killed during the gather process  in a centralized database system and determine what information on  the treatment of gathered animals, short-term and long-term holding  animals, and adopted animals could easily be provided to the public to  help inform them about the treatment of wild horses and burros; and   develop cost-effective alternatives to the process of caring for wild  horses removed from the range in long-term holding facilities and seek  the legislative changes that may be necessary to implement those  alternatives. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are  listed in appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

We examined (1) the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) progress in  managing wild horses and burros on the range through setting and meeting  appropriate management levels (AML); (2) BLM’s management of wild  horses and burros off of the range through adoption, sales, and holding  facilities; (3) the controls BLM has in place to help ensure humane  treatment of wild horses and burros; and (4) what challenges, if any, BLM  faces in managing for the long-term sustainability of the Wild Horse and  Burro Program. We also surveyed,  and analyzed documents from, 26 of the 44 BLM field offices that manage  wild horses and burros.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages about 33,100 wild horses and burros on 199 Herd Management Areas (HMA) in 10 western states. Under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended, BLM is to protect wild horses and burros, set appropriate management levels (AML), maintain current inventory counts, and remove excess animals to prevent overpopulation and rangeland damage. Over the years, various stakeholders have raised issues about BLM's management of the animals on and off the range. GAO examined (1) BLM's progress in setting and meeting AML; (2) BLM's management of animals off the range through adoptions, sales, and holding facilities; (3) BLM's controls to help ensure the humane treatment of animals; and (4) what challenges, if any, BLM faces in managing for the long-term sustainability of the program. GAO surveyed and analyzed documents from 26 of the 44 BLM offices that manage wild horses and burros.

What GAO Found

BLM has made significant progress toward setting and meeting AML (the optimum number of animals which results in a thriving natural ecological balance and avoids range deterioration). BLM has set AML for 197 out of 199 HMAs. Most of the field offices GAO surveyed considered similar factors in determining AML, such as rangeland conditions; however, BLM has not provided specific formal guidance to the field offices on how to set AML. Without clear guidance, BLM cannot ensure that the factors considered in future AML revisions will be consistent across HMAs. At a national level, in 2007, BLM was closer to meeting AML (about 27,200 animals) than in any other year since AMLs were first reported in 1984. The extent to which BLM has actually met AML depends on the accuracy of BLM's population counts. Nineteen of the 26 field officials GAO surveyed used a counting method which, researchers say, consistently undercounts animals and does not provide a statistical range of population estimates. Undercounting can put animals at risk and lead to increased program costs. The number of animals removed from the range is far greater than the number adopted or sold, which has resulted in the need for increased short-term and long-term holding. Since 2001, over 74,000 animals have been removed from the range, while only about 46,400 have been adopted or sold. Thirty-six percent fewer animals were adopted in 2007 than compared to the average adoption rates in the 1990s. As of June 2008, BLM was holding 30,088 animals in holding facilities, up from 9,807 in 2001. To accommodate the increased removals and declining adoptions and sales, BLM has increased the number of short-term and long-term holding facilities. BLM has implemented multiple controls to help ensure humane treatment, including random checks on adopted horses and agreements with adopters and buyers to prevent slaughter. Although BLM state offices collect data on the treatment of the animals, BLM does not always compile the information in its central database or report it to the public. Providing additional information to the public on the treatment of these animals could help inform the public about their treatment and improve transparency. The long-term sustainability of BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program depends on the resolution of two significant challenges: (1) If not controlled, off-the-range holding costs will continue to overwhelm the program. The percentage of the program's direct costs for holding animals off the range increased from $7 million in 2000 (46 percent) to $21 million in 2007 (67 percent). In 2008, these costs could account for 74 percent of the program's budget. (2) BLM has limited options for dealing with unadoptable animals. The act provides that unadopted excess animals shall be humanely destroyed or, under certain circumstances, sold without limitation. However, BLM only manages these animals through sales with limitations. BLM is concerned about the possible reaction to the destruction of healthy animals.