Wild horse and burro populations in the American West are managed through controversial roundups and holding programmes, raising significant welfare concerns.
Helicopter roundups cause acute panic in horses and burros, leading to falls, injuries, heart failure, and separation of foals from mares. Animals captured after years of freedom face profound distress in confinement. Long-term holding in corrals deprives animals of natural grazing, social behaviour, and movement. Humane alternatives including PZP fertility control have been shown to be effective at stabilising populations without roundup trauma.