Tens of thousands of wild horses and burros roam western US rangelands under a complex legal framework that balances their protection with rangeland management, creating ongoing welfare controversies around roundups and holding facilities.
Wild horse and burro management sits at the intersection of ecological, political, and welfare interests. Roundups cause acute welfare harm; long-term holding causes chronic welfare compromise. Non-lethal population management through immunocontraception and adoption programmes offers a more welfare-positive trajectory, though scaling these approaches to match population growth requires sustained investment. The ecological debate about whether wild horses are native or feral adds complexity to management frameworks.