Horses are a native reintroduced North American wildlife species - though they have been reintroduced, the lineages of current wild horses trace back to the horses that roamed North America 12,000 years ago. They have a place on our western public lands by law and ecology. The term “feral” has no scientific meaning - it describes a species’ relationship with humans, but not its biological status as native or non-native.
What to do with the massive numbers of wild horses and burros in the west is a very complicated issue and there are many differences of opinions on how wild horses and burros should be managed. But the current way that the BLM is managing these animals is not sustainable and is not working. Not only are helicopter roundups and mass corralling cruel, they are also counterproductive.
The National Academy of Sciences completed an 18-month review of the BLM's program and found that the roundups and removals are actually causing wild horses to breed at higher than normal rates due to compensatory reproduction. It also found that a scientific rationale could not be identified for how the BLM came up with the arbitrary population limits placed on wild horses and burros. Finally, they said BLM should be using the proven fertility control methods they already have to manage wild horses and burros on the range.