California Senator Dianne Feinstein has called for an investigation into a federally-funded adoption program for wild horses.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management presently offers $1,000 cash payments to those who adopt mustangs captured on public lands. But advocates for the animals said some recipients are turning around and reselling the adopted horses to slaughterhouses.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, whose department oversees the bureau, Feinstein insisted "more must be done in light of the disturbing allegations that some adopters have mistreated or illegally sold wild horses and burros. She urged Haaland "to conduct a full investigation of the matter." (Burros are wild donkeys found throughout the American West.)
The agency announced last month it would put into place additional safeguards against illegal resales.
"While the vast majority of adopters already adhere to our requirements to provide a good and caring home, the [Bureau of Land Management] is now taking additional steps to secure the health and safety of adopted animals," Deputy Director for Programs Nada Wolff Carver said in a statement.
The agency has promised to more thoroughly vet potential adopters, make additional check-up visits post-adoption and "increase warnings to sale barns about the risks of illegally selling wild horses."
Critics say the safeguards don't go far enough and that the only way to cure the issue of illegal resales is to end cash payments for adoptions once and for all.
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