为西方过多的野马提供更多的牧场

Wanted: More Pastures for West’s Overpopulated Wild Horses

Wild horses running across open land – is a classic image of the old American west. But, many people might be surprised to learn that wild horses still populate the area. In fact, they do so in numbers that harm the environment.

The U.S. government is trying to find more private pastures for an overpopulation of wild horses. This search takes place through May 3.

The government program pays land owners to keep the horses on their pastures. However, the program has many requirements.

Debbie Collins is with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program in Norman, Oklahoma. She said, “It’s not like you can do this in your backyard, or even a 2 hectare plot.”

Applicants² need enough land to sustain anywhere from 200 to 5,000 healthy horses. The government decides the amount of land with consideration to pasture quality. The amount of land needed could be anywhere from several hundred hectares to thousands.

The pastured horses are left on their own with little human intervention³. Still, they require a continuous water supply and basic shelter from the elements, like trees or canyons⁵. Corrals for loading and unloading the animals from trailers are also necessary.

The private-pasture system is taking place in 14 western and midwestern states, from eastern Washington to northern Texas.

The horses are not pets. They have had little connection with people. Many are over 5 years old and would be difficult to train so the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, will not sell them.

Still, there is lots of interest in the program. Collins said people call all the time seeking details.

“My only advice would be to go into it with your eyes wide open,” said Dwayne Oldham, a former veterinarian in Wyoming. He started with the program in 2015. His family owns a large cattle cattle ranch⁶ outside Lander, Wyoming. Oldham’s Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary⁷ has more than 130 horses.

Oldham said working with the government can be demanding. But, he says, it is not difficult to provide for the wild horses.

Unlike most private wild-horse pastures, Wind River is open to the public.

About 80 kilometers to the south, cattle ranchers, wild horse supporters and the BLM have spent years involved in legal actions over the horses. The wild horse population in the area competes with cattle for food and water in the high desert, the ranchers claim.

But government lawyers say the BLM is following the 1971 Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. It protects wild horses and burros on BLM land in 10 western states.

“We want to be part of the solution and not just the adversary⁸,” Oldham said.

Other groups support different measures for controlling the population. The American Wild Horse Campaign says treating female horses with drugs to stop reproduction is best. Campaign official Grace Kuhn says the resettlement program leads to increased reproduction and overpopulation.

But, the group does not oppose the program as an alternative to keeping wild horses in corrals for long periods.

The BLM says the area environment can safely support about 27,000 wild horses. But, the agency says there are now more than 80,000 horses out there.

About 36,500 wild horses are now living on private pastures under the government program. That is about as many as possible.

BLM’s Debbie Collins said, “It’s just a happier, healthier environment for a horse to be able to be out in a pasture.”

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

classic - adj. used to describe something that has been popular for a long time

pasture - n. a large area of land where animals feed on the grass

applicant¹ - n. someone who formally asks for something

canyon⁴ - n. a deep valley with steep rock sides and often a stream or river flowing through it

corral - n. an area that is surrounded by a fence and that is used for holding animals

ranch - n. a large farm especially in the U.S. where animals are raised

adversary - n. an enemy or opponent

alternative - adj. offering or expressing a choice

1 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

2 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

5 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

6 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

7 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

8 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。