The U.S. Government is offering $1,000 to people willing to adopt a wild horse or burro to target an overpopulation of animals on public lands.
The Adoption Incentive Program aims to reduce recurring costs associated with caring for wild horses and burros.
It wants to help the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) confront a growing over-population of wild horses and burros on public range lands, BLM said in a statement.
Wild horses roam free on state and some private land outside Milford in Utah with damaged and overgrazed land in the foreground and green grasses in the background
Both wild horses and burros are federally protected since 1971, when the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was signed into law.
The animals are also considered a powerful symbol of the American West and have long been immortalized in movies and literature.
According to the law, the animals are protected from 'capture, branding,harassment, or death.'
The $1,000 incentive is offered to those who adopt a wild horse or burro that is eligible for a new home after March 12 can receive $500 within 60 days of the adoption, in addition to another $500 within 60 days of 'titling the animal.'
Most of the U.S.'s estimated 75,000 wild horses live on public lands which are generally large expanses that the government controls in the American West.
Preservation societies and government agencies encourage the public to visit and view North America’s wild horses as long as it is done from a respectful distance.
There are over 45,000 wild horses currently in holding areas, costing taxpayers about $50 million annually.
The U.S. Department of Interior sought to address
