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Report: US Sold 3,700 Wild Mustangs, Some Tracked to Slaughter
Sales more than doubled to 3,700 horses in 2025, while advocates say weak tracking lets some sold mustangs reach slaughter buyers.
A New York Times investigation on Thursday exposed the Bureau of Land Management for selling wild horses through a loophole that enables export and slaughter abroad, circumventing federal protections.
Under the Sale Authority program, the government designates horses as unadoptable after three one-week listings fail to attract takers, enabling cheap sales that often end up in slaughter channels.
Livestock trader Brandon Jones purchased hundreds of mustangs for $25 each, exploiting a system where the government spends $3,000 to capture each horse, while buyers earn up to $750 per animal at slaughter plants.
Patricia Miller, executive director of American Wild Horse Conservation, criticized the reliance on sales over fertility control, arguing many horses sold through the program are young and saleable.
While Congress has barred the bureau from using public funds to kill healthy wild horses, President Donald Trump has advocated for lethal measures, including proposals in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025.