A recent investigative report by the New York Times on federally protected mustang horses that have gone wild has raised alarm.
Dave Phillips, reporting for the New York Times, revealed that the Trump administration is selling protected wild horses for cheap to unverified buyers, and they are then ending up in slaughterhouses.
The report, done with assistance from the American Wild Horse Conservation , tracked protected wild horses after they left government custody. There are concerns that many of the horses were sold to slaughterhouses, including some abroad. The Bureau of Land Management did not specifically respond to the cases mentioned in the New York Times report. In a statement to the outlet, the agency highlighted its commitment to “placing animals into good homes.
It found that a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) legal loophole allowed the sale of 3,700 wild horses in 2025: more than double since Donald Trump took over at White House. The New York Times report notes around 9,500 wild mustangs are captured by the federal government every year, spending up to $3000 for each. But the government is taking them to the market and selling them to unvetted buyers for as cheap as $25, thanks to the legal loophole.
It said that “protecting their welfare and upholding its statutory responsibilities on behalf of the American public” is of utmost importance.
