LUFKIN, Texas — If you’re an East Texan with pastureland and are looking for something new or a challenge, then you might want to consider heading to the Angelina County Exposition Center Saturday morning.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management brought wild horses and burros for their adoption incentive program at the center. This is in an effort to help balance the ecosystem in the western part of the country.
"These animals were roaming on Bureau of Land Management public lands in the 10 western states," said Crystal Cowan wild horses & burro specialist. "There's simply too many animals out there for the land to support."
Cowan states that there is already a lack of water and food in these animal's natural habitat.
"It's imperative for us to keep the numbers under control," Cowan said. "Currently, we have around 82,000 animals roaming out west. We have room for 26,000 so we're overpopulated as we are."
BLM offers a $1,000 incentive for the adoptions of the animals to help entice local pastureland owners to come out, adopt and take on the challenge to tame them.
Colmesneil resident Kenneth Graham said he found out about this event on social media and didn’t know about the $1,000 incentive. He said he came out to the center because horses are dear to his heart.
"I'm a teacher and I have a lot of kids that come ride at my house," Graham said. "Some of those kids need something that they just don't get from general school population. They attach to horses very easily and the horses attach to them. It does both of them good."
In order to adopt these wild animals, certain requirements must be met before being consider to take any. People who are interested must have a good corral to keep them in, a minimum of a six foot tall corral for an adult horse, five foot for yearling horses, and four and a half feet for a burrow. The animals must also always have access to a shelter, food and water.
Graham said he meets the requirements since he owns about 75 acres of pastureland the animals can graze on, and a 60 by 60 pipe corral to keep them in until they calm down.
"We just want to find good homes for the animals, so good quality adopters are what we're looking for," Cowan said. "Someone who has a good place to keep them, plans to do something with them to gentle them, train them, and of course feed them."
Adoptions will continue at the county exposition this Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. To learn more about the adoption process click this link here.