The downside of trying to protect a species is how the protection sometimes backfires. Horse lovers have succeeded in getting the slaughter of horses banned in the U.S.A. That means the unwanted, elderly and infirm are now shipped long distances to meet their deaths in Mexico or Canada, or even shipped overseas.
The wild horse problem here goes even further they live on crucial winter range for the wildlife year around, come winter there is no forage for the elk , deer and pronghorns so many die off. the liberals have any real management efforts totally blocked at the federal level so they overpopulated. Of the few that do get caught we send some to the honor farm, prison, to be broke and trained then are sold to horse buyers.