Wild horses deserve protection

National monuments and taxes aren't the only issues being debated by Congress this month. America's historic wild horses and burros may be on the chopping block as well.

The Interior Department, under Secretary Ryan Zinke, wants to reduce wild populations to extinction level by killing up to 90,000 of these cherished animals. It can't happen without Congress' support.

Recent polling shows that 80 percent of Americans - including 86 percent of Trump voters and 77 percent of Clinton voters - oppose killing wild horses and want them humanely managed.

Will Congress listen to the voice of the people and continue to protect these animals? Or, will it bend to the cattlemen's lobby, which views wild horses as competition for taxpayer-subsidized grazing on public lands and is pushing for roundup and slaughter?

We'll know in a few weeks. Your voice could make a difference.

Dawn Schanz

Wauconda