# Wild Horse Integrity and Slaughter Prevention Act

This bill makes it a serious federal crime to buy wild horses or burros from the government with the intention of sending them to slaughter or processing them into commercial products. Right now, the government rounds up wild horses and burros from public lands and offers them for adoption to the public. This bill closes a loophole where people could acquire these animals cheaply and then immediately sell them to slaughterhouses or meat processors. Anyone caught doing this would face felony charges, fines up to $2,000, and potentially over a year in prison.

The bill also shortens the waiting period before someone gets official ownership of an adopted wild horse or burro from one year to six months. This change actually works in the opposite direction—it makes it easier for legitimate adopters to gain full ownership faster, but it also means the government has less time to monitor whether people are following through on their commitment to care for the animals rather than sell them for slaughter.

To enforce these new rules, the bill gives the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture the power to investigate suspected violations. If they find evidence that someone is breaking the law, they must report it to the Attorney General or local U.S. Attorney's office for prosecution. This puts real teeth into the adoption program by making it clear that the government will pursue criminal charges against anyone trying to exploit the system to send wild horses and burros to slaughter.