Opinion ID: 464997
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Remedy Under the Act is Adequate

Text: 23 The district court found that mandamus and mandatory injunction were the only remedies available to adequately protect Fallini from harm caused by straying wild horses. The district court relied on uncontroverted evidence that the BLM delayed for three and five months in responding to two prior requests to have wild horses removed from Fallini's land. We reverse the grant of these remedies because the remedy prescribed by section 4 of the Act provides adequate relief. 24 The BLM has a plainly prescribed, ministerial duty to remove wild horses and burros from private land upon notification. Roaring Springs, 471 F.Supp. at 526. The duty is nondiscretionary. It was imposed by Congress to benefit the public by keeping the animals on public lands. Id. at 525-26. Private landowners are benefited by having wild horses removed from their land without cost. Id. 25 A meaningful removal remedy under section 4 requires the BLM to remove the horses within a reasonable time. See Rosado v. Wyman, 397 U.S. 397, 415, 90 S.Ct. 1207, 1219, 25 L.Ed.2d 442 (1970) (court should construe statutes to give them some meaning); Wilshire Oil Co. of California v. Costello, 348 F.2d 241, 243 (9th Cir.1965) (statutes should not be construed as to be rendered meaningless). Although Congress did not provide a time limit within which the animals must be removed, an unreasonable delay would violate the spirit and purpose of the Act. See Burroughs v. Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3, 686 F.2d 723, 727 (9th Cir.1982) (where Congress fails to define terms specifically, court should construe statutory language in accordance with the statutory purpose). 26 A reasonable time for removal of the animals must be determined by the particular facts and circumstances of each case. Cf. United States v. McConney, 728 F.2d 1195, 1204 (9th Cir.1984) (whether person acted reasonably by community standards is question of fact). Because of the variety of facts and circumstances, it would be imprudent for this court to establish a universal standard. In some cases twenty-four hours may be unreasonable and in other cases a period of several weeks may be entirely reasonable. The reasonable time for removal must be determined by the trier of fact on the particular circumstance of each landowner's request.