Throughout history those with power attempt to control the fate of the weak. In Gilgamesh, the gods attempt to kill all humans through the Flood. This occurrence is present in Northeastern California where horses are being roundup in order to control it’s population. “Instead of your bringing of the Flood, would that a wolf have appeared to diminish the people!” (A, 94) The Gods did not have to bring on the Flood to accomplish their goal when wolves could have easily brought the same result. In Northeastern California, helicopters and traps are used to capture and eventually move them to other states. The purpose is to control the population, but nature would eventually prevent the horse population from growing.
Horse Advocates Pull for Underdog in Roundups (A1, A9, A11)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/us/06horses.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=horse%20roundup&st=cse
You draw an interesting parallel between two powerful forces (the gods and the Bureau of Land Management), both of which are willing to take the lives of subjugated creatures in order to ensure their own comfort. You write that in the Epic of Gilgamesh the gods attempt to kill all humans. Does the Bureau of Land Management want to kill all wild horses?