BREAKING: The Wyoming Checkerboard Roundup has begun. Here’s what we’re doing >>

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The largest roundup in history has officially begun. The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) helicopters have descended on five Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in the Wyoming Checkerboard, and are targeting 4,000 wild horses for capture.

The roundup is SO massive that it is scheduled to continue through February of 2022. Approximately 3,555 wild horses will be permanently removed from 3.4 million acres of land. Given the mortality rate associated with roundups, at least 50 horses are expected to die as a result of the months-long helicopter stampede.

The survivors — wild animals who roam 10-20 miles a day — will be confined in feedlot pens that provide just 700 square feet of space per horse. Many will be adopted through the BLM’s cash incentive program that’s sending “truckloads” of wild horses into the slaughter pipeline, according to the New York Times. The “lucky ones” who escape this grim fate will never experience freedom or family again.

All for what? Livestock special interests have lobbied for decades for the removal of these wild horses so that their cattle can graze on our public lands. Now, the lives of thousands of Wyoming’s wild horses hang in the balance as the BLM begins this devastating roundup that will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

We’re fighting back against the BLM’s efforts. That’s why we just launched our campaign, Keep WY Wyld. Earlier this week, we started a national petition in partnership with the Animal Welfare Institute to demand a halt to these roundups. Now, we’re announcing the next steps of our campaign >>

We’re launching advertisements, putting up billboards, and hosting a virtual rally to draw attention to the issue as we fight back against this roundup. We’re pulling out all the stops to protect Wyoming’s wild horses. Can you make a donation today to fuel our work?

This roundup is just a precursor to the pending BLM plan to eradicate horses entirely from most of the HMAs in this area. If successful, this action would result in the loss of 52% of the state’s wild horse habitat.

We refuse to allow that to happen. So we’re using every resource at our disposal to fight for the rights of Wyoming’s wild horses. The livestock industry is well-funded and we expect them to fight back.

Will you help us as we launch our Keep WY Wyld campaign to protect Wyoming’s wild horses with a donation today? Your support helps us have the resources necessary to make this important work possible.

Thanks for your support,

— AWHC Team
#KeepWYWyld