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Wild Horse and Burro 2021

Wild Horse and Burro articles for 2021

ACTION NEEDED: Tell your U.S. Rep to vote YES on the Carter-Fitzpatrick Amendment to the INVEST Act!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

In the last week, there has been some important wild horse news that we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss! 

Urgent: Contact Your Rep to Stop Horse Slaughter

Right now, in the House of Representatives, we have an opportunity to stop horse slaughter through the INVEST Act. This Act is a large government infrastructure bill that may also give us an opportunity to stop the transport of horses and burros across the border to slaughter. It goes up for a vote next week! 

We need you to contact your Representative right now and tell them to vote YES on the Carter-Fitzpatrick Amendment!

TAKE ACTION

 

We’re Challenging the BLM’s Wild Burro Eradication Plan

Last week, AWHC attorneys filed a legal challenge to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) burro eradication plan, which calls for the roundup and removal of all of the burros in three California Herd Areas (HAs).

In it, we charge that the agency violated federal law by not considering the newly-published science that documented the key benefits of these very burros to their ecosystems, which includes well digging in the arid desert. The new science even went so far as to call wild burros “ecosystem engineers!”

LEARN MORE

 

Sierra Club Adopts Friendly Wild Horse Policy

The Sierra Club, the nation’s leading environmental organization, recently updated its wild horse and burro policy. This policy had not been changed in 40 years and it called for the elimination of wild horses and burros from key habitats.

Now, the new policy calls for scientific and humane in-the-wild management, including removal of livestock before horses, predator protection, and the use of fertility control! We are so excited to work with the organization to protect wild horses and burros on public lands in the future.

LEARN MORE

 

Lawmakers, Advocates Push to End BLM Wild Horse Adoption Incentives

Recently, AWHC’s Executive Director, Suzanne Roy, and wild horse champion, U.S. Representative Dina Titus were interviewed on a Las Vegas NPR affiliate, KNPR, about the BLM’s failed Adoption Incentive Program (AIP).

In this 25 minute segment, they cover what the AIP is, it’s disatorious effects, how lawmakers are calling for its end, and what a better solution is for our wild horses and burros! The riveting interview is not one you want to miss!

LISTEN NOW

Thank you for your support,

—The AWHC Team

Mark your 📅 for June 24! It’s our All About Burros Webinar!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Please join us on Thursday, 6/24 at 2pm EST/11am PST for another webinar in our Keeping Wild Horses Wild 101 Series — all about burros! Click here for more information and to RSVP for the event!

We’ll be the first to admit that it can be difficult to stay up to speed with the complex issues affecting our nation’s wild horses and burros! With so many federal agencies, acronyms, and applicable laws, it’s easy to get confused.

That’s why we created our Keeping Wild Horses Wild 101 Series. In this series we’ll break the issues down for you with presentations covering topics from the history of our beloved equines to the present-day fight for their protection and preservation!

In this specific webinar, we’ll be focusing on the lesser-known of our federally-protected animals: wild burros! Wild burros have the same rich history and are as culturally significant as wild horses, but unfortunately, Meredith, they receive far less attention.

In this session we’ll cover: 

  • Burro Awareness Month
  • Interesting Burro Facts
  • The History
  • The Act
  • Roundups
  • What Science Says
  • Calls to Action

So please RSVP now to join members of the AWHC team for this important webinar on June 24th to learn all about wild burros and how you can help protect these cherished animals!

RSVP NOW >>

Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign

Urgent! We need Coloradans to speak up for mustangs TODAY

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We have an important ask: Can you please take one moment to reach out to your Senators in Colorado and urge them to protect wild horses?

Currently, a letter is being circulated in the Senate that would allocate significant funding from the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro budget to humane management using safe and effective PZP fertility control. Unfortunately, your Senators have not yet joined and we need them to hear from their constituents.

Please, take one moment to contact your Senators today:

Sen. Michael F. Bennet

  • Denver Office: 303-455-7600
  • DC Office: (202) 224-5852

Sen. John W. Hickenlooper

  • Denver Office: 303-244-1628
  • DC Office: (202) 224-5941

All you have to say is, “I’m a constituent, and I’m calling to ask that you please sign onto a letter being led by Senator Cory Booker that promotes humane, cost-effective management of wild horses and burros in the wild where they belong. It calls for allocating $11 million of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program budget to fertility control. Today is the deadline to join the letter. You can contact Sen Booker’s office to join on. Thank you.”

Then, follow up with a message using the button below.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS >>

Thank you so much for taking quick action to help wild horses!

Thank you,

Holly Gann Bice
Director of Government Relations
American Wild Horse Campaign

Tell Congress to Support Humane Management of Mustangs and Burros!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Wild horses & burros need your help. Read on to see how you can take action to protect these cherished animals!

Act Now: Tell Congress to Support Humane Management of Mustangs and Burros

As we speak, a sign-on letter is circulating in the U.S. Senate requesting that at least $11 million of Fiscal Year 2022 funding for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program be earmarked for humane fertility control as a step away from brutal helicopter roundups and the removal of wild horses and burros from public lands. Over 40 members of the House have signed onto a similar request. Now we need your help to get your Senators to sign on!

TAKE ACTION

In-Depth: Forest Service Plans Mass Removal for California Wild Horses

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to continue its assault on the Devil’s Garden wild horses in California. During a Motorized Vehicle Public Meeting last week, officials from the Modoc National Forest announced their intent to remove between 800-1,000 wild horses from their 285,000-acre federally-designated habitat beginning in September. 

The Forest Service will “dispose” of most of these horses by selling them — up to a truckload at a time — for $1 a piece! The plan is the result of a secret settlement between the Forest Service and ranchers who graze their privately-owned cattle on the public lands where the Devil’s Garden wild horses roam. Take a moment to read our in-depth blog on this unfolding situation and be on the lookout for a way to take action!

LEARN MORE

OpEd: America’s Wild and Wondrous Wild Burros

It’s well past the time to hit the reset button on the management not only of wild horses, but wild burros as well. Last week, AWHC’s program specialist, Mary Koncel teamed up with an adviser to the Cloud Foundation to write an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner to raise awareness about these amazing animals of the desert southwest and inspire citizens to take action to protect them. Read more below.

LEARN MORE

Tell the BLM Advisory Board: Protect Wild Horses and Burros

The BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet from June 30 – July 1. This citizen Advisory Board is supposed to represent broad stakeholder interests but its membership, which is appointed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture, is heavily weighted in favor of livestock interests. 

For far too long the BLM’s solution to managing wild horse and burro populations has been costly and brutal helicopter roundups that lead to slaughter for far too many of these iconic animals. Please take one moment to sign onto our letter demanding meaningful change and protection for wild horses and burros.

TAKE ACTION

Thank you for your support,

—The AWHC Team

HELICOPTER ROUNDUPS: Less than a month away (!!)

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

As I write this, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rounding up wild burros in California. Next month, the official roundup season begins in full force. In the middle of July, Utah’s Onaqui herd will be targeted.

For these wild horses and burros, the dust never settles.

As you know, a huge part of our work involves observing and documenting as many roundups as we can. We do this to hold the agencies and government contractors accountable for their often inhumane actions. And, we report to the public what happens at each roundup on public land, so you’re informed.

Help fuel our programs. Please donate $30 today, and help us work to make roundups a thing of the past!

DONATE

But, we’re doing far more than just documenting. We’re fully engaged on the ground and working to ensure that cruel roundups are minimized — and ideally eliminated — in the future.

  • We’re working in Congress to ensure that protective language is being submitted that would give funds to in-the-wild management to begin the shift away from removals.
  • In Onaqui, we have submitted a scientific plan for the humane management of the beloved horses that would leave them wild.
  • We are working with a prestigious University on a rulemaking petition to make violations of the BLM’s animal welfare standards enforceable by law.
  • We are proving humane management can work to keep wild horses wild through the world’s largest fertility control program for mustangs in Nevada.

We need all hands on deck, Erica, because the Biden Administration just released the next fiscal year’s budget, and it includes a $36.8 million increase for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. The new proposal also continues the Trump Administration’s accelerated roundup plan that could remove nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes over just the next five years!

We’re pulling out all the stops. We’re using our legal, legislative, scientific and grassroots resources to do everything we can to halt this inhumane and antiquated population control tactic. Can you make a $30 donation today to help us have the resources necessary to continue our efforts?

DONATE

Thank you for your support,
Suzanne Roy

Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign

ICYMI: Over 30 members of Congress have called on the BLM to suspend its’ AIP!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We wanted to make sure you heard about this exciting update:

Over the last week, 30+ members of Congress have called on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to suspend an adoption program that’s sending wild horses and burros to slaughter. 

SIGN ON NOW TO DEMAND THE BLM HALT THE AIP >>

The recent groundbreaking New York Times report — prompted by an AWHC investigation of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) — has led to national awareness about the plight of wild horses and burros, and has received significant attention from legislators on Capitol Hill.

Late last week, in a letter directed to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) called on the Interior Department to immediately suspend the BLM’s AIP and conduct a thorough investigation into the program that’s become a pipeline to slaughter for untold numbers of federally-protected wild horses and burros.

On Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Dina Titus, Steve Cohen, Jan Schakowsky, and Mike Quigley along with 25 of their House colleagues sent a similar letter to Secretary Haaland, asking that the AIP be suspended and calling for the passage of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to protect all American horses from slaughter.

Thanks to your support and the buzz surrounding the New York Times article, significant action is being taken to protect America’s wild horses and burros! But Erica, we can’t stop now. Can you sign our petition and join Congress in demanding that the BLM halt the Adoption Incentive Program that’s sending wild horses and burros to slaughter?

SIGN THE PETITION

 
In coordination with our rescue partners, Evanescent Mustang Rescue, Skydog Sanctuary, and Black Hills Sanctuary, AWHC spent significant time searching for and accumulating tangible evidence to document the connection between the BLM’s AIP and the uptick in cherished wild horses and burros in slaughter auctions across the country — all leading to the New York Times exposé. 
We’re working with Senator Feinstein, Reps. Titus and Cohen, and many other members of Congress to put a halt to the AIP, pass federal legislation to help keep wild horses in the wild, and we’re fighting back against a dangerous bill that would strip away federal protections for wild horses and burros by allowing the BLM to trade away their habitats to states.

Erica, we’re doing everything we can to preserve and protect wild horse and burro herds across the U.S. Can you join us in our efforts by signing our petition and demanding that the BLM put an end to its disastrous Adoption Incentive Program?

SIGN THE PETITION

 
Thank you,
AWHC Team

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Attention young horse lovers: Spirit Untamed premieres in theatres TOMORROW — and all of us here at AWHC are SO excited for this film’s debut!

In case you have yet to hear about the movie, it features a young girl named Lucky who moves to a new town where she befriends a wild mustang. Now, Lucky and her new friends must save a wild herd of mustangs from wranglers.

Not only is it great to see a movie that aligns so closely with our mission of protecting wild horses making it’s national debut — it’s also an amazing opportunity to inspire a younger generation of wild horse lovers!

If you want to check out the trailer ahead of tomorrow’s premiere, click here! And if you can, consider making a donation to support AWHC’s work in the field, in court, and on the Hill to protect America’s wild horses and burros.

It’s so important that the wild horse and burro issue is brought to the forefront. Just last week, the Biden Administration released its proposed budget for next fiscal year, and it included an increase of $36.8 million for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program — which could remove nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes on public lands.

You can bet we’re doing everything we can to fight back against this proposal, but one of the best ways to protect wild horses and burros in the years to come is to spread awareness around the issue!

If you’re eager to see Spirit Untamed or you want to help us further our efforts to protect wild horses and burros, click here to watch the trailer and then donate $25 to AWHC today!

DONATE & WATCH >>

Thank you,

American Wild Horse Campaign

Your $30 gift today will help us save a wild mare

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Did you know the price of a single mare’s annual PZP vaccine is just $30?

We’re asking: today — on May 30th, will you make a $30 gift to fund our PZP program and help us manage wild horse populations using tried and true fertility control measures?

DONATE $30 NOW

In Nevada’s Virginia Range, AWHC operates the world’s largest humane management program for wild horses. We recently celebrated our two-year anniversary of the establishment of this historic initiative to prove to the world that THERE IS a humane way to manage wild horse populations that doesn’t require mass roundups, crowded holding corrals, dangerous sterilization surgeries, or slaughter.

We’re fighting back against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) massive herd removals in court and on Capitol Hill — and the success of our PZP program in Nevada has been critical in our fight to protect wild horses.

In roughly a month, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduled to resume helicopter roundups. And over the next 5 years, the BLM is planning to round up an estimated 90,000 wild horses and burros!

Will you make a donation today to help us continue our PZP program and help further research to prove that large horse populations can be managed humanely on public lands?

DONATE $30 NOW

What’s worse,  is that the BLM is accelerating roundups over the next five years, which is projected to cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion dollars. Now we don’t have to tell you that a $30 fertility control treatment is a MUCH MORE cost-effective option compared to these costly roundups!

Tens of thousands of wild horses and burros will lose their families and freedom because of these roundups, and because the BLM doesn’t have the capacity to store all of the horses they capture, it’s already leading to slaughter for too many of these cherished animals.

PZP is a much more sustainable and humane option to keep wild horses in the wild where they belong. On today, the 30th — will you help us to continue the successes of our PZP program with a $30 donation?

$30.00 >> HELPS 1 HORSE

$60.00 >> HELPS 2 HORSES

$150.00 >> HELPS 5 HORSES

$300.00 >> HELPS 10 HORSES

DONATE OTHER >>

Thank you for your support,
AWHC Team

🚨 BREAKING 🚨 : Biden just released the proposed budget for the Interior Dept.

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The Biden Administration just released its proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior. It contains an astounding increase of $36.8 million for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program, and continues the Trump Administration’s accelerated, mass roundup plan and scapegoating of wild equids.

Remember what that plan includes: the removal of nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes on our public lands, the tripling of the number of wild horses and burros in holding facilities, and a cost to taxpayers of nearly $1 billion in the first five years! And, as the New York Times recently reported, this is already leading to the slaughter of these protected national icons.

It’s shocking that Interior Secretary Haaland has put her seal of approval on this plan. As a member of Congress, she opposed additional funding for wild horse and burro roundups, advocating instead for humane birth control. Clearly, at the helm of the Interior Department, she’s now prioritizing livestock industry interests over the protection of wild horses and burros.

But remember, this is only a budget request. It does not mean that Congress will fund it. 

So, it’s time to fight back … And it’s already happening!

  • Increasing numbers of environmental organizations are speaking up against the scapegoating of wild horses for damage caused by massive livestock grazing. In fact, the Sierra Club recently adopted a policy calling for the elimination of livestock grazing in wild horse and burro habitats!
  • Support for humane, in-the-wild horse and burro management is growing on Capitol Hill. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) were recently joined by over 40 of their House colleagues in requesting Congress to fund humane fertility control and other on-range methods as a priority over removing wild horses and burros from their homes.
  • AWHC is working with key members of Congress to support a humane, environmentally-focused and scientific approach to wild horse management that would drastically reduce the removal of wild horses and burros from their habitats.
  • We really need you to take action too. Here’s what you can do:
    1. Protest this budget request on the Interior Department’s Facebook page by downloading the below graphic and uploading it to this post.

    2. Tweet at President Biden and Secretary Haaland using this automated Tweet.
    3. Email Secretary Haaland at exsec@ios.doi.gov. Suggested message:
      “I strongly oppose your cruel plan to remove tens of thousands of wild horses and burros from our public lands. I’m especially disappointed that you blame wild horses and burros for environmental damage and climate change while you continue to ignore livestock grazing, which is the real contributor to these issues. Humane on-range management alternatives — including birth control and removing livestock — are available, scientifically-recommended, and cost-effective. I’m very disappointed that you are prioritizing livestock interests over the interests of the 80 percent of Americans who want wild horses and burros protected, not rounded up, penned, and slaughtered.” 
    4. Ask Congress to fund humane wild horse management.

    Thank you,

    Suzanne Roy
    Executive Director
    American Wild Horse Campaign

Katherine Heigl joins the fight to save the Onaqui wild horses!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The Onaqui wild horses of the West Desert in Utah just gained a powerful voice in the battle to save the iconic herd from a brutal helicopter roundup planned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) this summer. What’s at stake: the fate of 300 of the 500 Onaqui wild horses targeted for removal by the BLM. 

Actress Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), is using her platform to join AWHC in speaking out for this beloved herd, known for its striking colors, unique social dynamics, and acclimation to photographers and other visitors from all over the world. 

We’re grateful to Katherine for tweeting out a link to our website, saveonaqui.com, spreading the word about the plight of these cherished mustangs and ways to join the fight to save them!

A growing chorus of celebrities and activists is speaking out against the BLM’s inhumane mass roundup and removal of thousands of wild horses and burros every year from the public lands they call home. As was revealed by our investigation and confirmed by a New York Times exposé — far too many captured wild horses and burros are adopted then dumped at slaughter auctions across the country.

Katherine makes a great point: 
Why are we spending so much time and money to round up the Onaqui wild horses, separating their family groups, terrorizing or even killing them, when there is already a humane fertility control program in place to control the population? 

The Onaqui roundup is scheduled to start on July 12th. Please take action now to help us stop it: Visit saveonaqui.com to learn how you can protect the Onaqui wild horses today!

Here are a few ways you can help right now:

Thank you for joining us in speaking up for the Onaqui wild horses,

American Wild Horse Campaign

The BLM wants to remove 100% of these wild burros — can you help!?

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We have urgent news.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released its final decision to round up and remove ALL of the wild burros in the Centennial, Panamint, and Slate Herd Areas (HAs) in California.

These Herd Areas are made up of roughly 1.73 million acres of public and private land and are currently home to roughly 1,000 wild burros! 

The BLM changed the Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the burros in the three HAs to 0, even though these animals call this area home. NOW, the BLM is planning to conduct brutal helicopter roundups to remove every wild burro from this area over the next 10 years.

The BLM just announced that the first roundup is scheduled to take place next week, on May 28, and 300 burros are at risk of immediate removal, so we need your help now.

AWHC is working to appeal the decision, but we need your help to save these burros. Will you take the following actions to help us protect these three burro herds and save the place they call home?

  1. Send a letter to the BLM and tell them that this final decision to remove ALL of the burros from the Centennial, Panamint, and Slate HAs must be revised. You can use the letter we provided to tell them that you oppose this decision.
  2. Contact your members of Congress and tell them that you strongly oppose the BLM’s decision to remove these burros from the land they call home!

We sent a letter to the BLM months ago asking them to reinstate these HAs, and they ignored us. Not only will these roundups be traumatic for the burros being removed — this is another unnecessary removal action by the BLM at the expense of American taxpayers.

Recent research has shown that these burro species have made a positive impact on the lands where they live. Without burros as part of the ecosystem, the BLM could potentially impact the environment beyond repair. 

We need your help, Erica. Will you take action and tell the BLM and your members of Congress that the burros in these three HAs MUST be protected?

TAKE ACTION

Thank you,
AWHC Team

Fuel our fight for wild horses on the Hill

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

This past week has been a whirlwind.

The New York Times article published last weekend has resulted in A LOT of buzz for wild horses. Thanks to our partners who helped us uncover the unethical operations that were happening through the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), we now have a means to fight against the AIP on Capitol Hill.

As we speak, we are working with members of Congress to put a halt to the AIP program, pass federal legislation to help keep wild horses wild, and we’re fighting back against a dangerous bill that would strip away federal protections for wild horses and burros.

Our Government Relations team is relentless in their legislative fight to protect wild horses and burros, but they have been working especially hard since the New York Times article came out. They’ve been working around the clock — holding meetings with legislators, mobilizing supporters to contact their elected officials, and working to help develop policies that will protect wild horses and burros.

Can you make a donation today to help us have the resources to keep our staff on the Hill and continue our legislative efforts to protect wild horses and burros?

DONATE TODAY!

Our Government Relations team has been integral in the legislative victories we’ve had to date. Just this year, AWHC helped put an end to SJR3, a Nevada bill that called on Congress to fund the removal of 40,000 of Nevada’s wild horses, and mobilized supporters like you to contact your legislators and push for Congress to support the confirmation of Secretary of the Interior Deb Halaand, who supported wild horse protection when she was in Congress.

We’re able to do this important advocacy work because of supporters like you. Erica, will you make a donation today to help us continue our work in the fields, in court, and on the Hill?

DONATE TODAY!

Thank you for your support,

American Wild Horse Campaign

The thanks goes to you

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We wanted to say thank you — after this weekend’s New York Times article was published, we have received an outpouring of support for our work. 

If you haven’t yet had a chance to read the article from the New York Times uncovering the wild horse-slaughter pipeline that has emerged as a result of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) — you can check it out at the link here. 

In coordination with our partners, we spent significant time searching for and accumulating tangible evidence to document the connection between this program and the slaughter of hundreds of cherished wild horses and burros — leading to the New York Times exposé. Your support made this work possible and it will carry us through our efforts to use legal, legislative, and grassroots channels to shut this program down. Can you make a donation today to help us shut down the AIP?

A key part of our research was using our Rescue Fund to help our partners rescue wild horses and burros from kill pens. Not just saving these innocent animal’s lives, but also giving us access to information — including titles and brand numbers — that helped us connect the dots.

Will you make a donation to help us continue to monitor, expose, and shut down the AIP and help its innocent victims?

DONATE TODAY!

Now that this story is out, your support is critical. Thousands of America’s wild horses and burros are at risk because of this program and the BLM’s mass roundup plan that is resulting in their slaughter. They need our help.

Please make a donation today to help us put an end to the BLM’s AIP and continue our fight to protect wild horses and burros.

DONATE TODAY!

Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign

 

your support helps us save wild burros just like these ones

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We wanted to tell you about one of our recent wins for wild burros that was only possible because of the support of donors like you.

Make a donation to our Rescue Fund today to help us save more wild horses & burros!

On the eve of Burro Awareness Month, our rescue partner Evanescent Mustang Rescue and Sanctuary alerted us about 12 burros that were dumped in an Oklahoma kill pen. The burros were rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and were ready to ship to slaughter any day. 

These burros are likely victims of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program, which pays a $1,000 incentive for individuals to adopt wild and unhandled horses and burros. The program is resulting in many of these beautiful wild animals being “flipped” to kill pens.

We knew we had to help Evanescent rescue these innocent animals and get them to safety ASAP. 

AWHC’s Rescue Fund paid the bail for all 12 burros, and Evanescent rescued them and is providing a safe landing place where they can rest and heal until they are ready for adoption!

This victory wouldn’t be possible without the support of donors like you. The resources you help to provide the AWHC & our Rescue Fund are integral in helping our rescue partners save wild horses and burros.

Will you help us again today and make a donation so that we can continue to fuel our Rescue Fund and save more wild horses and burros in need?

DONATE

Thank you,

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign

It’s Time to Speak up for Wild Burros

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Wild horses & burros need your help!

Guest Blog: It’s Time to Speak up for Wild Burros

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the US Forest Service, and the National Park Service have long treated these long-eared equids with disregard and deliberate misinformation campaigns. Cattle grazing, road-building, big game hunting, gold and lithium mining and other commercial uses erode their habitat and damage their access to water.

With Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior, there’s a chance to change this harmful pattern. But it may not save their skins unless awareness leads to concerted action — and pronto.

In the spirit of Burro Awareness Month, we would like to share with you a guest blog about these incredible animals written by advocate and burro-extraordinaire, Charlotte Roe. After you read it, follow the link at the bottom to support America’s burros.

READ THE BLOG

Speak Up for the Sand Wash Basin Herd

You may be familiar with the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area (HMA) in Colorado because of the world famous stallion, Picasso who called this 157,000-acre public lands habitat home, and who died wild and free on this very land. Unfortunately, the surviving members of his herd may not be so lucky. 

The BLM is currently planning to roundup and remove over 80% of the Sand Wash wild mustangs, leaving only a population 163 — about 1 horse per every 980 acres!

Adding insult to injury, the local organization, Sand Wash Advocate Team (SWAT) has worked tirelessly to implement a PZP program to humanely manage the Sand Wash mustangs — and it’s working. Instead of a costly and cruel helicopter roundup, the BLM should invest more time and resources to support SWAT’s efforts and expand the PZP program in the HMA. This would be more humane for the horses and more cost-effective for the American taxpayers.

We must speak up for wild horses! Please take a moment and act today for the wild horses of the Sand Wash Basin >>>

TAKE ACTION

The Calico Complex is on the Chopping Block — Speak Out!

Photo: Mike Lorden

It’s unfortunately more bad news for the wild horses and burros that reside within the Calico Complex in Nevada. The BLM is targeting the estimated 1,700 wild horses and 70 wild burros for removal in this nearly 600,000-acre area. 

The agency is also considering extreme manipulation of the wild horse and burro population remaining on the range by implementing unproven IUDs over scientifically proven PZP fertility control, unnaturally skewing the sex ratio in favor of males, and managing a fourth of the population as non-reproducing, including by castrating stallions.

This is not right. Please take a moment to speak up for this historic population of wild horses and burros >>>

TAKE ACTION

Thank you for your support,

—The AWHC Team

Make Burro Awareness Month a national holiday!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

In 2013 we started “Burro Awareness Month” to promote awareness and appreciation for the amazing and unique burros of America’s Southwest. Now, it’s time that we make it a national holiday! 

Sign on to our petition to make Burro Awareness Month a nationally-recognized holiday!

SIGN ON

Wild burros have the same rich history and are as culturally significant as wild horses, but unfortunately, they receive far less attention. 

Burros were first introduced to the Desert Southwest by the Spaniards in the 1500’s, and served as reliable companions to explorers and pioneers on their treks throughout the West in the years thereafter.

They worked tirelessly to carry supplies and machinery to mining camps, and became indispensable to the workers. At the end of the mining boom many burros escaped or were turned loose, and with their innate ability to survive under the harshest conditions—wild herds eventually formed and flourished.

America’s burros are protected under federal law, but they are in crisis due to government mismanagement which has caused dwindling numbers and a lack of genetic diversity. Our goal is to keep burros wild and free on the range through humane management programs and initiatives to ensure healthy populations of wild burros living on our public lands.

Will you take the first step and help us make Burro Awareness Month a national holiday to give these amazing animals the credit they deserve?

SIGN THE PETITION

Fewer than 15,000 burros are estimated to remain on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands across the U.S. Like wild horses, these agencies have historically managed burros by rounding them up and removing large numbers of them from the range.

AWHC is spreading awareness about wild burros and fighting to preserve their populations within the U.S., but we need your help. Will you sign on to our petition today to help make Burro Awareness Month a nationally-recognized holiday?

SIGN ON

Thank you,
AWHC Team

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

First and foremost, thank you so much for being a supporter of our work on behalf of our beloved wild horses and burros.

From legislative victories and court battles to working to change the brutal practice of helicopter roundups, to running the largest humane PZP fertility control program for wild horses in the world, and so much more — your donation and support of the American Wild Horse Campaign goes a long way!

Since you’re such a great supporter, we wanted to reach out and just make sure you are getting the right amount of emails from us! We certainly wouldn’t want to be flooding your inbox.

Click here to update your contact preferences! You can choose to continue receiving all updates from us or just our action alerts and most important updates.

CONTINUE TO GET ALL UPDATES

 

SIGN UP FOR FEWER EMAILS

No matter if you choose all updates or fewer emails, we thank you so much for staying engaged with us and supporting the fight to protect our wild horses and burros!

— American Wild Horse Campaign

Wild Horses in NV, WY, CO and CA need YOUR help!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

This week there are four important Action Alert deadlines for comments on mass roundup plans targeting wild horses and burros in Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and California!

So, please take a moment to weigh in for meaningful change for wild horses and burros by taking the actions below:

Lake Mead Burros
Comments due Friday, 4/30!

Burros are incredible animals and evolving science is documenting the important role they play in the desert ecosystem. But a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plan for wild burros in the Lake Mead Complex outside Las Vegas would zero out wild burros from two of three habitat areas, and leave behind a minuscule number of burros in the third. For good measure, the BLM also wants to capture and remove every wild horse living in the area. Take action to oppose this by Friday.

TAKE ACTION

The Sand Wash Basin Wild Horses of Colorado
Comments due Saturday, 5/1!


Photo credit: Kimerlee Curyl Photography

The BLM is targeting the famed Sand Wash Basin wild horses in Colorado for mass roundup and removals. The HMA covers roughly 157,700 acres of public land and is currently home to an estimated 935 wild horses. The BLM’s proposed plan calls for the removal of 772 wild horses, leaving a mere 163 horses in this HMA!

The Sand Wash Advocate Team (SWAT) has worked tirelessly to implement a PZP program in this HMA, yet these horses are still targeted for mass removal. The BLM’s current plan calls for continued use of PZP, but would also allow for the use of unstudied IUDs as an alternative form of population control. Submit your comments by Saturday and oppose the BLM’s plan!

TAKE ACTION

Devil’s Garden Wild Horses
Comments due Friday, 4/30!

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) wants taxpayers to spend as much as $18 million to fund 6-8 years of wild horse helicopter roundups in the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in the northeast corner of California. The USFS wants to reduce the wild horse population to a fraction of its current size in order to maximize commercial livestock grazing on public lands where the horses live.

Worse, even though they’re asking you to pay for it, the Forest Service doesn’t want your comments on the plan! However, as one of a handful of designated “stakeholders,” AWHC is committed to making your voice heard in this process. Sign our petition by Friday.

TAKE ACTION

Wyoming Checkerboard Wild Horses
Comments due Friday, 4/30!


Photo by Living Images Carol Walker

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is again targeting the wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard for a massive helicopter roundup that will remove a shocking 3,500 wild horses — or 40% of the state’s wild horse population — from 3.5 million acres of habitat in the southern part of the state.

The plan calls for drastically reducing the population to just 1,550 wild horses roaming free. Under this proposal, the BLM plans to treat and release 290 mares with PZP and use unproven IUDs. The BLM is also considering an alternative plan that calls for the surgical sterilization of 100 mares, the castratation of 100 stallions, and would skew the sex ratio of the population to 60% stallions and 40% mares. Submit your comments by Friday to oppose the BLM’s plan!

TAKE ACTION

Thank you for your support,

—The AWHC Team

Help a Horse today!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Today is National Help a Horse Day! Will you please make a donation to our Rescue Fund so we can protect wild horses and burros from slaughter?

Every year, April 26 is a day dedicated to encouraging horse lovers to come together and advocate on behalf of America’s beloved horses. And this year especially, we need your help to protect wild horses in danger of slaughter.

As part of an investigation into the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program, AWHC staff members have been monitoring kill pens across the country and documenting so many BLM mustangs being sold at these slaughter auctions.

In our search, one AWHC staff member came across a one-year-old mare at a kill pen in Texas. She was all alone and due to ship to slaughter in less than a week.

The sad reality is, that with so many wild horses and burros in kill pens across the country, many rescue organizations are spread thin in their efforts to save these animals.

We knew we had to step in and save the little roan filly, so we partnered with Montgomery Creek Ranch, a beautiful wild horse sanctuary in northern California, to pull her out of the kill pen.

Will you make a donation today to our Rescue Fund in honor of Help A Horse Day? Your donation will help us have the resources necessary to support the rescue of fillies like this youngster from shipping to slaughter.

DONATE

There are so many beautiful and beloved wild horses and burros that are trapped in kill pens all across the country, thanks to the BLM’s terrible Adoption Incentive Program, which creates a financial incentive to adopt and then dump these innocent animals.

So far, we’ve been able to help rescue more than a dozen wild horses from kill pens, thanks to wonderful sanctuaries and rescue groups, and with the help of generous supporters like you. Your support will help us help save more horses from slaughter, like the filly we were able to rescue from Texas.

Can you make a contribution in honor of Help A Horse Day? Your gift to our Rescue Fund will help us save so many innocent horses and burros in need!

DONATE

Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign

We did it

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We have another exciting AWHC win this week! SJR3, the resolution calling for the roundup of more than 40,000 Nevada wild horses and burros, is dead! 

The resolution did not advance out of the Nevada Senate Committee on Natural Resources for a Senate floor vote by yesterday’s deadline. This is good news! While the resolution did include AWHC’s amendment to prioritize funding for humane fertility control over mass removals, it still contained problematic language blaming wild horses for damage to public lands caused by livestock grazing and other commercial activities.

If SJR3 as originally written had passed, the Nevada Legislature would have asked Congress to fund an 85% reduction in Nevada’s wild horse herds. And, as the state where over half of America’s wild horses reside, Nevada’s voice on this issue is very influential in Congress. That’s why the defeat of SJR3 is very important.

We wanted to say thank you on behalf of AWHC and Nevada’s wild horses and burros. 

Thanks to everyone who weighed in against this resolution and made wild horses a top issue in the Nevada legislature, currently second only to guns!

But Erica, even though SJR3 has been killed, our work is not over. AWHC is continuing our fight to protect wild horses and burros all over the West — with several other legislative and legal battles happening across the country right now.

If you’d like to make a donation to help us gather the resources necessary to continue this fight, thank you — you can use the button below to do so. If you’re unable to make a donation at this time, no worries — we’re grateful for your help in protecting the wild horses and burros of Nevada. Please stay tuned for more updates!

DONATE

Thank you,
Suzanne Roy

Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign

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