America’s wild herds are facing unprecedented challenges.
Over 20,000 wild horses and burros are slated to be rounded up from their homes by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Fiscal Year 2024. Many will join the over 60,000 who are already languishing in overburdened holding facilities.
This inhumane system is at its breaking point. That’s why American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is taking action to address the crisis affecting our wild herds and proactively ensure that wild horses and burros are treated humanely, both in holding and in the wild. But we cannot do it alone, Meredith!
Here are three actions you can take NOW to help support the safety and freedom of our cherished wild horses and burros in 2024.
Today is the last day to submit public comments regarding the BLM’s proposed plan to remove nearly 600 wild horses from the White Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA), a move that would drastically reduce the population to the low Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 205 horses on nearly 400,000 acres of land. This unscientific population limit was set in 1997 and has remained unchanged ever since.
Right now, the BLM has paused its federal wild horse helicopter roundups for the foaling season, but as of July, they will be in full swing again. These roundups traumatize wild horses and burros. Deaths from broken necks and legs are routine, and sometimes horses are literally chased to death (called “capture myopathy”). H.R. 3656 would end this cruel practice once and for all.
Each year, millions of donkeys are brutally slaughtered for the production of ejiao, a medicinal gelatin that is made from boiling the skins of these animals. The donkey skin trade is now decimating global donkey populations as well as harming the impoverished global communities that rely on them for survival. That’s why U.S. House Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) has reintroduced the Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021), which would ban the knowing sale or transportation of ejiao made using donkey skin, or products containing ejiao made using donkey skin, in interstate or foreign commerce.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed a plan to remove nearly 600 wild horses from the HMA, a move that would drastically reduce the population to the lowest Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 205 horses on nearly 400,000 acres of land. This unscientific population limit was set in 1997 and has remained unchanged ever since.
The current proposal has no plans to humanely manage the White Mountain wild horses with fertility control, setting the stage for yet another mass roundup in a few years. What’s worse, the BLM is basing the removal number on a 2022 census, conducted before the extremely harsh winter of 2023 which caused heavy mortality for wildlife, including wild horses, across Wyoming. Instead, the BLM is claiming that while the winter severely affected other wildlife species, it did not result in significant mortality in the White Mountain herd.
That’s why AWHC is speaking out against this proposal through our public comments. Before the BLM undergoes any roundup, it must complete an updated scientific population estimate to have an accurate population count as well as undergo a full Environmental Assessment to ensure a thriving natural ecological balance. Further, it must consider the use of humane, reversible fertility control in any further management planning.
America’s wild horses are considered a native re-introduced species. A native reintroduced species is a species that at some point became locally extinct in its indigenous lands, but eventually returned, either on its own or by being reintroduced back to the land by human beings. This is what happened to America’s wild horses.
Wild horses began to evolve and grow on the North American continent millions of years ago. In fact, the forerunner to the modern horse was traced to the Tennessee Valley. During glacial periods, when the sea level would drop, wild horses would move back and forth across the Bering Land Bridge into Siberia. About 12,000 years ago, the wild horses of North America went locally extinct, but they were not globally extinct.
On the contrary, wild horses thrived in Asia and were eventually domesticated approximately 6,000 years ago. The domestication of horses spread throughout Asia and Europe. Finally, when Europeans came to North America in the 1500s, they brought their horses with them, re-introducing a native species back to its place of origin!
America’s Disappearing Wild Horses
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
In the 19th century, the population of wild horses in America was estimated to have reached more than two million. But by the time the wild horse received federal protection in 1971, it was officially estimated that only about 17,000 of them roamed America’s western lands.
More than 1 million had been conscripted for World War I combat; the rest had been hunted for slaughter, and even for the sport of it. These innocent animals were chased by helicopters and sprayed with buckshot; they were run down by motorized vehicles and, deathly exhausted, weighted with tires so they could be easily picked up by rendering trucks. They were run off cliffs, gunned down at full gallop, shot in corralled bloodbaths, and buried in mass graves.
This horror brought America’s wild horses to the brink of extinction until one woman decided to take action…
The Beginning of Wild Horse Conservation
Velma “Wild Horse Annie” Johnson
One morning while on her way to work in the early 1950s, Velma Johnson, who would later come to be known as “Wild Horse Annie,” witnessed an appalling scene — a truck full of bloodied, injured wild horses recently captured from Nevada’s Virginia Range.
Bravely, Annie followed the truck to its final destination, a slaughterhouse. After this experience, she learned that ranchers, hunters, and “mustangers” would capture these horses for commercial slaughter using airplanes and trucks, often with no regard for the injuries they caused. Annie was horrified.
From that day forward, she dedicated her life to stopping the inhumane treatment, abuse, and slaughter of wild horses. She began her fight in Nevada where she led the State Legislature to pass a law, the Wild Horse Annie Act of 1959, banning the use of aircraft and land vehicles for roundups. But she didn’t stop there.
She went on to lead a nationwide campaign that inspired thousands of schoolchildren to write letters to their elected officials and even testified before Congress herself. After another decade of advocacy, Congress finally passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the most significant and influential piece of legislation affecting wild horses in the United States, which finally established federal protections for these iconic animals.
Wild Horse Conservation Today
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
Today, over 50 years later, the 1971 law passed thanks to Wild Horse Annie’s efforts has unfortunately been significantly weakened – largely due to lobbying by special interest groups that see wild horses as competition for their commercial livestock.
As a result, wild horses have been subjected to constant roundup operations for the past several decades by federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, over 20,000 wild horses and burros are scheduled to be removed from their homes on public lands – the majority of which will be done using helicopters, an inhumane practice that often leads to severe injuries and even deaths.
That’s where American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) comes in. Our team has boots on the ground in some of the most remote corners of the West where these operations take place to document this mistreatment. We’re fighting to bring these stories to light and taking the federal government head-on in the courts to protect these innocent animals.
Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget as part of the President’s FY25 budget.
The proposed budget calls for a $29 million increase in funding for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. This includes $15 million for a permanent sterilization program and 20 new full-time employees to implement it. If enacted, the plan could have far-reaching, extinction-level consequences for the nation’s wild horse and burro population.
The proposal fails to disclose the methods of sterilization that will be utilized. Previous methods proposed by the BLM have included the surgical castration of males and surgical removal of mares’ ovaries (ovariectomy).
American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) strongly objects to a mass permanent sterilization program because it contradicts the BLM’s mandate under federal law to protect America’s wild horses in self-sustaining, free-roaming herds. It also contradicts recent Congressional directives to “implement a robust and humane fertility control strategy of reversible immunocontraceptive vaccines.” In fact, the proposal comes just days after Congress cut the BLM’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget by $5.9 million while preserving $11 million in funding for the implementation of humane reversible, fertility control vaccine programs.
We believe that the BLM should deliver on existing commitments to expand humane fertility control, rather than waste Congress’ time and taxpayer money on a far-fetched scheme to destroy the nation’s wild horse and burro populations by mass sterilization. This plan requires far more transparency and Congressional scrutiny and thankfully, there is a long Congressional review process ahead before the BLM’s proposal could become law.
Please be assured that AWHC will deploy all necessary resources to prevent any mass, permanent sterilization plan from becoming law.
For over a decade, we’ve been in court challenging the BLM over permanent sterilization, a practice that not only undermines genetic viability but also disrupts natural behaviors and the social organization essential for the survival of wild herds. At the same time, we’re on Capitol Hill advocating in Congress for legislation mandating the BLM to adopt humane and sustainable approaches that prioritize reversible fertility control.
And, we’ve been in the field proving that this approach is effective through our Virginia Range fertility control initiative in Nevada. This year, a study based on our Virginia Range data, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Vaccines, affirms the feasibility and effectiveness of fertility control darting in a large wild horse population inhabiting a large habitat area.
Our commitment to ensuring the freedom and welfare of America’s wild herds is unwavering.
In the coming days and weeks, we will keep you posted as this budget request moves through the Congressional process and more information emerges. We are confident that, together, we will ensure Congress and the American public rally to protect America’s iconic wild horses and burros from harm.
As ever, we deeply appreciate your advocacy and support.
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation
We have a lot of information to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews! Please read on for an opportunity to speak out for Wyoming’s White Mountain wild horses, an important update about the president’s budget for Fiscal Year 2024, and a celebration of our National Day of Action.
The White Mountain HMA is home to beautiful paints, bays, sorrels, and roans. These wild horses live on nearly 400,000 acres of public and private lands and yet the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allows for an Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 205-300 wild horses. The agency recently released its plans to remove 586 White Mountain horses, bringing the population down to the low AML of 205 horses, leaving just one horse per 1,917 acres! Click here to sign on our petition and speak up for this spectaular herd!
This past weekend, President Joe Biden signed into law a $460 billion package of Fiscal Year (FY) 24 spending bills, narrowly averting a government shutdown. Among the provisions was a significant spending cut for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program budget, emphasizing the need for a shift towards humane, more compassionate and sustainable conservation strategies. Notably, the legislation preserves $11 million in funding specifically designated for the implementation of a robust, and humane fertility control program, as advocated by both House and Senate versions of the bill. Click here to read our press release.
On March 1st, American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) orchestrated a nationwide day of action to mark National Horse Protection Day. The objective was clear: urge Congress to implement reform measures to ensure the conservation of wild horses and burros across the nation. Throughout our advocacy efforts, over 23,000 letters were sent to congressional offices, highlighting the widespread support for change among the public! Click here to read our recent blog post about the day of action.
Today, as we celebrate the monumental strides women have made across all sectors of society, our team at American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is especially proud to shine a spotlight on our lead mares – the incredible women leading the charge for sustainable, humane wild horse and burro conservation.
In the vast expanse of the American West, lead mares play a pivotal role within wild horse bands. These matriarchs don’t just represent physical beauty and strength; they are the emotional backbone of their herds and the keepers of wisdom passed down through the generations. Just as the wild has its lead mares, guiding with wisdom and strength, AWHC is steered by visionary women who embody these very qualities!
Eleanor Phipps Price: Co-Chair, AWHC Board of Directors
Ellie Price is the founding board member of AWHC and a true champion for wild horses and burros. Much like the lead mare, Ellie has steered AWHC through the years with a wealth of knowledge and an unwavering commitment to our cause. As the owner of Dunstan Wines at Durell Vineyard in Sonoma County and a dedicated philanthropist, she brings business expertise and political savvy to our organization. Ellie is the founder of Montgomery Creek Ranch, a 2,000-acre Northern California wild horse sanctuary providing refuge to more than 250 mustangs and burros rescued from the brink of slaughter. Ellie’s passion, vision, and leadership are irreplaceable as AWHC continues to evolve as the nation’s foremost wild horse conservation organization.
Patricia Miller: Co-Chair, AWHC Board of Directors
Next, we’d like to spotlight Patricia Miller, who co-chairs the AWHC Board of Directors with Ellie. Patricia’s journey from a visionary in the corporate world to a champion for nature and animals reflects the multifaceted role of a lead mare. As CEO of M4 Factory, she is an innovative leader in the field of regenerative, sustainable consumer product manufacturing and design. And as the Founder of Irving & Judd, she is defining a Factory-to-Consumer business model with small batch consumer goods, a vertically integrated supply chain, and regenerative design. Her innovative approach to sustainability and her passionate advocacy for all sentient beings are instrumental in helping advance AWHC’s mission and guiding our evolution and growth. Patricia’s leadership is helping us shape the future of wild horse and burro conservation.
Suzanne Roy: AWHC Executive Director
And finally, our fearless leader Suzanne Roy! Suzanne’s tireless dedication to animal protection over three decades mirrors the lead mare’s commitment to her herd. From launching the fight to save America’s Air Force Chimpanzees in the 1990s, an effort that ultimately led to the retirement of these deserving animals to a Florida sanctuary, to advocating for the conservation of America’s iconic wild horses and burros for over a decade, Suzanne has spent most of her career pursuing her passion for animal protection.
Prior to entering the animal welfare field, Suzanne was a political consultant, working on a variety of campaigns including as New Hampshire press secretary for Senator Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential bid. She currently resides in northern California with her family, including a big gray warmblood horse named Cobalt. Her leadership inspires us everyday as we fight for our precious wild herds.
In honor of International Women’s Day, let us take a moment to thank these remarkable women. Just like the lead mares in the wild, they guide AWHC with wisdom, grace, and unbridled strength. We are so grateful to call them a part of our herd.
From the entire AWHC team, thank you to Eleanor, Patricia, Suzanne, and all the women who contribute to our cause to create a brighter future for America’s wild horses and burros!
This winter roundup season has been relentless. In just four months, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) capture operations have resulted in the deaths of 71 innocent wild horses and the removal of over 7,000 animals from their natural habitats – including more than 1,000 foals.
Among those captured is Thora, a beautiful six-month-old filly from the McCullough Peaks Herd Management Area.
Thora, alongside companions Tabasco, Trinity, and Juniper, was separated from her mother last month. Despite massive public outcry, the agency plowed ahead with the controversial roundup, which has already taken its toll with the death of the filly Kat Ballou. She suffered a fatal head injury last month after she had been separated from her mother and left unattended in a capture pen.
These tragedies are emblematic of the broader, deepening crisis affecting our nation’s wild horse and burro populations. Thora is just one out of thousands of vulnerable foals who have been removed from their homes and are now languishing in holding facilities. Many more are in danger as the BLM presses ahead with its roundups. That’s why AWHC’s observation program is so important.
To document these roundups and ensure no death or abuse goes unrecorded, AWHC has assembled and trained a team of photographers and videographers who are deployed to some of the most remote corners of the West where these operations occur. The evidence they collect helps us establish an irrefutable pattern of cruelty to prove to members of Congress, the media, and the public that change is desperately needed. And it’s working. The public’s awareness of the plight of wild horses and burros has never been greater. In fact, our grassroots army recently mobilized and sent 23,000 letters to Congress calling for a ban on helicopter roundups.
Oftentimes, our representatives are the ONLY ones on site to document any violations taking place. Our observers were present at the East Pershing complex roundup where they documented the capture of 365 foals and the dangerous conditions they faced. They saw firsthand the physical toll on these animals, including injuries and deaths that could have been prevented.
A Foal from the East Pershing Roundup
One of these preventable deaths includes a foal who suffered a dislocated knee during the roundup. After his injury, he was removed from the view of the public and tragically euthanized.
As our Day of Action comes to a close, I wanted to personally tell you about some big news for AWHC.
You may have noticed something different in the email my team sent you this morning. From this day forward, the American Wild Horse Campaign is now officially American Wild Horse Conservation.
Since our inception, AWHC has engaged in a head-to-head campaign against the federal government and commercial interests to safeguard the majestic wild horses and burros roaming free on our western public lands. But today, AWHC’s mission has expanded beyond the bounds of what can be described as a “campaign.”
AWHC is at the forefront of revolutionizing wild horse and burro protection, both in the U.S. and across the globe. For more than a decade, in addition to demanding change and building a grassroots movement, we have been setting the standard for a new wild horse and burro conservation model.
We have created the first-ever land trust dedicated to wild horse and burro habitat conservation, securing 3,300 acres in Fish Springs, Nevada, as the inaugural project for this new approach.
Habitat improvement on a much more significant scale is our long-term sustainability goal. In the meantime, there are 62,000 wild horses and burros crammed into federal holding facilities who will be joined this year by 20,000 more after a relentless, terrifying helicopter roundup campaign by the federal government.
Fertility control is the in-the-wild conservation solution that addresses the immediate danger to wild horses and burros. That is why we created the world’s leading wild horse fertility control initiative at the Virginia Range in Nevada, proving a new science-based protection model that is humane, cost-effective, and scalable.
We’ve partnered with local organizations to build fertility control programs in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Herd Management Areas in northwestern Nevada and we are expanding to Utah, working collaboratively with on-range partners to prove darting a large, very wild herd is feasible.
This is the critical step in persuading Congress that true in-the-wild conservation is the viable, scalable alternative to helicopter roundups and the only solution that is backed by science and sound fiscal policy.
AWHC is more than a campaign. AWHC is American Wild Horse Conservation.
As American Wild Horse Conservation, we embody the breadth and depth of our commitment to America’s wild herds. We are not just advocating; we are implementing, studying, and leading the way for humane management. That’s why our first official act under our new name is leading this nationwide Day of Action to support critical legislation that will strengthen protections for wild horses and burros.
I am profoundly grateful to all the supporters who have brought us to this pivotal point. Working together, we will realize our shared commitment to safeguard America’s promise to wild horses and burros by ensuring their freedom and protection on our western public lands.
Thank you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation
Since 1971, over 22 million acres of federally designated habitat has been taken away from wild horses and burros. This significant reduction in land not only threatens their survival, but also disrupts the delicate balance of the ecosystems they inhabit. The need to conserve and enhance the remaining habitats has never been more critical.
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is dedicated to preserving the lifelong freedom of America’s wild horses and burros in their natural habitats. So in response to this pressing challenge, AWHC proudly launched the Land Conservancy Project, a bold and pioneering initiative aimed at preserving and enhancing key habitat so that America’s herds can live wild and free in ecological balance with other wildlife.
Last year, as part of this project, we acquired 3,300 acres of prime habitat within Nevada’s picturesque Carson Valley. This land is part of the habitat for the federally-protected Fish Springs wild horses, including the beloved lead stallion Max and his family.
Photo by JT Humphrey
Through this pilot program, we are setting the conservation standard for wild horse and burro protection. Our dedicated land manager, along with a team of passionate experts, is on the ground, actively tracking wild horse movements, studying the intricacies of the land, and undertaking vital habitat restoration projects. Through the use of trail cameras, we are gaining invaluable insights into how wild horses and local wildlife coexist peacefully, sharing the resources this land provides.
Stay tuned for future updates on the progress of the program. And as always, thank you for standing with our wild herds.
American Wild Horse Campaign
P.S. In case you missed it, this Friday is National Horse Protection Day! To honor this very important cause, we are leading a national day of action to support key legislation in Congress aimed at halting helicopter roundups and enabling better in-the-wild conservation solutions! Can we count on you to join us on March 1st? If so, share this graphic on your social media pages to spread the word!
Did you know that this Friday, March 1st, is National Horse Protection Day? To honor this very important cause, we are leading a national day of action to support the Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023, a key piece of legislation aimed at halting the helicopters and enabling better in-the-wild conservation solutions! We need YOUR voice.
WHAT: National Day of Action WHEN: All day on March 1, 2024 WHY: Honor Horse Protection Day by making some real changes for our wild horses and burros
Join us in urging your representatives to co-sponsor the Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023, led by Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV). This bill would stop the cruel use of helicopters in rounding up wild horses and burros – a vital step for true in-the-wild conservation.
Together, let’s protect our beloved horses. Can we count on you to join us on March 1st? If so, share this graphic on your social media pages to spread the word about our day of action!
This week, we told you about our Rescue Fund and our rescue work alongside our on-the-ground partners. We help provide lifesaving care to foals on the Virginia Range, support the rescue of mustangs from kill pens, and help save other innocent wild horses and burros in need of help across the West.
We also told you we set an ambitious goal to raise $25,000 to replenish the resources of this fund so we can continue to assist our partners with rescue operations and cover veterinary, feed, and formula costs for rescued horses and burros. Well, I’m happy to report that thanks to a surge of grassroots support from this incredible community, we were able to reach our goal just minutes before our midnight deadline!
From all of us at AWHC, thank you so much for your generosity and dedication to conserving America’s wild herds.
Every single dollar raised for our Rescue Fund goes right into caring for foals, supporting our rescue partners, and saving these incredible animals when they need help the most. These contributions will make a difference in the lives of so many wild horses.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our ongoing rescue efforts. Thank you again for all your support!
It’s Suzanne Roy – Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Campaign. I wanted to make sure you saw our email yesterday.
I’m so proud that AWHC’s Rescue Fund was able to support Creedence’s care. He is just one example of the hundreds of wild horses and burros we’ve been able to help over the years all thanks to your generosity. None of this important work we do would be possible without your support.
On Tuesday, my team let you know that we set a goal to raise $25,000 by midnight tonight to recharge our Rescue Fund and help us continue powering our efforts. Right now, we’re still $10,261 away from reaching our goal.
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
——– Forwarded message ——-
From: Team AWHC <contact@americanwildhorsecampaign.org>
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2024
Subject: Your support gives hope to foals like this
Yesterday, we told you about the importance of our Rescue Fund. Through this vital program, we’ve helped save hundreds of wild horses and burros from being shipped to slaughter and supported the medical care of dozens of rescued animals in need of care. Including Creedence!
Creedence was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range in March of last year. But soon after, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was unable to stand up several hours after he was born. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and back with his mother so she could feed him the milk he desperately needed.
Unfortunately, he was still too weak and cold to stand up on his own, so he was transported straight to Comstock Equine Hospital where blood work and other tests were run. Since Creedence had gone so long without nursing from his mom, he had to have a plasma fusion to survive.
But thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he was able to leave the hospital and continue receiving loving care back with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to help fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Rescue Fund enables us to help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
We also help fund life-saving foal kits. These foal kits are essential to expanding foal rescue capacity and to treating babies on the range so hopefully, no removal is necessary. The kits include wound care, foal milk replacer, colostrum replacement, and Air for Paws units, which are units small enough to provide oxygen to foals’ tiny muzzles.
Yesterday, we told you about the importance of our Rescue Fund. Through this vital program, we’ve helped save hundreds of wild horses and burros from being shipped to slaughter and supported the medical care of dozens of rescued animals in need of care. Including Creedence!
Creedence was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range in March of last year. But soon after, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was unable to stand up several hours after he was born. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and back with his mother so she could feed him the milk he desperately needed.
Unfortunately, he was still too weak and cold to stand up on his own, so he was transported straight to Comstock Equine Hospital where blood work and other tests were run. Since Creedence had gone so long without nursing from his mom, he had to have a plasma fusion to survive.
But thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he was able to leave the hospital and continue receiving loving care back with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to help fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Rescue Fund enables us to help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
We also help fund life-saving foal kits. These foal kits are essential to expanding foal rescue capacity and to treating babies on the range so hopefully, no removal is necessary. The kits include wound care, foal milk replacer, colostrum replacement, and Air for Paws units, which are units small enough to provide oxygen to foals’ tiny muzzles.
While our primary focus at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is ensuring the conservation and lifelong freedom of wild horses and burros, we also support direct rescue efforts through our Rescue Fund.
AWHC actively supports local rescue organizations across the West through capacity-building grants and direct rescue efforts, helping to save nearly 200 wild horses and burros who’ve been found in kill pens over the past few years. Many of these equines were in need of rescue thanks to the failure of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which has funneled hundreds, if not thousands of these innocent animals into the slaughter pipeline.
Our team is committed to combating this crisis on several fronts. We’re currently in court suing the BLM over the alleged illegal implementation of this disastrous program, and are working with our partners in Congress to pass legislation that bans both the slaughter of wild horses and burros and the foreign export of these equines for slaughter.
But those fights take time. Our Rescue Fund is often the difference between life and death for wild horses and burros. Many of the direct rescue efforts we’ve supported have saved animals who were just hours from being shipped to slaughter.
In addition to direct rescue efforts, our rescue fund awards capacity-building grants to local rescue organizations. For example, we recently provided a grant to our Colorado partner, For the Love of Aria, enabling them to purchase a squeeze chute – an indispensable tool for the care of wild horses and burros. This equipment proved essential during a critical surgery for a rescued mustang last month, leading to a successful outcome and a testament to how such grants make a tangible difference in the lives of these animals.
These capacity-building grants do not merely save lives; they ensure that our partners can provide the necessary care to rehabilitate and nurture rescued wild horses and burros back to health. Your support for the AWHC Rescue Fund makes this possible. It enables us to intervene before it’s too late, to build the capabilities of rescue partners, and to ensure that every wild horse and burro we save receives the care they desperately need.
On this day of love and admiration, we wanted to share a tale of devotion straight from the wild.
Meet Cobra and Misty, two beautiful mustangs roaming the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) in Utah. These two chose each other and only each other. They have been together ever since, a testament to the strong bonds our wild mustangs share.
Photo by Tandin Chapman
This Valentine’s Day, let us not only celebrate love’s warmth but also recognize the struggles our wild horses and burros are facing due to government mismanagement. Let us stand together in advocating for their protection and the conservation of their habitat.
So here’s to Cobra and Misty, the epitome of true love in its purest form. May their love continue to inspire us all, reminding us that sometimes, all we need is someone to share our journey with.
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) has boots on the ground at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundups to educate the public and Congress about what happens to our wild horses and burros during these operations.
This winter, we sent our trained observers to the recently-concluded East Pershing Complex roundup – the largest roundup planned for Fiscal Year 2024.Sadly, what they saw at the roundup underscores the desperate need for reforming the way our federal government manages wild horse and burro populations.
The roundup began on December 28th and aimed to capture 2,875 wild horses from their homes on the 2.2 million acre Complex. The federal government contracted with Sampson Livestock for the roundup, which resulted in 2,692 wild horses being captured, including 1,082 stallions, 1,245 mares, and 365 foals. In addition, 26 wild horses were either euthanized or killed – including a young foal who was euthanized at the capture site for an injury he suffered while being chased and roped by BLM wranglers.
That’s not all. In another shocking incident, our humane observers captured footage showing a wild mare being roped, hogtied, and left alone on the range before being dragged onto a trailer. These tragedies are not just distressing; they are a clear sign of the need for immediate reform.
In addition to the danger they pose to these innocent animals, helicopter roundups are a grossly inefficient use of taxpayer dollars. Since 2017, the BLM has spent more than $25 million in taxpayer dollars for helicopter roundups. According to the agency itself, the cost to round up a horse from the range and warehouse the animal for life is up to $50,000.
there is a LOT of money behind wild horse and burro roundups. AWHC’s analysis of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contracts filed over the past ten years shows that private livestock companies are making millions via their roundup contracts with the BLM.
According to our findings, as of 2022, livestock operators have received 89% of the BLM contract funds filed under “Wildhorse/Burro Control Services.” Contractors earn at least $800 per horse or burro per helicopter roundup – and from 2006-2022, they’ve made a total of $53.2 million from inhumane helicopter roundup and bait-trapping operations.
But that’s not all: they’ve made an additional $87 million for short-term holding corrals from 2010-2022, and a staggering $333 million for long-term holding pastures from 2004-2022.
And on top of profiting off these federal contracts, the livestock industry continues to lobby Congress to increase the cruel roundup and stockpile of America’s wild horses and burros so more of their livestock can graze at below-market rates — thanks to federal subsidies paid for by your hard-earned tax dollars.
We have a lot to share with you in this edition of eNews! Read on to learn about congressional action taken to protect wild horses, revealing insights on off-range holding facilities, and a direct action you can take to protect the McCullough Peaks wild horses.
Last month, Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) calling on the agency to reevaluate its mass roundup and removal plans for Fiscal Year 2024. The letter urges the agency to use humane in-the-wild conservation tools, including fertility control vaccines to keep wild horses in the wild, where they belong. Read the letter here.
AWHC recently obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act that illuminate the impacts of the BLM’s off-range holding facilities. The records focus on the new Winnemucca Off-Range Corral, which has a capacity of 4,000 horses housed on 100 acres, and reveal that 23 horses died of botulism in 24 days. Read on to learn more.
As the nation’s leading wild horse and burro conservation organization, some of the most important work we do for our wild herds is in the courtroom.
When evaluating potential litigation, there are many factors our expert legal teams consider, including the viability of legal action and the ramifications of winning or losing. We engage in litigation that protects the freedom and wellbeing of wild horses for years to come.
As you’re reading this, we’re engaged in two significant lawsuits that challenge some of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s most harmful policies affecting wild horses and burros. One is over the alleged illegal implementation of the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) and and the other is fighting to protect Wyoming’s cherished wild herds from unwarranted removal – lawsuits that could shape the future of widespread wild horse management in the United States.
In Wyoming, we’re in the midst of a decade-long struggle against the demands of the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) to remove wild horses from over 2 million acres in the southwestern area of the state. We’re up against very powerful interests who view wild horses as competitors to their private livestock on our public lands.
Recently, our legal team filed the opening merits brief in this lawsuit. This filing is a major step forward in the battle to protect Wyoming’s herds from being eradicated from their home range and to secure the protection that they are entitled to by Congressional law.
“Because BLM has completely disregarded Congress’s unambiguous limitations on the agency’s public land removal authority, that alone is fatal to BLM’s decision to eradicate these wild horse herds, adjust their AMLs, and remove more than a thousand horses from the range.” – Opening Merits Brief
The outcome of this case will not only affect the herds in Wyoming but could also set precedent that impacts wild horse populations across the West. We’re at a pivotal moment, and your support has never been more important.
For the past four years, our team has implemented the world’s largest wild horse humane fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range. This groundbreaking initiative has proven that there IS a better way to humanely manage our nation’s wild horses.
Today, we want to share a heartwarming story from the Virginia Range that illustrates the impact of your support for the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC). Meet Baldy – a beautiful pinto mare whose freedom and safety have been safeguarded thanks to AWHC’s pioneering PZP fertility control program.
With her colorful coat and spirited nature, Baldy embodies the untamed beauty of America’s iconic wild horses. Since she had her last foal in 2020, Baldy has been thriving – in part, thanks to our fertility control efforts. She is a proud mother of three, contributing to the genetic diversity of her herd, and she shares a close bond with her four-year-old daughter, Laney, who remains with her in the same family band!
Her story is possible thanks to your support for our innovative fertility control program. This program is more than just a humane way to manage wild horse populations; it’s a lifeline for horses like Baldy. Across the West, federally protected horses are facing increased roundups this year as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) nearly tripled the number of wild horses and burros scheduled to be rounded up in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
We are proud to lead the way in wild horse conservation through hands-on, humane programs like this. But we cannot do it without you.Your donation today can make an immediate difference for our wild herds.
