I wanted to send you a quick thank you for the incredible support you have given us to fund our field observation teams. With your help, we’re able to scale up our roundup documentation program and turn even more stories into powerful action on behalf of our cherished wild horses and burros.
Your contributions will go toward:
Training more observers;
Sending more observers into the field;
Investing in field observation equipment;
And so much more!
One of the most powerful tools we have to use against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) inhumane roundup practices is first-hand witness testimony. Your contributions will help us to continue collecting that evidence and use it to hold the BLM and government officials accountable for the wild horses and burros they are supposed to protect.
Over the next few months, you’ll continue to hear some of our observer’s reports from the field, reports that at times, will be devastating. Helicopter roundup season historically brings so much pain to these innocent animals — it’s why our fight for humane in-the-wild management powers on.
That’s why I’m here to tell you today: Do not be discouraged by the stories from the field. While they may be difficult to hear, they must be told and shared because they are driving change. And, it’s only because of your generosity that they are being told at all.
Please know that your donation will have a direct impact on the welfare of our beloved wild herds now and in the future. Thank you once again for your action and dedication to helping the wild horses and burros we all love.
Together, we can fight back against the BLM’s brutality this roundup season.
Suzanne Roy Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Because documenting the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) helicopter roundups is so critical to our mission, we’ve assembled and trained a team of photographers and videographers to cover virtually every helicopter capture operation conducted by the federal government this year.
This is essential work. Without the photographs and videos from our observers, the public would be in the dark about the brutality to wild horses and burros that our tax dollars are funding.
Oftentimes, our AWHC representatives are the ONLY ones on site to document the animal welfare violations taking place, allowing our staff to hold the BLM accountable by filing complaints and briefing members of Congress.
Make no mistake; our roundup documentation is making a difference. Our evidence of cruelty — like the video of a foal roped and slammed to the ground or a mare crashing into the trap, breaking her neck and then left unattended while the helicopter continued to stampede horses over her body — is prompting Congress to act to curb this blatant abuse. Support is growing for legislative action to ban helicopter roundups, and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) has even introduced a bill to prohibit the use of aircraft to capture wild horses!
Right now, we’re on the ground at three roundups – in the Piceance Basin in Colorado, the Triple B Complex in Nevada, and the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA) in California — where 20 horses have died as a result of these roundups so far. In one particularly horrific incident at the Twin Peaks roundup, the helicopter contractor stampeded 123 horses at once into a tiny trap pen, causing a panicked pileup of struggling horses that burst the trap open, causing injuries and two deaths.
In addition to raising awareness on these horrific deaths and influencing Congress to take action, photo and video obtained by these observation teams has also been turned into powerful public education campaigns and lobbying efforts.
Our roundup documentation program has never been more important. It’s grueling work in all kinds of weather. Watching these beautiful and innocent wild animals lose their freedom and families, day in and day out — it’s emotionally draining. It’s also expensive to get our observers out to these remote areas, keep them equipped and in the field with 4-wheel drive vehicles and places to stay after long, arduous days.
We’ve got a LOT of news to share with you this week! You won’t want to miss the story of how we partnered with Skydog Sanctuary to rescue 16 mustangs from a notorious kill pen in Colorado, and you’ll definitely want to take action to support a bill to ban cruel helicopter roundups. So, please read on!
Across the West, Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-contracted helicopters are hunting down wild horses right now, chasing tiny foals, pregnant mares and other horses in high summer temperatures across very rugged terrain. These helicopter roundups are traumatic and dangerous, and wild horses are injured and killed because of them. Take this week, when BLM helicopters in Califoria stampeded 124 wild horses at once into a far too-small trap pen, causing the panels to burst and killing two horses in the process. Fortunately, members of Congress are standing up to this brutality, including Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) who has introduced a bill (H.R. 6635) to end helicopter roundups for good. Please act today and ask your legislators to cosponsor this important legislation!
AWHC operates the world’s largest humane birth control program for wild horses on Nevada’s Virginia Range. It’s part of an amazing community initiative involving several wonderful local organizations and dozens of volunteers who work tirelessly to protect this historic group of wild mustangs. Now you can keep up with their incredible (and sometimes daring!) efforts by subscribing to the Pinto Post, a monthly electronic newsletter that chronicles the work of the volunteers and tells the stories of the beautiful wild horse families living in this area. Subscribe today to keep up with all the news!
On the same day we released our explosive investigative report on the deadly consequences of the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), we partnered with Skydog Sanctuary on the rescue of 16 BLM-branded wild mustangs from a notorious kill pen in Eaton, Colorado. After being immersed in the grim statistics documenting the hundreds of BLM wild horses and burros who have been sent into the slaughter pipeline, we were gratified to help save 16 wonderful souls who would have otherwise faced a horrific fate. Read the story of these horses and find out how you can help by clicking below.
Earlier this week, we emailed you about the campaign we’ve launched to educate Colorado residents about the atrocities the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is committing against the Piceance wild horses right now in their backyard.
And, our campaign is already working. Take a look:
This campaign would not be possible without the generosity of dedicated supporters like you. You’ve powered our work thus far — in courts, on the Hill, in the field — and now online and on our TV screens.
We’re grateful to have supporters like you by our side, but we cannot grow complacent now.So far, 512 wild horses have already been captured in the BLM’s Piceance roundup — and 95 of the captured animals? Innocent baby foals.
Our campaign is working, but we must continue to put pressure on the BLM to turn towards more humane in-the-wild management. Management that doesn’t break apart family bands, remove innocent animals from the public lands they call home, or cost them their lives.
As the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is bearing down on Colorado’s last large remaining wild horse population, we’re fighting back.
We’ve sent a legal letter calling for the delay of the Piceance wild horse roundup, we’ve mobilized thousands of wild horse advocates, and we’ve echoed the urgings of Colorado Governor Polis and Congressman Neguse to halt the helicopters and instead explore humane alternatives to manage these iconic animals. And, now we’re taking that fight right to your screen:
We are all set to launch television commercials educating the public in Colorado about what is happening to the wild horses just hours away from their homes. Public education is key to empowering more people to speak up for wild horses across the country. And people speaking up is the only thing that will save these cherished animals.
This important aspect of our advocacy is critically important, but it’s also expensive, and we need your help to get the message out loud and clear: wild horses should not be terrorized with helicopters, rounded up, confined for life, and robbed of the two things they hold dear: Family and freedom. Rush a contribution now and see a preview of our commercial before it goes live. >>
There’s been a lot going on with our precious wild horses and burros, so we wanted to share some updates with you, including our new report on the BLM’s Axtell Holding Facility in Utah, and a way for you to contact your legislators and ask them to protect wild horses and burros. Read on to learn more!
In early 2022, a foal died after suffering a broken leg while being chased by a helicopter. Video footage shows the helicopter continuing to chase the foal even after his leg was visibly broken. He suffered for 30 minutes before the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) euthanized him to end his misery. Hundreds of horses and burros tragically die unnecessarily each year as a result of helicopter roundups.
That’s why AWHC has been working to put a stop to this cruel practice once and for all, and Congress is taking action too! Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus has introduced a bill seeking to ban the use of helicopters during roundups — the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act (H.R. 6635). Can you take a moment to urge your representative in Congress to cosponsor this bill?
A new report released last week by Delia Malone, an expert land ecologist with the Sierra Club, directly challenges the BLM’s assertions regarding why it accelerated the roundup of the horses on the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area.
According to Malone, the “BLM’s justification for an accelerated roundup is not supported by evidence.” Click here to read her report!
On July 1, 2022 from 9 AM to 12 PM the BLM hosted a tour for the public to view its private holding facility in Axtell, Utah that’s currently home to 1,030 horses and 218 burros. AWHC made sure to have an observer present to document any neglect or mistreatment. Click here to read the findings. >>
Today, we’re celebrating the beautiful wild horses and burros of the American West and the volunteers who help keep them safe and healthy.
Join us in our celebration by taking the following 3 steps to show your support and appreciation for America’s wild horses!
1. Update your cover photo! → Show your social network just how much you love our cherished wild horses by downloading our official I Love Horses Day cover photo and adding that to your profile!
2. Spread awareness about the plight of wild horses right now! → Post one of our sample messages OR your own story about your appreciation for wild horses.
Twitter Post: It’s #NationalILoveHorsesDay! Celebrate by taking action with me to protect wild horses The BLM is conducting inhumane helicopter roundups of these animals all across the West >> Contribute now to @FreeWildHorses to help them protect our wild horses!
Facebook Post: It’s #NationalILoveHorsesDay! To celebrate, I’m spreading awareness about the plight of America’s wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management has been conducting inhumane helicopter roundups of wild horses — and it has to stop! All across the West, our mustangs are being brutalized so private ranchers can graze their livestock for below market rates. Contribute to the American Wild Horse Campaign and help them to put a stop to the helicopter roundups!
The fillies perk up. After the whinnying and a few snorts, the boss mare asks,
“So! Who’s your Daddy?”
Colt one loudly boasts.
“He’s a Thoroughbred worth big bucks and runs around a track!”
Colt two very loudly boasts.
“Mine’s a Warmblood dressage dancer and can do the equine jitterbug and ballet!”
Colt three doesn’t see a need to boast. He simply states,
“Mine is a wild man, a hero and he’s free.”
The boss mare is intrigued. She wants to hear about all the Daddies but first she wants to hear about the wild man.
His name is Merlin. He’s a stallion of the Colorado Sand Wash Basin Herd. And he is indeed a hero in every sense of the word. No one knows just how many he has sired. However, his role as the Godfather to a forgotten foal is a compelling story of compassion and courage.
Last September, The Bureau of Land Management conducted a roundup of the Colorado Sand Wash Basin wild horses in their effort to thin the herd roaming on Northwest Colorado Public Lands. The roundup was done with helicopters and wranglers stampeding the horses to holding pens.
Observers from wild horse rescue groups and nature photographers noticed a tiny foal that looked to be no more than a few days old, terrified and isolated. Her mother, a mare identified as Serendipity, herself sired by the legendary Picasso was last seen running to escape the low flying helicopter.
Scott Wilson, the winner of the 2022 Sony Open Competition Natural World & Wildlife Photographer of the Year experienced a once in a life time example of the bonds of wild horses protecting their herd at all costs.
What Wilson saw and memorialized on film is the stuff of campfire stories and cowboy movies. It’s doubtful that any screen writer could come up with anything better than the true story of a mustang stallion confronting an uncaring wrangler and protecting a defenseless newborn foal at his own risk of certain capture. Wilson experienced a brief moment of hope and heroism in the midst of a brutal round up.
“Even a tragedy needs a hero. Just after sunrise, on a ridge to the left of an area designated as a viewing area…viewing area i s a term I use loosely since i t was nearly a mile from the holding pen and the helicopters approach was obscured…appeared a tiny newborn foal with what observers assumed was a mare, until it became apparent this was a mustang stallion known locally as Merlin.
The newborn, as yet unnamed, had been without its mother or her milk since she was rounded up the previous day. The stallion, in a huge sacrifice was seeking to bring the young foal to help. Instantly, we knew were witnessing an extraordinary example of compassionate wild animal behavior at its finest.
At this point, you want the foal to enter the trap without any drama or be humanely captured so it has the best chance of being reunited with its mare or milk at least. But you also want the stallion to escape. Between the soaring helicopter and an approaching cowboy, Merlin clearly sensed danger and bolted with the foal in tow until Merlin turned and placed himself between the foal and the cowboy.
Observers were ordered back to their cars at this point, so we have no idea what happened next or how, except the foal eventually made it to the pen and on to a foster facility in Craig, Colorado.
Stallion Merlin paid the price with his freedom and was held in a holding pen with 120 wild horses rounded up in just one morning. But not for long.
In an extraordinary act of defiance the following morning, Merlin vaulted the seven foot high fence around the BLM holding pen, with no room for a run up, and galloped his way to freedom. The dramatic escape instantly elevated Merlin to Sand Wash Basin legend status. Artists have been inspired to write poetry and paint versions of the tale.
Perhaps even more magical is that Merlin was just one of four wild stallions during the 10 day round up who sacrificed their right to roam in order to return a foal to its mother.
Unbelievable family values!
The foal, a beautiful black filly was given a chance at a good life. She is growing up and thriving in Kiowa, Colorado at a horse sanctuary. Her name i s Stella Luna and she i s one of the lucky ones.”
The boss mare liked the story. The other two colts were dumbfounded as they had never known about wild horses.
The barn manager came in to do his chores and turned the radio on.
The horses swayed back and forth in their stalls and the barn manager sang along with Janis.
“Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose. Nothin, don’t mean nothin’ honey, if it ain’t free.”
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) carries out its brutal helicopter roundups out of the public eye in remote corners of the West. Because of this, we here at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) send observers to every roundup possible so we can bring to light the atrocities committed by the BLM and so we can hold the agency accountable for its actions.
That’s how our team was able to provide you with the video footage you saw yesterday of the BLM brutally mistreating a young foal. In May, we also sent a team to observe the Black Mountain wild burro roundup in Arizona – and, this is yet another example of the unacceptable mistreatment of our wild horses and burros at the hands of the BLM.
Our observers relayed that the BLM contractors used electric cattle prods on the burros and they could be seen in constant distress due to being stampeded long distances by the low-flying helicopters.
Even worse, the BLM’s own Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) assessment of the roundup detailed one of the BLM contractors as hitting, kicking, striking, and beating burros in an abusive manner. Shockingly, the BLM gave itself a 120/125 score (a 96% !!) for maintaining its CAWP standards!
If we don’t send our observers to document these horrific acts of violence against our wild horses and burros, we would not be able to hold the BLM accountable. When our observers witness this abuse, our Government Relations team alerts Congress, our legal team reviews the footage, and we report it directly to you.
The abuse we have documented at BLM roundup operations is unacceptable. The violations documented at the Black Mountain roundup should under no circumstance result in a 96% CAWP score, especially since physical abuse is noted.
Over the holiday weekend, one of our roundup observers witnessed firsthand the devastating and inhumane treatment by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its contractors of an innocent baby wild horse.
Reportedly, these contractors then hogtied the baby and threw the young foal to the ground once more before putting him into the back of an Off Highway Vehicle. These actions are deeply disturbing and unfortunately we know that this small foal is not — nor will he be — the only one to suffer this roundup season. During the hot summer months, vulnerable young foals are chased by low-flying helicopters and often sustain broken bones, injuries, and in some cases, die.
This will not be the only foal mistreated at the hands of the BLM contractors this roundup season. During last year’s roundups, many foals were seriously injured or died due to inhumane practices and helicopter chases.
Yesterday marked the first official day federal helicopters descended onto wild horses to roundup and remove them from their homes. By the end of this summer thousands of wild horses across the West will have lost their freedom, families and for some, even their lives as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) restarts its brutal helicopter roundups. The first roundup of the season has already begun in the Buffalo Hills Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada where over 350 wild horses are caught in the BLM’s crosshairs.
These horses need you. We send out field observers to document each and every roundup possible – and as you can imagine, sending our field representatives to remote areas of the West for each roundup takes a lot of resources. But with the record of injuries and animal welfare violations the BLM has accumulated, we know that we have to be on the ground. It is essential to bear witness to the atrocities committed by the BLM so we can stand up for these innocent animals. If we didn’t, no one would.
The Buffalo Hills roundup is only the beginning, Meredith → The BLM will be targeting at least seven other HMA’s through September 10, including the Triple B Complex and Twin Peaks HMA where a combined 4,000 horses will be removed in July alone.
AWHC will be on the ground for every roundup possible. We have spent the first part of the year bringing on new field representatives who are trained on the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) and are ready to document any and all violations committed against our beloved wild horses during these roundup operations.
When our field representatives report back any abuse or mistreatment they witness, we take action. Our Government Relations team alerts our Congressional champions, our legal team reviews the documentation, and we report the mistreatment directly to you. Without AWHC’s on the ground work, the public would not know what happens to our wild horses and burros at the hands of the federal government
But we’ll be frank, funding our observation teams isn’t cheap. It costs between $2,500-$3,500 to document each roundup for 7-10 days. Further, several of these roundups will be happening simultaneously, which means we need to deploy more field representatives so that we can continue to hold the BLM accountable for its mistreatment of wild horses and burros.
Roundup season begins tomorrow and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning on coming for me and my herd soon. The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) says that the BLM is planning to roundup nearly 2,000 of my friends and family from our home in the 2.1 million acre Triple B Complex in Eastern Nevada.
I’ll be honest, I’m scared. Helicopter roundups aren’t just cruel, they can be deadly. I’ve heard that wild horses can get stuck in traps, break their legs, or worse — get killed after the BLM chased them with helicopters. Meredith, I really don’t want to join that list. That’s why we need organizations like AWHC who fight to protect horses like me.
Powerful ranchers in Nevada hold permits to graze their animals on our lands — they want most of us gone.
AWHC says the goal of this cruel roundup is to reduce our population so that these privately-owned cattle and sheep can continue to graze within our Complex each year. The ranchers want us eliminated because then they get to graze their animals for really cheap — discounted by your tax dollars too! These powerful interests have lobbied in Washington for decades, so they hold a lot of influence, influence that hurts horses like the ones in my herd and thousands more across the West.
That all doesn’t seem very fair, and to be honest, Meredith, I’d really like to keep my whole family together on the lands we’ve called home for centuries. That’s why I’m so glad you support an organization like AWHC.
There’s been a lot going on with our precious wild horses and burros, so we wanted to share some updates with you, including a Congressman’s bold efforts to save wild horses in California, and more!
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee will hold a markup of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Interior spending bill, which includes funding for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program. The Government Relations team here at AWHC has been working hard on Capitol Hill to divert funding away from the BLM’s helicopter roundups and toward humane fertility control vaccines that keep wild horses on public lands, but we need your help!
Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) is currently circulating a sign on letter to U.S.Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S Forest Service Chief Randy Moore regarding inhumane wild horse management practices in the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory in California. While Congress has passed legislation prohibiting the Forest Service from destroying healthy wild horses and burros and selling these animals for slaughter for processing into commercial products, serious concerns remain about whether sufficient measures are being taken to protect the Devil’s Garden wild horses from slaughter, including measures to screen buyers and conduct follow-up compliance inspections after sales.
By now, you have heard that the BLM is planning on removing most of the wild horses from the Piceance Herd Management Area (HMA) in Colorado beginning July 15, despite calls from state and federal officials to delay the operation pending a review. A little digging into the history of the management—or mismanagement—of this herd tells the story of exactly how we got to where we are today with the pending removal of nearly 850 wild horses.Click below to learn more!
House Appropriations language for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 is being considered on Tuesday — and we urgently need your help to ensure next year’s spending bill includes efforts to protect wild horses and burros!
We are incredibly proud of the historic steps Congress took towards reforming the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program when it passed its FY2022 omnibus spending bill earlier this year. This bill required the BLM to spend up to $11 million to implement a robust fertility control vaccine program as a humane alternative to cruel helicopter roundups.
America’s wild herds are still in danger.
The BLM is accelerating its brutal roundups of these precious animals. Just yesterday, the BLM began a bait trap removal of the Piceance Basin wild horses outside of Meeker, Colorado, a roundup that wasn’t supposed to even start until the end of August.
Once captured, these horses are sent to overcrowded holding facilities where they are vulnerable to disease, injury, and death. In Piceance, the wild horses were originally supposed to be transported to the BLM’s Cañon City corrals — the same facility where 145 wild horses died from Equine Influenza Virus earlier this year and where an ongoing deadly ‘strangles’ outbreak is still occurring. Instead, the horses will now be transported across state lines to the Axtell holding pens in Utah, which have historically been plagued with strangles.
Our Government Relations team here at AWHC is working hard on Capitol Hill to divert funding away from the BLM’s helicopter roundups in favor of humane birth control vaccines that keep wild horses on the public lands they and their families call home. But we can’t do it alone. We need as many voices as possible to echo our message and urge Congress to enact a pro-horse and burro agenda for 2023!
A LOT has happened already this month! Today, we wanted to share with you some of the past weeks’ news including an interview by our Executive Director, Suzanne, a recap of our recent webinar, and actions you can take to help protect Utah’s wild horses from proposed roundups. Read on and see how you can help to protect these cherished animals. >>
The freedom of the wild horses of the Bible Springs Complex in Iron County, Utah is on the chopping block once again. Four wild horse herds live within the 215,000-acre public land Complex and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking to reduce the population from approximately 830 to just 80 horses.
To add insult to injury — 17 of the 19 grazing allotments that overlap with this wild horse habitat are failing the BLM’s land health standards and, according to the agency: they’re failing because of livestock grazing. Yet the BLM continues to unfairly scapegoat wild horses for the impacts of private livestock. The BLM must instead redirect its focus on reducing livestock’s impact in this Complex. Please speak up for these wild mustangs and show the BLM you stand in opposition of this roundup by submitting your comments today!
Late last month, we hosted A Wild Night: A Series of Short Films — a virtual event featuring a series of documentaries on our beloved wild horses and burros! The event also featured a fascinating panel discussion with some distinguished speakers.
Didn’t have the chance to attend? Don’t worry! We recorded the event for you to watch in case you missed it. Hear from our expert panel, watch the documentaries we shared that celebrate our cherished wild herds, and learn more about our work to keep these animals in the wild where they belong at the link below!
In the wake of 145 wild horse deaths at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cañon City Off-Range Corral, we are calling for an emergency halt to all federal wild horse and burro roundups. Our call comes after the BLM recently released internal assessments documenting widespread animal welfare violations that place thousands of federally-protected wild horses and burros at risk of disease, injury, and death.
Our Executive Director, Suzanne Roy sits down with Fox5 Las Vegas to discuss. Watch her interview here:
In less than a month, Bureau of Land Management helicopters will descend on America’s beloved wild horse herds as roundup season begins in full force. The first target? The cherished wild mustangs that call California’s Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA) home.
Families will be broken apart, innocent animals will lose their freedom forever, and there will be casualties from the BLM’s brutal helicopter roundup operations. Enough is enough.
We refuse to let this tragedy occur outside of the public eye. That’s why we send observers to document as many of these roundups as possible — we must show the world what is happening to our wild horses in these remote regions of the West. We also document these roundups to hold the agencies and government contractors accountable for the animal welfare violations that are routine at every roundup.
We need all hands on deck — this fight is not just about keeping wild horses free, it’s also a fight for their very lives.Because right now, wild horses are dying in two major BLM holding facilities that are experiencing infectious disease outbreaks. Even worse – according to the agency’s own internal assessments — there are systemic animal welfare violations across multiple BLM corrals that hold thousands of captured mustangs and burros.
We wanted to share some recent news about roundups, an update on the disease outbreak in the Bureau of Land Management’s Cañon City facility, and actions you can take to help protect Colorado’s Sand Wash Basin wild horses from further danger. Read on and see how you can help to protect these cherished animals!
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) removed almost 700 wild horses from the Sand Wash Basin in September 2021 due to what the agency determined as “drought conditions and lack of forage.” The roundup was stopped due to a public outcry after 684 horses were taken.
Now, concentrated Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use, is proposed for close to 19,000 acres in the southern part of the HMA. Please take immediate action to urge the BLM to make sure that the recreation plan for the South Sand Wash Open OHV Area protects the wild horses and their social structures, and does not detract from historic wild horse viewing opportunities!
In the wake of 145 wild horse deaths at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cañon City Off-Range Corral, we are calling for an emergency halt to all federal wild horse and burro roundups citing recently released BLM internal assessments documenting widespread animal welfare violations that place thousands of federally-protected wild horses and burros at risk of disease, injury, and death. Read the latest here:
AWHC Program Specialist, Mary Koncel has been on-site at several wild horse and burro roundups. Watching these iconic animals being chased by helicopters, driven into trap pens, separated from their family members, then trailered off to holding pens is nothing short of senseless, inhumane, and heartbreaking.
This year, wild burros are facing an unprecedented assault on their populations, thanks to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mass roundup and stockpile plan.
Even worse, the agency is using helicopters instead of bait trapping to chase the animals into traps. Historically, burro helicopter roundups have been traumatic for the animals. Unlike wild horses, burros are incredibly stoic and stand their ground in the face of danger. This has led to documented instances of abuse, such as helicopter skids striking a burro, as well as abusive handling practices by BLM contractors.
AWHC sent observers to document the first three operations on the schedule, and unfortunately witnessed many issues we raised concerns about when we heard the helicopters would descend on our beloved burros. Below is a recap of each roundup, but first we need you to speak up for wild burros and call for a halt to helicopter roundups!
The Centennial, Panamint, and Slate Range Herd Areas (HA) encompass roughly 1.7 million acres of public and private land and are home to an estimated 500 wild burros. The BLM has plans to remove every wild burro from these HAs — a decision AWHC legally appealed.
AWHC had a field representative on site but was not permitted by the BLM to view any of the operations citing “safety concerns.” We did visit the burros in the wild, and checked on those recently captured in holding throughout the week. There was no shade at the facility for the burros, where temperatures right now are reaching the 90s.
The goal of the operation was to capture 490 burros, zeroing out the whole population, but the roundup concluded early with 181 captured. There was one death after a jenny (female burro) suffered a head injury, and injuries such as “rope burn” were reported.
The Sinbad Herd Management Area (HMA) encompasses 99,241 acres of public and private lands and is currently home to 328 burros. As part of a 14-year-old plan, the BLM set the Appropriate Management Level (AML) for these burros to a mere 50-70 animals.
AWHC had field representatives on the ground for the majority of the operation. We witnessed several violations of the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program including contractors reportedly leaving captured burros on stock trailers for potentially hours with no visible access to water and excessive roping, which led to a burro being knocked to the ground.
This roundup ended early, only capturing 153 wild burros instead of the BLM’s goal of approximately 300. There was one death, after a 7-year-old burro fell into a 5 foot crevice while being pursued by a wrangler. His body was left on the range, where AWHC observers found him the day after he was euthanized.
The Black Mountain HMA encompasses over 1 million acres of land in northwestern Arizona. This vast habitat is home to — according to BLM estimates — 2,900 wild burros, making these burros one of the largest and most genetically healthy burro populations in the country. The BLM planned to remove approximately 1,080 wild burros.
AWHC had field representatives on the ground, but the public observation was extremely limited. The BLM kept us over ~300 yards from the trap site on flat ground and the contractor’s trailers blocked our view of the captured burros in the trap. From the little we could see, burros were chased for long distances and seemed stressed. One burro even crashed into a gate panel and one burro entered the trap, obviously distraught and from what we could see, attempted to charge the wranglers. The BLM even granted the contractors permission to use electric cattle prods on several animals while loading them onto trailers. But the abuse didn’t stop there.
The BLM’s own Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program Assessment reported that the contractor’s staff treated burros in an abusive and inhumane manner, including “aggressively hitting and jabbing the paddle into the sides and sensitive areas of burros.” Despite the violations, the roundup continued on for several weeks. The operation concluded on May 25, with 1,109 burros captured.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the deadly infectious disease outbreak occurring at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Cañon City facility in Colorado — and keeping you updated along the way.
By now, the Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) has killed at least 144 horses at the facility since April 23.
Yesterday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis took necessary action when he released a statement calling for a halt to the Piceance wild horse roundup planned for this summer while an investigation into the BLM’s Cañon City facility and the welfare of it’s warehoused horses is conducted.
“We have long advocated for the health, safety, and wellbeing of Colorado’s wild horses, and will continue to do so as we seek a humane future for our mustangs.” – Gov. Jared Polis.
EIV — a virus that is routinely vaccinated against in the equine world — is included in the BLM’s vaccine regiment for captured animals. And yet,all of the 144 deceased wild horses were either unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated against EIV, despite being rounded up late last summer and in the BLM’s care for nearly 10 months.
The crisis only confirms what we already know — our beloved wild horses are safest in the wild. Rounding up horses and confining them in cramped pens where they are susceptible to deadly diseases like EIV is unacceptable, especially when there is humane, scientifically-proven birth control readily available as an alternative to removals.
️ Horses Day!!
Three colts walk into a barn.
