It’s a season of giving — and what better way to celebrate than by giving to America’s wild horses and burros?
This year has been a challenging one for our cause, with attacks on all fronts. But from the courtroom to the halls of Congress, we have won repeatedly against some of the most powerful special interests. And it’s all thanks to you and this grassroots movement we’ve built together. We’re hoping you can step up one more time before the end of the year.
In August of this year, a photo of an unnamed foal went viral after our documentation of the Bureau of Land Management’s Red Desert roundup in Wyoming. We showed the world the cruelty of BLM helicopter roundups up-close.
The tiny foal was chased for miles with his mother and the rest of his band. As they neared the trap, his mother tried to save him, bravely putting herself between her baby and the helicopter. But ultimately, she was no match for the terrifying machine in the sky. She and her foal were captured. Her baby, pictured below collapsed in a holding pen, died overnight due to “capture shock,” ie. being run to death.Help us fight back.
Sadly, the foal was just one of ten horses who died during the roundup. At least four young foals were run to death; a fifth was euthanized after breaking his leg. A sixth foal was euthanized due to a previously broken fetlock, meaning he was chased for miles on an injured leg.
We document these cruelties to shine a light on the horrible, cruel practices of the BLM. And we fight each and every day through court battles, public awareness and legislation – to change the BLM policy so that our wild horses and burros can remain safe, wild, and free.
We fought many battles in 2018 – and saved many lives. But wild horses and burros still need our help.
Earlier this year our team captured these images of Sage, a wild mare from the Warm Springs Herd Management Area (HMA) in Oregon.
Sage lived her life amidst the sagebrush, junipers and wide-open spaces of Oregon’s high desert. But then, on October 3, 2018, the helicopters descended.
She was captured along with hundreds of other wild horses and put in a small holding pen – set to become a subject of a gruesome, invasive, and potentially fatal BLM sterilization experiment.*
This year, we filed seven lawsuits to defend the freedom, safety and welfare of wild horses like Sage. Our litigation has been highly successful, but it’s not cheap.
Brieanah Schwartz, Esq., AWHC Government Relations & Policy Counsel
*WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAIL: An “ovariectomy via colpotomy” involves a veterinarian making an incision in a mare’s vaginal wall, placing their hand and arm through the vagina into the abdominal cavity, manually (and blindly) locating the ovaries, and then severing them with a rod-like chain tool known as an “ecraseur.”
This holiday season, you can set up your own fundraiser for wild horses and burros through Facebook! It’s a fun, easy way for you to make a difference for mustangs and burros, and to share an issue that you care about with your friends and family.
All proceeds from these campaigns will go directly supporting wild horses and burros, and help us reach our end of year fundraising goal. You can add your own goal, share your reasons for raising money to save America’s wild horses and burros, and invite your network to take part.
We couldn’t have predicted at the beginning of the year how difficult it would be for wild horses and burros in 2018. Efforts to legalize slaughter in the federal budget. Brutal roundups almost year-round. A plan to move forward with cruel and risky sterilization surgeries on wild mares. A federal agency’s attempt to sell wild horses knowingly and directly for slaughter for the first time ever.
It’s been nonstop attacks for the entire year — but we’ve been able to fight back, because of your support. We’ve worked with our allies in Congress to maintain slaughter protections in the budget, documented the worst of the roundups so that Americans know how their tax dollars are being spent, and successfully stopped the inhumane sterilization experiments in court.
But this fight is not over. The fate of the innocent wild horses pictured above — rounded up just months ago from our public lands in California and now in danger of being sold for slaughter — and so many other wild horses and burros hangs in the balance.
By making a donation, you can help us carry on the critical work to defend wild horses and burros into the coming year… work like the litigation and grassroots/political action that has so far held off the slaughter of cherished California wild mustangs.
Remember, now through December 31, your contribution will be DOUBLED, thanks to a generous matching gift offer up to $100,000. That means your gift goes twice as far for wild horses and burros!
Wild horses and burros face unprecedented threats – from slaughter to mass sterilization and roundups. But this movement keeps winning – and it’s thanks to you.
Now, with end of year fast approaching, we’ve got to be prepared for the battles 2019 will bring.
Your donation will help us keep up the fights in court that protect wild horses and burros from federal attempts to sell them for slaughter and reduce their habitat on our public lands; in Congress to stop members from stripping critical protections; and in the arena of public opinion to continue to shine a light on cruel roundups and other inhumane government management practices.
Our End of Year Fundraising Campaign is the biggest fundraising event of the year – and we rely on our donations from this time to fund the critical work that lies ahead in 2019 to protect America’s mustangs and burros.
We won’t stop working until wild horses and burros and our public lands are protected and managed properly, safely, and humanely. With your help, we’ll be able to make this goal a reality.
If we could list every single one of you in the credits at the end of the video, we would. Why? At every step, it has been you – your calls, emails, donations, and action – that has propelled this movement.
We’ve fought for wild horses and burros in court, warding off threats to wild herds and their lands. We’ve joined with elected officials in retaining all-important slaughter restrictions in the federal budget. We’ve been able to document the BLM’s inhumane roundups to hold them accountable and bring public awareness of the issue to a whole new level. And through press and media attention, we’ve grown our movement to new heights, as more people than ever have become champions to these threatened, majestic creatures.
Congress has extended the time before it votes on a final government spending bill by two weeks.
Some lawmakers are using this extension to try to ram in all sorts of clauses into the final bill, including language that would strip critical protections for wild horses and open the door to slaughter.
Members of both the Agriculture and Interior committees are considering dangerous changes that could end the prohibition on horse slaughter for human consumption. Other changes to the bill could include allowing cruel and untested sterilization experiments on mares.
This is not the first time we’ve faced this threat from Washington, and we know that if we raise our voices, we’ll win the protections wild horses need. We’ve won before. And we can win again. Please act now.
Last month, 932 wild horses were rounded up by the U.S. Forest Service in the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in California – with a portion to be sold for $1 a piece, by the truckload, with no limitation on slaughter.
We can’t let this happen. Our team has been working around the clock to save these horses from slaughter. Now, we have two big updates:
On Tuesday, California Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) introduced legislation to protect the state’s wild and domestic horses from slaughter. We’re working closely with his office to create and pass a strong bill to accomplish this goal.
Last week, our legal team filed a motion for preliminary injunctionin federal court to block the Forest Service’s slaughter plan, which clearly violates state and federal law. We’re asking the court to prohibit the government from selling horses without limitation, which it currently plans to start on January 15.
We are doing everything possible to protect our wild horses from slaughter. But we need your help to carry on this critically important work.
The deadline for Congress to finalize a government spending bill is December 7 – and some lawmakers are now trying to sneak changes into the bill that would remove protections for wild horses and burros from slaughter.
We have faced this threat numerous times in the past two years. At every critical moment, we have succeeded, but ONLY because this movement has mobilized. Don’t stop now.
Our opponents on both the Agriculture and Interior committees could make dangerous changes that could lead to horse slaughter for human consumption or cruel, untested sterilization experiments on mares.
The Hill calls these disputes “small-ball skirmishes” but we know they could be life or death for thousands of majestic creatures.
Thank you for making Giving Tuesday a success for wild horses. With your help, we hit our goal and unlocked our full $50,000 match!
The threats to wild horses have never been greater. But, with your help, 2018 has been one of our most successful years ever. Together, we succeeded in keeping slaughter prohibitions in the budget, protected wild mares from cruel sterilization procedures, and drew national attention to the cruel roundups across the West.
Thanks to your continued support, we’ll be able to keep up the fight wild horses and burros in the courtroom, in the halls of Congress, and in the field. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing all of the successes from the past year, and the fights still ahead.
Thank you for being with us as we continue to stand up for wild horses and burros.
-Team AWHC
PS – If you didn’t get a chance to donate yesterday, there’s still time to help make a difference! Click here to make a tax deductible donation to support America’s wild horses.
This year has been one of our most successful in history. We’ve beaten back attempts to strip slaughter protections from the budget, won injunctions against cruel sterilization experiments, and worked with legislators to strengthen protections for horses and public lands. We’ve sued the federal government to demand that they uphold the law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people to protect our wild horses and burros on our public lands.
We’ve accomplished so much this year — and we must continue to build on our success. Today is Giving Tuesday, and a generous donors has stepped up to MATCH every gift we receive up to $50,000 from now until midnight. Can you chip in now and have your impact DOUBLED?
We have ambitious plans for next year — keeping up our fights for wild horses and burros in the courtroom, in the halls of Congress, and in the field. We must prevent the sale of horses for slaughter, protect them from cruel, inhumane roundups, and ensure that their home on our public lands is secure.
This year has been one of our most successful in history. We’ve beaten back attempts to strip slaughter protections from the budget, won injunctions against cruel sterilization experiments, and worked with legislators to strengthen protections for horses and public lands. We’ve sued the federal government to demand that they uphold the law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people to protect our wild horses and burros on our public lands.
We’ve accomplished so much this year — and we must continue to build on our success. Today is Giving Tuesday, and a generous donors has stepped up to MATCH every gift we receive up to $50,000 from now until midnight. Can you chip in now and have your impact DOUBLED?
We have ambitious plans for next year — keeping up our fights for wild horses and burros in the courtroom, in the halls of Congress, and in the field. We must prevent the sale of horses for slaughter, protect them from cruel, inhumane roundups, and ensure that their home on our public lands is secure.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is proposing to destroy thousands of public records including those related to the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Progam. AWHC and other wild horse protection groups believe that many of these records are valuable to research and our advocacy and litigation work. Their destruction could significantly hamper our efforts to protect wild horses and burros. Please take action today.
Members of the AWHC team attended the Devil’s Garden wild horse sale and adoption event this weekend in Alturas, CA where 45 horses were placed. We have serious concerns about the safety and welfare of the horses in the pens in the Modoc National Forest under the management of the Modoc County Farm Bureau. While every person who took a horse appears to be a legitimate trainer or rescue, the remaining horses are far from safe, because in less than two months, the Forest Service plans to sell any horses for $1 a piece without limitation on slaughter. Read our firsthand account below.
Next week, the BLM helicopters will descend on the Silver King HMA in eastern Nevada, kicking off the winter roundup season. A total of 1,600 wild horses and burros have been targeted for removal over the next two months. Read on to find out what herds are being targeted.
We wanted to let you know that we have just received word that the Bureau of Land Management is dropping the controversial experiments to surgically remove the ovaries of wild mares in Oregon in response to our collaborative lawsuit with The Cloud Foundation, the Animal Welfare Institute and photographer Carol Walker!
We now hope that the agency will reconsider all plans to conduct this inhumane research and focus instead on humane, scientifically recommended forms of population management, including PZP fertility control.
We couldn’t have entered into this lawsuit without your support. Thank you for standing with us and our wild horses and burros.
The Forest Service’s roundup of the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory is ending this week, with the permanent removal of over 900 horses from their federally-designated habitat on our public lands in the Modoc National Forest. To date, thirteen horses have died, including one foal. In addition, three mares have miscarried, likely due to the trauma of the roundup. Seven of the horses euthanized after showing symptoms of pigeon fever, a contagious but generally non-fatal bacterial infection. Despite the outbreak, the Forest Service plans to hold an adoption/sales event next weekend. And, the Forest Service still intends to sell older horses by the truckload for $1 a piece without limitation on slaughter after 60 days. See the latest update on the Devil’s Garden roundup and speak up for these iconic horses by clicking below.
Late last week, we won a preliminary injunction to halt the BLM’s planned barbaric spay experiments in Oregon. The action was part of a lawsuit filed by AWHC, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and The Cloud Foundation aimed at blocking the BLM from performing risky and inhumane sterilization surgeries on wild Oregon mares recently captured from the Warm Springs Herd Management Area. The had BLM planned to begin the experiments this week. Learn more by clicking below.
Last night’s election results changed the playing field for many issues, including the fight to protect wild horses and burros. The power shift in the House of Representatives makes it extremely unlikely that the Interior Department’s agenda of mass roundups, sterilization and slaughter will become reality, but making proactive change in a divided Congress is going to take real work. Meanwhile, developments in states may open the door to driving change at the local level. Read about some key election results that have implications for wild horses and burros by clicking below.
Tell Congress to Pass Popular, Bipartisan Trails Bills!
As Congress returns for a final, “lame duck” session following the November 6 election, lawmakers have an opportunity to pass widely-supported, bipartisan legislation that promotes access to public lands for equine enthusiasts. The horse industry seeks to push two major trails bills across the finish line:
Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act (H.R. 6510/S. 3172) – The House Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously to pass H.R. 6510, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act, underscoring the bi-partisan support behind the bill. The House bill currently has 209 cosponsors. On the other side of the Capitol, Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have joined 33 senate colleagues to give momentum to the Restore Our Parks Act of 2018 (S. 3172). The Restore Our Parks Act (H.R. 6510/ S. 3172) will fund National Park Service trails maintenance projects by diverting energy development revenues to a new public lands restoration account.
Recreation Not Red Tape (RNR) Act – Since House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) introduced the RNR Act (H.R. 3400) in 2017, the chairman conducted a full committee hearing, resulting in passage of the legislation in April 2018. House leadership has the discretion to schedule a vote on H.R. 3400 before the end of the year. The legislation currently has 12 bipartisan co-sponsors. On the Senate side, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a companion bill, S. 1633, which has won bipartisan co-sponsorships from Sens. Donnelly (D-IN), Ernst (R-IA), Tester (D-MT) and King (I-ME). Although leadership has referred the bill to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, no hearings have been scheduled.
While the Restore Our Parks legislation has quickly gained significant support from lawmakers, the RNR Act has not gained as much traction. To put more horsepower into the bill, urge your lawmakers to co-sponsor the RNR Act. Please contact your lawmakers today, and urge them to pass these important bills before the end of the year.
This morning a federal judge in Oregon granted our request for a preliminary injunction to stop the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from proceeding with controversial experiments to surgically remove the ovaries of wild mares in Oregon. The experiments were set to begin this month. Due to the experimental design, which requires conducting the procedure on pregnant mares, the injunction effectively means that the research may not proceed for a year, if at all.
It was the second time this week that our attorneys were in federal court fighting against the government’s war on wild horses. And it’s the second time in two years that our legal action has stopped the BLM from proceeding with these cruel surgeries.
We’re pleased that Judge Michael W. Mosman recognized the strong public interest in humane treatment and protection of wild horses and we’re grateful to our co-plaintiffs — The Cloud Foundation and its Executive Director Ginger Kathrens, the Animal Welfare Institute and photographer Carol Walker for joining us in this fight!
It’s time for the the BLM to reconsider its plans to conduct this inhumane research and focus instead on humane, scientifically recommended forms of population management, including PZP fertility control.
This is an important first step in the fight against inhumane surgical sterilization of our wild horses and burros. We will continue to keep you updated.
Have a good weekend, and thanks for standing with us!
In an effort to continue our education mission, AWHC sent candidates running for federal and statewide office in Nevada, California, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon a survey to determine their stance on protecting wild horses and burros, as well as population and land management. We’d like to thank those who responded to the survey for their time in answering the questions, and hope that you find this information useful.
AWHC is a non-partisan organization and support for wild horse and burro protection comes from both sides of the political aisle. We urge our supporters to vote next Tuesday and hope that all candidates elected will respect the will of the American people to protect our iconic wild horses and burros on our Western public lands.
On Wednesday, outside of the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in Vallejo, California, 75-100 advocates protested the inhumane and illegal planned roundup and sale of the Devil’s Garden wild horses.
Thank you to everyone who came out! This protest was a huge moment in this fight to save wild horses from slaughter – and it’s a fight we can win.
Here’s everything we’re doing right now to secure protections for these horses:
Legal: We teamed up with the Animal Legal Defense Fund to file a lawsuit last week to block the sale of wild horses without restrictions on slaughter. Our legal team has been successfully litigating over the Devils Garden wild horses for five years. We’re confident we can win this latest case to protect wild horses from slaughter – with the right resources. Support our legal efforts!
Legislative: We’re working with both federal and state legislators to put a halt to this crisis and enforce protections for these horses. Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) has been joined by 22 other members of the California legislature in opposing the Forest Service’s cruel plans, and Senator Dianne Feinstein is working to end this abuse by the Forest Service. Help us keep up the fight.
Long term: Before this crisis began, AWHC was working with the Forest Service on a plan to introduce a humane, scientific pilot program for sustainable population management. Our PZP birth control program has proven to be a successful range management solution everywhere it’s been tried. Support our efforts to bring long-term, humane management to wild horses across the country.
Placement: We’ve created a Devil’s Garden Placement Assistance Fund to help support safe placement of Devils Garden horses. Chip in today!
If the U.S. Forest Service gets away with selling wild horses for slaughter, it will set a horrific precedent that will open the floodgates to slaughter of thousands of federally protected mustangs.
We won’t let it happen – and with your help, we’ll win this fight.
Thanks for standing with us, and with the Devil’s Garden horses.
