Nevada to Give Away Virginia Range Mustangs – Please Help!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Nevada’s beloved Virginia Range mustangs are in grave danger.
On Tuesday, the Nevada Board of Agriculture voted to direct the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) to transfer ownership of the estimated 3,000 Virginia Range horses to a private entity. The new “owner” would then have private “property rights” entitling them to do whatever they want with the horses, including send them to slaughter.
The Board’s vote defied the will of the public and business community, which turned out in force to oppose this dangerous giveaway. The only comment in favor of the plan was made “Protect the Harvest,” an organization whose top priority is legalizing the slaughter of America’s horses and burros.
For years, AWHC has worked to protect the Virginia Range horses. Through Cooperative Agreements with the State, we implemented the world’s largest humane birth control program and rescued over 240 horses from slaughter. Then on October 25, the NDA abruptly cancelled these agreements.
It’s clear that the good-old-boy cattlemen’s network is taking advantage of the horses’ legal vulnerability (the horses are not protected under federal law) to push their agenda of mustang roundup and slaughter.
We can’t – and won’t – let this stand. While we explore legal and political avenues to challenge this action, we need you to contact Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval – he has power to reverse his administration’s decision that jeopardizes the future of this historic herd.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Call Governor Sandoval: 775-684-5670 (Carson City) or 775-684-5683 (Las Vegas). Please tell him:
If you are from Nevada:
As a Nevadan, I ask Governor Sandoval to reverse the Board of Agriculture’s decision to give away the Virginia Range horses to a private entity. This would prevent the public from having a voice in the protection of these horses and allows the new owner to do what they want with them, including send them to slaughter. Please keep the horses under state jurisdiction and restore the cooperative agreements with the American Wild Horse Campaign that were providing for humane management and rescue of these horses that are part of our state’s history and culture.
If you are from outside of Nevada
As an American who travels for business and personal vacations in Nevada (or if applicable “As someone who visits Nevada as a tourist”), I urge Governor Sandoval to stop the transfer of ownership of the cherished Virginia Range horses to a private entity that will have the right to do what they want with them, including slaughter. I urge the Governor to reinstate the Cooperative Agreements with the American Wild Horse Campaign to provide for the humane management and rescue of Virginia Range horses and preserve this important tourism resource. I will not spend my tourism dollars in Nevada if the Governor proceeds with this giveaway.
2. Send the Governor an email by clicking here.
- In the webform, please select Agriculture from the drop down menu topic.
- You can base your email on the message above, or click here for more talking points.
3. Reach out to the Governor on Facebook and Twitter.
We’re not giving up on the Virginia Range horses and you can’t either. Please act today and stay tuned – we’ll get you the latest developments as they happen.
– The AWHC Team
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