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.
Thanks to your support, the House Appropriations Committee just adopted language championed by AWHC calling for on-range management strategies of America’s cherished wild horses and burros. The Committee allocated $11 million in funding for humane, reversible fertility control vaccines as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget.
Additionally, the Committee called for several other key provisions that would help keep wild horses and burros on public lands where they belong and better safeguard the welfare of animals that are sold or adopted by federal agencies. These include:
Evaluating options for relocating wild horses and burros to different Herd Management Areas (HMAs) as an alternative to sending them to government holding facilities.
Reviewing the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) for any weaknesses that jeopardize the welfare of wild horses and burros placed into private care.
Partnering with veterans and wild horse organizations to assist in the implementation of a robust fertility control program.
Requiring the BLM to provide quarterly reports to Congress regarding how funds are spent and performance metrics.
The Committee also addressed concerns about wild horses and burros under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) by emphasizing the importance of implementing adequate screening procedures for adopters and purchasers of these animals. The USFS currently lacks safeguards to protect wild horses and burros it rounds up and removes from their habitats on USFS lands. This, paired with sale prices as low as $25 a horse, raises serious concerns that USFS wild horses could end up in the slaughter pipeline or face other inhumane outcomes.
We are incredibly grateful for the concrete steps Congress has taken toward reforming the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program over the past two years. This is a result of your unrelenting advocacy, and it marks important progress in the fight to protect these iconic animals.
At the same time, the bill proposes increased overall funding for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program — although $6 million less than what the Committee proposed last year. We must continue to press the BLM to use any additional funding to improve its program by reducing inhumane removals and addressing shortcomings in its holding system, where 60,000 wild horses and burros are confined and where disease outbreaks have claimed the lives of 159 wild horses so far this year.
This isn’t the last step in the congressional appropriations process, so stay tuned for more updates!
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!
I wanted to contact you today because you are a supporter of AWHC who takes a lot of action on behalf of wild horses and burros!
AWHC is starting a volunteer legislative advocacy team and we are looking for reliable people who may be interested in helping with us in a leadership role.
The purpose of the Volunteer Ambassador Program is to have AWHC volunteers in each Congressional District to give a voice for our iconic wild horses and burros and bring awareness to their plight.
If you are interested, please complete this application and return to volunteer@americanwildhorsecampaign.org. We are actively recruiting volunteers who have drive and interest in helping with our policy and legislative initiatives.
Thank you for your continued support of wild horses and burros!
Michele Patterson
Grassroots and Advocacy Manager, AWHC
You’ve heard a lot from us recently about our Rescue Fund and the work we’re doing with our on-the-ground partners to provide lifesaving care to foals abandoned on the range, mustangs dumped in kill pens, and other innocent wild horses and burros who found themselves in need of help across the West.
You also heard that we set an ambitious goal of $15,000 to replenish the resources of our Fund to assist rescue operations and field veterinary, feed, and formula costs. Well, I’m happy to report that we raised above and beyond our goal!
From all of us at AWHC, thank you so much for your generosity and dedication to protecting America’s wild herds.
Every single dollar of our Rescue Fund goes right back into caring for foals, supporting our partners and rescuing these animals from the most vulnerable of circumstances. These donations 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!
Over the past few days, you’ve heard all about how our Rescue Fund has helped rescue and support some of the most vulnerable baby foals from Nevada’s Virginia Range.
While foal rescues are a critical part of our work, they aren’t the only thing our Rescue Fund’s resources go towards! Another incredibly important aspect of our Rescue Fund is offering financial support to on-the-ground rescue organizations to help get wild horses and burros of all ages out of kill pens AND support their continued care after they’ve been rescued.
Just this month, we sponsored the feed, veterinary care, and farrier bills for three beautiful mustang mares and their babies who found safe haven at Oklahoma-based rescue organization RJF Equine after being rescued from various kill pens across the West. Meet the mares and their babies:
Uno and her baby!
Uno is a beautiful pinto mare from the US Forest Service-managed Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in California. She was born wild and free in 2018 but was soon rounded up by the agency and sent to a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding facility. From there, she was adopted through the disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) and arrived at a kill pen soon after her adopter received the full incentive payment. When RJF Equine saved her from slaughter, she was pregnant and soon gave birth to a beautiful appaloosa baby!
Duo’s baby Gemini
Duo is a stunning bay mare also from the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory. Like Uno, she was pregnant when RJF Equine rescued her from a kill pen, and was able to give birth to a beautiful baby named Gemini.
Trinity and her three-day-old filly
Trinity and her adorable foal are RJF Equine’s most recent kill pen rescues! Thanks to the rescue’s swift action, this sweet filly gets to grow up strong and healthy by her mother’s side and the pair are safe from the horrific fate of slaughter.
We’re honored to work alongside and support our rescue partners, like RJF Equine, that do so much to save our beloved mustangs and burros from danger. And we couldn’t be more grateful for our other partner in these rescues — you.
With just a few hours to go until midnight, I wanted to make sure I updated you on our progress:
Right now, we’re just $1,216 away from hitting our $15,000 Rescue Fund goal! That is truly astonishing progress, but as you know, to make the maximum impact for these vulnerable animals, we need to raise the full amount.
What does hitting this $15,000 goal mean? It gives us the resources to be ready the next time a wild horse or burro is up for purchase at a slaughter auction or a foal is found in critical condition on the range.
Your support drives just how many rescues we are able to power. So, with just a few hours until midnight, I’m asking if you’ll chip in so we can better support the on-the-ground organizations doing the hard work of rescuing these innocent animals and creating a safe, happy, and secure environment for them. Will you contribute to help us reach our $15,000 goal?
Our Rescue Fund powers a variety of critically important work from providing lifesaving medical care to foals on the range to even outbidding kill buyers at slaughter auctions to protect victims of the BLM’s failed Adoption Incentive Program. But no matter how many rescues we fund, just know that this work is only possible because of supporters like you, Meredith.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to one of the recent rescues, a sweet long-legged boy named Ranger who was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range:
Ranger’s story begins when at just two days old, he got mixed into the wrong band and was separated from his mother. Once this was reported to a local organization, Wild Horse Connection (WHC), they called the Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) rescue team to the area. The skilled rescue crew was thankfully able to secure him. The team tried to reunite him with his family, as they were still very near, but his mother would not come to him, and the stallion kept chasing him away.
After attempts to reunite them failed, LRTC rescue members gave Ranger a critical supplement to ensure he received colostrum, and they transported him to LBL Equine Rescue. Unfortunately, after several hours he began to show signs of intestinal distress. He was rushed to the emergency vet, where he tested positive for an infection and had to be hospitalized for a week while he received lifesaving antibiotics. But little Ranger recovered, and was released back to LBL Equine Rescue!!
Here at AWHC, we partner with local rescue organizations like WHC, LBL Equine Rescue, and LRTC to fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals on the Virginia Range. Your support enables us to help these organizations with funding to make sure no foal is left behind.
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.
During the event, we’ll be showing a series of documentaries featuring our beloved wild horses with an expert panel discussion to follow! Hear from our distinguished speakers:
Greg Hendricks is Director of Field Operations for the American Wild Horse Campaign. As an avid wild horse advocate, he has worked to support the Prison Adoption Program in Carson City from which he has adopted two wonderful mustangs. He also represents Wild Horses & Burros for the Bureau of Land Management’s Sierra Front N.W. Great Basin Resource Advisory Council.
Erik Molvar is the Executive Director of the Western Watersheds Project. He is a wildlife biologist with published research in the behavior, ecology, and population dynamics of Alaskan moose as well as large-scale conservation planning. He spent 13 years as a conservation advocate and later Executive Director of Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, and led WildEarth Guardians’ Sagebrush Sea Campaign for three years.
Erick Lundgren is a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, receiving his PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. His work primarily focuses on novel ecosystems or communities composed of both introduced and native species. Most of his research focuses on large herbivores, in particular equids, in which he has shown remarkable ecological processes hidden by notions of ‘naturalness’.
Scott Wilson is a landscape photographer of 20 years and team member of the American Wild Horse Campaign. Scott was recently named Open Photographer of the Year in the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards and also brought home the Natural World & Wildlife Award for “Anger Management,” which depicts a wild Colorado mustang kicking up a dust-storm.
Kris Thompson is a leader in the Reno area business community. He is the Project Manager of the Tahoe Reo Industrial Center which encompasses 1/3 of the Virginia Range horse habitat in Reno, NV and is President of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center General Improvement District. Kris is a member of the Storey County Planning Commission and is a retired army cornel who commanded combat troops in Desert Storm and other conflicts.
Our cherished wild horses capture the American public’s imagination like no other animal. The image of magnificent mustangs running wild on the vast open range embodies the best of America, our independent and free spirit.
While technically protected by federal law, wild horses and burros continue to face constant threats, diminishing their chances of survival in the West. In just the last year alone, some of the largest wild horse helicopter roundups in recent history have occurred and will continue into 2022.
Our team is leading the way to protect these iconic animals and the western public lands where they roam.
Our cherished wild horses capture the American public’s imagination like no other animal. The image of magnificent mustangs running wild on the vast open range embodies the best of America, our independent and free spirit.
While technically protected by federal law, wild horses and burros continue to face constant threats, diminishing their chances of survival in the West. In just the last year alone, some of the largest wild horse helicopter roundups in recent history have occurred and will continue into 2022.
Our team is leading the way to protect these iconic animals and the western public lands where they roam.
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.
Recently, AWHC Communications Director Grace Kuhn was on a television segment for TBS’ Full Frontal with Samantha Bee to talk about how billion-dollar corporations are major players in public lands livestock grazing …all at the expense of the American taxpayer and wild horses.
That’s right: Giant corporations actually represent the 20 largest grazing permit holders on public lands. This industry is consistently lobbying to round up and stockpile wild horses and burros so more of their livestock can graze at below market rates, thanks to tax subsidies.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop at ranching either. Simplot Livestock, which operates the taxpayer-funded Bruneau wild horse holding corrals in Idaho, is operated by J.R. Simplot Company, the extended family of J.R. Simplot, who until his death in 2008 was one of Forbes’ four hundred richest Americans.
In order to create public education campaigns and continue our essential work in the field, we rely almost entirely on contributions from folks like you who know the importance of protecting our wild horses and burros.
With who we’re going up against — the powerful livestock lobby — your support is always needed!
Our investigations team is continuing to dig into this program and its players, and we hope to bring to light how wild horses and burros are being eradicated from Western public lands all in the name of profit.
