Three more roundups started last
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Within the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began a series of wild horse and burro helicopter roundups as it continues its summer roundup campaign, aiming to remove over 7,000 federally protected animals.
Photo of the White Mountain Herd by Nenah Demunster
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Wyoming’s White Mountain roundup began on August 15th. Our on-the-ground observer visited the White Mountain herd in the few days before the helicopters took off. She documented the beautiful mustang families living wild and free in the Herd Management Area (HMA), and who were unaware that in mere days, nearly 600 would be ripped from the only homes they’d ever known.
Tragically, almost every horse she saw in those last moments of freedom has now been captured. The south side of the HMA has been scraped clean. Every single band that has been known and documented for years has been permanently removed, every familiar face is gone. Now 536 wild horses have lost their freedom and 10 have lost their lives.
Oregon’s South Steens roundup began the same day. The BLM aims to capture 760 wild horses. So far, 574 animals have been rounded up and eight have died.
On August 18th, the Marietta Wild Burro Range helicopter roundup began as well. This Range is the nation’s first formally recognized range managed principally for wild burros and is home to an estimated population of 387 burros. This roundup will reduce the population by a staggering 75%.
Photo by Steve Paige
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These operations endanger the well-being of these innocent animals as well as the long-term viability of their herds. These cruel roundups often leave wild horses and burros traumatized. Young foals are separated from their mothers, horses and burros are often run to exhaustion, injuries are commonplace, and sometimes lives are tragically lost.
AWHC is on the ground at these roundups, in remote corners of the West, bringing firsthand reports from the frontlines of these roundups to share the stories of these wild horses. By raising awareness, we can drive change, and our observation program is the cornerstone of educating the public about the plight of our wild horses and burros.
As the BLM pushes ahead with these upcoming roundups, we’re preparing to deploy more observers to the field – but we need your support to ensure that they have the resources they need to continue this work. These iconic animals are counting on us to shine a light on the harsh reality of federal helicopter roundups. Can you chip in whatever you can afford to support our Observation Program today?
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Thank you,
Team AWHC