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BLM helicopter roundups

September is World Animal Remembrance Month, and this is how we’re commemorating >>

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

September is World Animal Remembrance Month – a time dedicated to honoring the memory of animals who are no longer with us.

In that spirit, we here at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) would like to commemorate all of the wild horses and burros who have lost their lives or their freedom this year as a result of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) cruel and inhumane helicopter roundups.

As an homage to these iconic animals, will you join us in standing up to the BLM by signing on to our pledge committing to fight for our precious wild horses and burros?

SIGN ON

In 2022, over 15,000 wild horses and burros have been captured through BLM helicopter roundups so far. Stripped of their freedom and crammed into overcrowded holding pens, these innocent animals have been subjected to injuries, diseases, and even death.

Our investigation team also discovered that hundreds of the captured wild horses and burros have been funneled to kill pens through the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP). While the AIP, which pays adopters $1,000 per adopted BLM horse or burro, is meant to give these animals a permanent home, the sad reality is that the program is being abused by individuals scheming to make a quick buck off our beloved wild horses and burros.

These sweet animals don’t deserve to endure the mistreatment and abuse they suffer thanks to the BLM’s cruel mismanagement. Our mission at AWHC is to keep them in the wild where they can live safely and freely – where they belong. We fight every day towards that goal, but we need you in this fight with us.

So in honor of World Animal Remembrance Month, can you sign on to our pledge to use your voice on behalf of all the wild horses and burros out there who can’t speak up for themselves?

SIGN ON

Thank you,

AWHC Team

URGENT: Less than 10 days until the BLM’s next set of roundups begin

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

This summer, we’ve been keeping you up to date with the latest information regarding our cherished wild horses and burros and the brutal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) helicopter removals many have endured. While the final August roundup in the Frisco Herd Management Area (HMA) in Utah will soon come to a close, the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service are planning to start three more roundups in less than 10 days (!!)

Wild horses and burros have been under immense pressure from the BLM’s relentless roundups – and to hold the BLM accountable for this mismanagement and abuse, we’ve had AWHC observers at nearly every operation to document the terror and danger these innocent animals are facing. According to our records, at least 65 wild mustangs and burros have been killed in BLM helicopter roundups in just two recent roundups, including at least 15 young foals.

Now, in less than 10 days time, the BLM and the Forest Service are planning to launch three new helicopter capture operations in the South Steens HMA in Oregon, the Calico Complex in Nevada, and the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in California.

The BLM is planning to remove over 1,400 horses from the Calico Complex alone.

That means more foals could perish. Terrified stallions could be severely injured trying to escape the traps. More horses and burros could be exposed to dangerous infectious diseases from being crammed into overcrowded holding facilities after their capture.

These beloved animals deserve better than this, Meredith. They deserve to live free in the wild where they belong. That’s why we work day in and day out to fight for wild horses and burros across the West. But we need your help to keep going.

Your support is what allows us to fight back in every way possible to protect the rights and lives of these precious animals. Can you make a donation right now to help us continue our fight in the field, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect wild horses and burros, Meredith?

DONATE

Thank you for standing with us in this fight,

— American Wild Horse Campaign

Wild horses and burros are under attack like never before

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Over the past month, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has waged an unprecedented assault on wild horses and burros throughout the West. We’ve had observers onsite at the roundups to document the inhumanity of the BLM’s helicopter roundups – and what we’ve seen is utterly heartbreaking.

At least 64 innocent wild horses and burros have been killed in BLM helicopter roundups in California and Nevada. 31 of these deaths took place at the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA) alone, including 11 foals. Several of these foals died suddenly upon arriving at temporary holding centers while others later succumbed to injuries they sustained while trying to escape the helicopters or in the temporary holding pens.

Twin Peaks. Steve Paige/American Wild Horse Campaign

As if the deaths of these poor, innocent foals isn’t bad enough, the BLM also euthanized multiple horses between the ages of 20 and 30 years old simply due to their older age. Several of these horses were considered healthy, but were still put down citing “partial blindness.”

These deaths during the Twin Peaks roundup highlight just how cruel the BLM’s “management tactics” truly are. Sadly, we are seeing similarly egregious deaths at several other roundups as well.

  • At the Triple B Complex roundup, 20 wild horses have died so far – including 4 foals and two horses who suffered broken necks.
  • At the Blue Wing Complex roundup, 14 wild horses and burros died and over 1,000 were captured.
  • And at the Bible Springs Complex roundup (which is still ongoing), 224 wild horses have been captured so far resulting in at least one death.

Meredith, how many more of these precious animals must die before enough is enough? The BLM must be forced to change its practices, or more and more wild horses and burros will meet the same tragic fate. That’s why we refuse to give up until these cruel helicopter roundups end for good. We are fighting back every day – whether that’s in the courts, out on the field, or in the halls of Congress.

But we can’t win this fight without your support. Your generosity is what funds our humane observers at roundups, fuels our legal battles, and drives our advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and in key western states. So please, stand with us in this fight to save the lives of America’s wild horses and burros and make helicopter roundups a thing of the past with a donation today. >>

DONATE

Thank you for helping us keep up the fight.

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director 
American Wild Horse Campaign