BLM’s roundup program

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) may have grounded its helicopters for the 2022 wild horse foaling season, but thousands of burros are still stuck in the crosshairs starting next month.

We send humane observers to bear witness to these devastating roundups, and , they are reporting some recurring and upsetting themes; a significant lack of transparency from the BLM and its contractors during the operations and a concerning number of injuries and deaths.  

Today is the first email in a series where we’ll be sharing the costs and consequences of the BLM’s roundup program. Over the next few days, you’ll be hearing from us with observations from the field that highlight just why the BLM’s program urgently needs reform.

We’re using the documentation our team has accumulated to hold the BLM accountable. Will join us by calling for a Congressional oversight hearing on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program?

The massive roundup that ended earlier this year in Wyoming’s Checkerboard region resulted in the removal of an astounding 4,161 wild horses, making this the largest wild horse roundup in history. The toll was steep: 37 of these cherished animals lost their lives as a result of the helicopter roundup itself, while dozens more died in the holding pens in the month after the operation ended.

Our investigations, based on information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, have revealed that the BLM is dramatically under-reporting the mortality rate of helicopter roundups by excluding the deaths that occur in the holding pens days and weeks after the roundups end.

This is unacceptable. Wild horses are being chased to pure exhaustion in a run for their freedom and their lives. Far too many die after sustaining traumatic injuries such as broken limbs and necks.

Enough is enough. Congress must be presented with the reality of these roundups that we, the taxpayers, are paying for. Will you join us in calling on Congress to hold an oversight hearing on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program? Reform of this disastrous program is needed now more than ever.

Thanks for fighting alongside us,

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign