I am willing to fight for these kids, but they NEED YOU TO HAVE A CHANCE! IT TAKES OUR WHOLE CHILLY PEPPER FAMILY!
Granny DOES NOT need to be loaded onto a slaughter truck. She is in horrific shape, but too cute in spite of it all.
We were notified of the catcher’s running and have at least 2 babies, as well as the pony with the face that is now distorted. Her eyes are no longer level, her face seems to be twisted and we know she has a head and eye injury.
I am on the way to get Evie all fixed up, (had to wait for my truck to be ready), and in the middle of the trip received the 911 call. (Throwing out a quick plea for help from the LQ.)
WILL YOU HELP US SAVE ALL OF THEM?Obviously Granny needs alot of help, and hopefully she has no debilitating issues that will keep her from a happy life.
YOU decide if we can save them all! Thank you for always being there and saving so many lives. Let’s give these beautiful souls the love and care they deserve! They are counting on us.
It is so frustrating to have to continually be trying to raise funds, but what is even more frustrating are the calls that NEVER STOP, and the lives that are continually thrown away. So we do what we have to do. THANK YOU for stepping up and running this race to save them with me!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
This week marks the halfway point of summer, the third week of roundup season, and the end of foaling season with many baby foals taking their first steps on wild ranges across the Western United States.
We’re working around the clock to make sure those first steps are free, but our wild horses still have a long road ahead.
We’re like to share some small, but meaningful, actions you can take this weekend that will go a long way in helping us keep up the fight for our beloved wild horses and burros:
TAKE ACTION: Tell the BLM to Humanely Manage Utah’s Wild Horses!
Deadline July 27. TAKE ACTION now:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a 10-year roundup plan for the mustangs that live within the Confusion Herd Management Area (HMA).
The BLM estimates that just 551 wild horses live on the roughly 235,000 acres of public lands approximately 30 miles north from Garrison, Utah. However, the BLM wants to reduce the population to just 70 horses.
That’s one horse for every 3,350 acres! At the same time, the BLM authorizes approximately 10,400 cattle and sheep to graze in four grazing allotments within the HMA.
Under the Proposed Action, the BLM plans to:
Reduce the Confusion wild horse population by 87% through the permanent removal of 481 wild horses
Apply untested, inhumane surgical sterilization procedures on mares released back to the HMA; including the brutal ovariectomy via colpotomy method
Geld a portion of the stallions making them non-reproducing and destroying their natural behaviors
A quick update about last week’s House Appropriations Committee hearing:
We were disappointed when the Committee voted to move the Interior spending bill on to the full House for a vote without the amendment to rein in BLM wild horse roundups, or prohibit the cruel surgical sterilization of wild horses.
The news is not all bad, however: The bill passed out of Committee continues the ban on slaughtering wild horses and burros under the jurisdiction of the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service, and rejects the Administration’s request for a budget increase of $13.5 million on top of the $102 million appropriated last year. We will have many opportunities over the coming months — including when the Senate weighs in on the agency’s plan for wild horse management — to continue to push for meaningful reform of the cruel and costly BLM Wild Horse and Burro Roundup Program as Congress continues the appropriations process this year.
We will keep you updated on opportunities to encourage Congress to hold the BLM’s feet to the fire, but in the interim it’s important to celebrate the efforts of our champions in Congress who have been leading the charge to curb the roundups and institute more humane management methods.
It’s important to let our elected officials who are standing up for America’s wild horses and burros know how much we appreciate their continued efforts!
VIDEO: Summer on the Range
It’s warming up and just like us, these wild horses are using every excuse to cool down!
Nevada, Arizona, and Utah are home to thousands of wild and free horses, who are thoroughly enjoying themselves with some play time in the water… take a watch, and live vicariously through our treasured wild horses for a couple of beautiful minutes:
From the AWHC family, we hope you get to have a little summer fun with your herd!
You Can Help Horses With Your Morning Coffee!
Did you know that you can support wild horses with a cup of coffee? Wild Grounds is our Cause Coffee, and 20% of every package sold comes directly back to our work at the AWHC! We approached Thanksgiving Coffee with the concept for Wild Grounds as a way to generate much-needed funds for our work, and also to support their work fighting for economic and environmental justice for coffee farmers. Needless to say, Thanksgiving Coffee joined our cause right away!
This isn’t just any coffee, it’s “A Just Cup.” That’s the message of Thanksgiving Coffee, the roaster behind Wild Grounds. They have been roasting coffee since 1972, and are one of the country’s pioneering socially and environmentally progressive roasters.
Order a Just Cup today… it feels good and tastes delicious! Order now and 20% will benefit our work at AWHC
In case you need additional incentives: Thanksgiving Coffee was named Time Magazine’s 2017 Roaster of the Year, won a Good Food Award in 2019, and received a 96 point score from Coffee Review in May… so you can enjoy a great cup of coffee, while doing good work for wild horses. A win-win for the horses, and for you.
A big thank you for all that you continue to do to keep our wild horses, free. We hope you enjoy your weekend — may we suggest a frolic in the water, a strong cup of coffee, and some time with your herd of choice!
— The whole team at the American Wild Horse Campaign
For 15 long days now, America’s iconic wild horses have been under attack.
The scenes we’ve witnessed already are truly heartbreaking: America’s wild horses chased down by helicopters for miles in the scorching summer heat. Frantic mares separated from their terrified foals, roughly captured, and held for several hours without any food.
Photos taken by our field rep on July 4. He nicknamed the brave mare “Lady Liberty” and her terrified foal, “Baby Sam,” after witnessing the heartbreaking scene of their separation and capture at the Range Creek roundup.
AS WE WRITE, our field representative is onsite at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) roundup at the Swasey Herd Management Area in Utah, which began today. It’s the second assault on Utah’s wild horses this month. Right now, BLM helicopters are stampeding wild horses, including tiny foals, driving them into traps and forever robbing these majestic mustangs of their freedom.
Our wild horses and burros are in for a long, cruel summer as the BLM rounds up and removes MORE THAN 5,000 of them from public lands in Utah, Colorado and Nevada by the end of September. And the agency is already laying the groundwork to extend these roundups into the fall and next year. We must take action to protect them, Erica.
Let’s take a quick look at the situation on the ground so far this roundup season:
TODAY, BLM helicopters descended on the Swasey Herd Management area in Utah. The goal? To round up and permanently remove 550 horses and reduce the population to just 100 horses on public lands where over 12,000 sheep graze each year.
On July 1, the BLM began the roundup and removal of wild horses from the Range Creek HMA. The first several days of the operation were closed to public viewing as the trap site was located on private lands and the property owner refused permission, but our field representative was there to document and observe the roundup scenes as soon as permitted. You can READ the day-by-day account, and see the heartbreaking scenes for yourself, here.
In August, the BLM plans to continue the assault on Utah’s wild horses with the roundup and removal of 500 wild horses from the Sulphur HMA.
Also in August, the BLM will turn its sights to Nevada, where the agency intends to roundup and remove an astounding 1,600 wild horses and 200 burros from the Shawave HMA located 50 miles northeast of Reno.
Then in September, the BLM will wrap up its summer roundup season with a massive roundup in Nevada’s Diamond Complex, targeting nearly 1,200 wild horses for permanent removal from their homes on our public lands.
This outdated approach to population management is not only unscientific, it’s cruel and inhumane. We are working hard to change this — in Congress, in the courts and in the field by showing that humane management works. We need YOU more than ever to keep showing up, speaking up, and supporting our work. Together, we will do everything in our power to protect America’s wild horses.
Thank you for your support, Erica. Our wild horses — and their continued freedom — depends on all of us.
THANK YOU for helping us keep her off the slaughter truck.
However, EVIE’s needs are just beginning. She is now safe at our friend Mama Mel’s, and as soon as my truck is ready I will be heading up there. Right now she is slowly decompressing and this is where we start her recovery.
Y’all covered her rescue, but we are expecting some big vet bills. We need to do x-rays, and I am extremely worried about all the twisting in her legs. Getting pix of all her feet, sedating her for x-rays & trimming and hiring a qualified trimmer will add up. (She is unhandled as far as I know. That is the information I was given.) Then we still have to get bloodwork, a Coggins & health certificate and bring this beautiful lady home!!
There are less expensive ways to get her x-rays and get her trimmed. However, there is no way I am having her roped and thrown on the ground and hogtied. Sedation is more expensive by far, but no one will be putting this beautiful girl through any type of rodeo. She has obviously been through heck and from here forward she will know only love.
We have no guarantees of her viability, but for now she is loved and will be treated with the utmost care and kindness.
THANK YOU to everyone who has stepped up to help get her to this point, but sadly she still needs more help.
Again, we are on the front line and have to save them now. You don’t get to choose “how many”. It’s ALL OR NOTHING!! Thank you for helping us continue saving lives.
Below, EVELYN SAYS THANK YOU!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
A TRULY HEARTBREAKING 911! Meet EVELYN. (Evie for short). SHE NEEDS US NOW!!
Look at those horrific feet. Can you even imagine how much pain she is in?
Can you see her forced into the slaughter trailer? Being jostled and shoved around while the other terrified horses tripped & stepped on her feet? It would be a miracle if she even survived the trip to the slaughter house without being knocked down or having her ankle broken.
She needs your help RIGHT NOW! We HAVE to save her and keep her out of the slaughter pipeline. The clock is ticking and I need to commit. WILL YOU HELP ME SAVE HER?
Sadly, Evelyn’s outcome may not be what we want. She will require x-rays to see if her coffin bones have twisted. I am praying she will be ok. She certainly deserves every chance. Worst case scenario we are rescuing her for humane euthanasia. However, we have seen LOTS OF MIRACLES! Either way, she cannot get on that slaughter trailer.
So please, let’s save this beautiful lady. She obviously has not been shown any kind of love or care. The abuse stops today. Thrown away like garbage, let’s give her a miracle.
PLEASE HELP NOW!!
Again, we are on the front line and have to save them now. You don’t get to choose “how many”. It’s ALL OR NOTHING!! Thank you for helping us continue saving lives.
Below, EVELYN SAYS THANK YOU!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
We wanted give you a quick update about this morning’s hearing in Congress.
Unfortunately, the House Appropriations Committee voted to move the Interior spending bill on to the full House for a vote without the amendment to rein in BLM wild horse roundups. We’re disappointed that the Committee turned its back on requests made by senior appropriator Marcy Captor (D-OH) and House Natural Resource Committee Chair Raúl Grijlava to require the BLM to implement humane fertility control and to ban brutal surgical sterilization procedures on wild horses and burros.
The news is not all bad, however: The bill passed out of Committee does continue the ban on slaughtering wild horses and burros under the jurisdiction of the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service, and it rejected the Administration’s request for a budget increase of $13.5 million on top of the $102 million appropriated last year.
The report accompanying the bill indicates that the Committee believes that the BLM’s plan for wild horse management lacks sufficient detail and suggests that members will be working with the Senate on satisfactory language. This presents another opportunity for AWHC and our supporters to hold Congress’ feet to the fire regarding the need to force the BLM to reform its unsustainable and inhumane wild horse and burro roundup program.
The upshot is: Stay ready — they’ll be more opportunities soon to make our voices heard!
— The AWHC Team
*Original email below*
Tomorrow, the House Appropriations Committee will vote on the FY 2021 Interior Appropriations bill. This bill will fund the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Wild Horse and Burro Program and determine whether limits are placed on the agency’s mass roundup plan for America’s mustangs.
You are in a unique position to influence this legislation because your Representative and/or Senator is on the Appropriations Committee that will vote on this bill. We have one day — TODAY — to push Congress to add critical language to the bill before it’s too late.
If passed in its current form, the bill would allocate $102.6 million for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program. This is a 27% increase over 2019 budget levels.
Several key members of Congress have requested that language be included in this bill to require the BLM to implement PZP fertility control to humanely manage wild horses and burros in the wild and to prohibit surgical sterilization, including the brutal ovariectomy via colpotomy procedure.
Currently, this language is not in the bill, but it could be added via an amendment to the House bill during the full committee hearing Friday. Since the Senate bill is still pending, there’s still time to convince Senators to incorporate this language in its version of the Interior spending bill.
There’s a lot at stake — if Congress doesn’t put the brakes on the BLM, the agency will round up as many as 90,000 wild horses and burros from public lands over the next five years — that’s every horse and burro living free today and more!
THANK YOU – Y’all saved another 9 orphans, plus “Wire cut” and Sidny”. (Yes she spells it that way.)
I have now have 18 sitting in front of me, waiting to be vetted and taken home . (12 babies, 1 old pony, 1 mare, 4 big wild geldings).
We still need more help to get these horses vetted tomorrow, and the beautiful Sidny needs xrays. She is in pain and we need the vet to assess her and make sure she is ok. Her knees are in absolutely horrific condition. “Wire Cut”, aka MACY also needs extra vet care. At this moment she is covered in Hives. Several of the others are limping badly and also need extra vetting. These kids are in rough shape.
We need to buy more milk, grain, hay etc. & pay for transporting, etc. etc.
Thankfully all the horses are paid for and the Fabulous Four have their Coggins already drawn and paid for.
Sadly, each group that comes in is thinner than the rest.Some of the local ranchers told me they have even sold their cattle due to the fact there is little to no feed out there. The change in these babies from the last group is tremendous. They are exhausted, skinny and many are extremely sore and barely moving.
Please help us get what we need to provide the best rehab and care for these precious kids. You “saved them”, so now the real work can begin.
It is simply “THAT TIME OF YEAR” when we have to ask for help almost daily. You can see whose lives you are saving and y’all know where your money goes. THANK YOU for saving the TERRIFIC TEN, but now we need to save these babies and I have to commit asap! PLEASE DONATE NOW AND HELP US SAVE THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! LET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE THIS 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND. FREEDOM AND LIFE!!
Again, we are on the front line and have to save them now. You don’t get to choose “how many”. It’s ALL OR NOTHING!! Thank you for helping us continue saving lives.
These horses and the babies need help now!
Thank you.
My sad little pony shown below.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
President Trump has nominated the fox to guard the henhouse.
Last Friday, Trump announced his plan to move forward with his nomination of Acting Director William Perry Pendley to Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
Let’s take a look at why this poses the greatest threat to our wild horses and burros in decades:
Pendley has said that wild horses were the “biggest existential threat” to public lands, even though horses only live on approximately 12% of BLM lands.
He has falsely claimed that managing wild horses non-lethally would require more than $5 billion.
Pendley’s career to date has been spent fighting to sell off public lands to private industry. While at the BLM, Pendley has stepped up efforts to undermine environmental laws like the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act, which protects public lands from unrestricted oil and gas development, mining operations and livestock grazing.
Recently, under Pendley, the BLM delivered to Congress a billion-dollar plan to cull federally protected wild horse and burro herds by 70% by rounding up 80,000 mustangs and burros from public lands over the next five years.
It’s pretty clear where Pendley’s interests are vested and it’s NOT with our public lands and wild horses:
Pendley knows exactly what he’s doing. By putting an outrageously high price tag on humane management of wild horses and burros, he’s laying the groundwork to make the case that non-lethal management of wild horses is too expensive and that slaughter is the only option. We can’t let this happen. Join us in telling Congress to say NO to confirming Pendley as Director of the BLM.
Acting Director Pendley is peddling a profit-motivated attack campaign against wild horses — but we see through his lies. Not only is he advocating for the mass removal and sterilization of horses, he’s actively defending — and has spent his career in the pockets of — the real threats to our public lands:
Wild horses are facing one of the biggest threats in a lifetime, and we need to do everything we can to keep them safe and wild. Pendley has initiated a propaganda campaign against wild horses, which includes creating a fake crisis in order to convince Congress that non-lethal management of wild horses is too expensive. For this reason, we are asking you to take action today to protect wild horses from Pendley’s grips.
Thank you for taking action today to keep our wild horses safe and free.
American Wild Horse Campaign
PS — As William Pendley’s confirmation process rolls ahead, the agency he heads is charging ahead with its unprecedented summer assault against our beloved wild horses and burros. Beginning today, BLM helicopters will descend on remote regions of the West to stampede and capture 5,000 federally-protected wild horses and burros by September 30.
Our team is all hands on deck to fight back all summer long against this assault — with volunteers in the field, with lawsuits, with every advocacy tool at our disposal — but to do this, we need your help. Will you pitch in to our Roundup Fund today?
Folks came through at the last minute to help us save the 4 beautiful geldings. In addition to the 4 orphans and the big boys, y’all saved an injured mare called “wire cut” and a pony with horrific feet. YOU SAVED THEM – THANK YOU!!!
We are right in the middle of this rescue, and bam, the phone rings and we are on “emergency go mode’. We barely squeaked through to save the Terrific Ten, and now we need to save more. We are looking at another 8 minimum IF WE GET FUNDS TO SAVE THEM!
The big guys got their blood drawn for their Coggins today. I am heading out tomorrow to prep for the new babies and pick up the horses in WA that are heading to NV.
It is simply “THAT TIME OF YEAR” when we have to ask for help almost daily. You can see whose lives you are saving and y’all know where your money goes. THANK YOU for saving the TERRIFIC TEN, but now we need to save these babies and I have to commit asap! PLEASE DONATE NOW AND HELP US SAVE THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! LET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE THIS 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND. FREEDOM AND LIFE!!
Again, we are on the front line and have to save them now. You don’t get to choose “how many”. It’s ALL OR NOTHING!! Thank you for helping us continue saving lives.
These horses and the babies need help now!
Thank you.
The TERRIFIC TEN!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
UPDATE – We have 2 orphan foals safe at Mel’s, and have enough money to save ONE of the 4.
I am hoping the Pandemic is not the reason and that this will NOT be the first time we couldn’t save the kids we are fundraising for.
It takes roughly $3,000 to save the 3 remaining geldings. (Apparently they are closer to 4 years old.)
This includes Bail, Vetting, Transportation, and that just gets them to safety. They still need care and feed until they are adopted, and I have to pay board on them once they are rescued until they are picked up.
I am praying this will not be a situation where I need to choose who lives or who dies. I cannot “pick” one or two to save and leave the others to die. This has never happened before. I know things are tight and the world is upside down. I just wanted to let everyone know where we are.
I was told if we are lucky we may have until Tuesday. It can change in a moment. If they are not saved they can be loaded at any time. We were asked to help save them, so that is what we are trying to do.
Thank you everyone who donated to save the others.
So much for a break…. (I apologize if you get this twice – having computer issues)
UPDATE – So far we have 2 babies and have been able to raise enough money to save 1 out of the 4 geldings. We got a reprieve, and still have a couple days to raise funds for the last 3. I know I certainly don’t want to have to pick which ones we save and who dies.
TRAPPER AND SHIPPER CALLED TODAY! These 4 youngsters’ need saved now! “TIME HAS RUN OUT”. Once again I need to act on faith. We simply cannot let them ship to slaughter. They are babies, approximately 2 years old?
(Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, but that was all I had.) I was notified that they will be shipping asap.
On top of that there are orphan foals coming in tonight.
Again, we are on the front line and have to save them now. Thank you for helping us continue saving lives.
These horses and the babies need help now!
Thank you.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
So much for a break…. (I apologize if you get this twice – having computer issues)
TRAPPER AND SHIPPER CALLED TODAY! These 4 youngsters’ need saved now! “TIME HAS RUN OUT”. Once again I need to act on faith. We simply cannot let them ship to slaughter. They are babies, approximately 2 years old?
(Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, but that was all I had.) I was notified that they will be shipping asap.
On top of that there are orphan foals coming in tonight.
Again, we are on the front line and have to save them now. Thank you for helping us continue saving lives.
These horses and the babies need help now!
Thank you.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Thank you so much for your wonderful love and support. Your donations have saved so many lives and make it possible to keep our “special needs” critters safe and happy.
Y’all have made such a difference for so many innocent animals.
I wanted to take a quick minute (while I had a chance before the next big emergency), to just stop and say “THANK YOU” for all you do!
I realize I am always sending out “911”s, but that is what Chilly Pepper deals with. We never have time to calmly plan out our rescues. Time is ALWAYS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, and I cannot thank you enough for always stepping up and making sure we can save these beautiful souls.
Above is Destiny. Thanks to you, a lot of prayers, TLC and the magical French Clay, she has only the tiniest scar!
Big hugs and appreciation!
Palomino
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
They are in a safe, temporary place while their custom facility is being finished. Pick up should be in about 10 days.
Our AC (adoption coordinator) received a call from a wonderful and very “horsey” family that was looking for a mare & foal.
God blessed this pair with our amazing donors and their wonderful new home. A far cry from Mama and baby being ripped apart n Mom being brutally slaughtered.
THANK YOU FOR SAVING THEM.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Last year, Congress awarded the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program a $21 million budget increase – but specified that the funding would not become available until 60 days after the BLM submitted a report to Congress outlining its plans for the future management of America’s wild horses and burros.
That report was delivered five weeks ago, and it’s as bad as we feared: Roundup and removal of 18,000-20,000 wild horses and burros per year… tripling the number of wild horses and burros warehoused in off-range holding facilities… reducing wild herds by 70% to near extinction levels….use of dangerous and gruesome sterilization surgeries as a management tool.
And the kicker? A billion-dollar price tag just for the first five years!
Please join House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva and several of his House and Senate colleagues in demanding that Congress step up to require the BLM to prioritize the use of humane, scientifically-recommended fertility control over cruel roundups and stockpiling wild horses and burros in holding facilities.
Please contact your Senators and Representative today and ask them to support language in Fiscal Year 2021 spending legislation that puts the brakes on BLM’s mass roundup plan by requiring the agency to implement humane fertility control and prohibiting it from performing barbaric sterilization procedures on wild horses and burros.
In a little less than a month, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will unleash helicopters to begin its summer assault on wild horses and burros living on public lands in the West. In the BLM’s crosshairs: wild horse and burro herds in Utah, Colorado, and Nevada.
The largest roundup of the summer will take place in Nevada’s Shawave Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA), just 50 miles northeast of Reno. The HMA is part of the 1 million-acre Blue Wing Complex, where the BLM allows just 333 to 553 horses and 50 to 90 burros while authorizing 1,200 privately owned cattle and 2,700 sheep to graze year-round.
This is just the beginning. If the BLM has its way, as many as 18,000-20,000 wild horses and burros will lose their freedom each year… if Congress decides to fund the agency’s mass roundup plan.
Summer roundups are particularly inhumane due to sweltering desert temperatures and the presence of tiny, vulnerable foals, who are sometimes literally run to death in miles-long helicopter stampedes.
This summer, this cruelty could take place out of public view, as the BLM is already signaling that it may use COVID-19 restrictions to block the public from witnessing these brutal capture operations and documenting their terrible impacts on wild horses and burros.
AWHC is gearing up for these summer roundups, both to document them and to fight back if the BLM attempts to crack down on public observation.
At the same time, we’re working on Capitol Hill to shelve the BLM’s plan to massively scale up roundups and force the agency to prioritize humane fertility control to manage wild herds and keep them wild.
Your help is needed on all fronts! Here’s what you can do today:
Donate to our Roundup FundToday’s donation will keep our team in the field during the roundup season and give us the resources necessary to ensure our legal team can challenge any attempts to block public observation.
Ask them to put the brakes on BLM’s mass removal plans, require the use of humane fertility control as an alternative to roundups, and prohibit the conducting of helicopter roundups in the absence of public observation.
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Another phone call – ANOTHER 911. Shipper called and there are babies on the feedlot and more coming this week.(?) We need to get them asap or it will be too late.
I am packing the trailer tonight and heading out in the morning. WILL YOU HELP ME SAVE THEIR LIVES?
As I write this my heart is broken into a million pieces.Instead of Batman heading to his new home, I had to bury him. He needed surgery for his inguinal hernia. During the surgery he ruptured, and had to be euthanized. I can’t hardly breathe, but Batman would want us to keep saving as many lives as we can. He himself was one of our rescues that y’all helped save.
PLEASE HELP ME HONOR HIM BY SAVING THESE LIVES! As usual, there is no time to grieve, but we are the only chance these new babies have, so I have to stop the tears and focus on saving them.
Please donate if you can – we need transport funds, bail, money for vetting and milk and supplies. Milk and medicines have gone up substantially with the whole virus situation and we are getting hit where it hurts. We need to buy hay. No matter what is going on in the world, rescue never stops.
We need your help now to save these lives. (From the information I received, there are more expected this week.)
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
We want to be very cognizant of the reality facing our country. For many, this is an incredibly stressful time, financially and emotionally, as well as very painful, difficult, and upsetting.
We also know that many of you are using your platforms, resources, and time to address injustices and support your communities in a time of need.
All of us at AWHC continue to be inspired and amazed that, despite these hardships, so many of you continue to stay involved, stay engaged, and support not only us but America’s wild horses and burros. This is so important because the Bureau of Land Management continues its assault on these iconic animals and is even stepping it up during this crisis, when the public’s attention is directed elsewhere.
That’s evident in the BLM’s newly unveiled roundup schedule for the Summer/Fall, which we discuss below. But for this newsletter, we don’t want to share only the bad news. There’s some uplifting news as well, and we’ve included a few photos and videos that might brighten your day.
BREAKING: Bureau of Land Management Outlines Largest Removal Of Wild Horses In a Decade
Last month, the Bureau of Land Management submitted a report to Congress that outlines a plan to conduct mass roundups over the next 18-20 years and slash wild horse and burro populations on public lands by 70%.
The agency is planning to launch Phase 1 of its assault next month, with the roundup and removal of 5,000 federally-protected wild horses and burros from BLM lands between July 1 and September 30.
This means that, for Fiscal Year 2020 (Oct. 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020), over 12,000 innocent wild horses and burros will lose their freedom. To put this in perspective, that’s the largest number in the last decade.
If the BLM has its way, that is only the beginning. In its new report, the BLM is proposing to use helicopters to capture and remove 18,000-20,000 wild horses and burros from public lands EACH YEAR for the foreseeable future.
The roundups that will begin next month will have an added component of brutality. Using helicopters to drive wild horses and burros for miles in punishing summer temperatures often results in fatalities. Summer roundups are particularly tough on the tiny foals that are on the range this time of year.
These vulnerable babies have been literally run to death in past roundups, collapsing and dying as their mothers look on helplessly. The BLM lists the cause of death as “capture myopathy,” defined as “muscle damage that results from extreme exertion, struggle or stress.”
According to the BLM’s new roundup schedule, Nevada and Utah will be the epicenter of the summer roundups, the largest of which include:
Shawave Mountains Herd Management Area, Nevada: 1,600 wild horses and 200 wild burros targeted for removal.
Diamond Complex, Nevada: 1,200 wild horses to be removed.
Sulphur Herd Management Area, Utah: 600 wild horses to be rounded up
AWHC will be onsite to document these roundups and we’re prepared to fight back if the BLM attempts to use the coronavirus pandemic to restrict public access. (Social distancing is not a problem out on the range.)
UPDATE: Wild Horse Champions in Congress Stand Up To The U.S. Forest Service
During April and May, AWHC and our partners at the Animal Welfare Institute sounded the alarm about the lack of critical safeguards and transparency associated with the U.S. Forest Service’s selling of wild horses from the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in California. (The horses were captured last fall in a helicopter roundup.)
The Forest Service has been selling these federally-protected wild horses for as little as $1 a piece, without meaningful limits on the number of horses a buyer can purchase at one time, and no adequate vetting procedures to ensure that buyers have the resources and facilities necessary to safely care for horses.
This lack of safeguards places the horses at higher risk of abuse or slaughter.
We brought our concerns to Congress and we’re pleased to announce that a bipartisan group of wild horse champions has taken action for the Devil’s Garden horses.
Representatives Ted Lieu, Brian Fitzpatrick, Steve Cohen, Joe Neguse, Jan Schakowsky, and Dina Titus sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, requesting that it adopt policies for its sales and adoption program to ensure oversight, transparency and protection, including measures to prevent federally-protected wild horses from ending up in the hands of kill buyers or others who might abuse and neglect them.
Additionally, these Congressmembers have called on the Forest Service to cease sales until these reforms are in place and pandemic restrictions are fully lifted.
We will continue to build on this important action to hold the Forest Service accountable for the welfare of the wild horses it is mandated under federal law to protect.
A Great Way To Stay Up To Date With Our Team In Nevada On The Virginia Range
AWHC is incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work of our staff and volunteers on the Virginia Range in Nevada.
We also know that many of you have reached out, asking if there is a better way to stay up to date with our team there: And there is!
Our team operates the Facebook group “Stay Wild! AWHC Nevada” where we post and share photos, videos, and updates on a near-daily basis to provide supporters with the opportunity to see and hear what they see in the field each and every day.
A perfect example? One of our volunteers, from a safe distance, captured an incredible moment on video: The first steps of a wild foal with her mother.
Especially in these uncertain and difficult times, little videos like these can help lift our spirits and improve our mood. And they serve as a powerful reminder about why we do the work that we do.
If you would like to learn more about our program on the Virginia Range (the largest in the world!) you can read more here.
We are all in this together — thank you for being part of our herd!
YOU DID IT! You saved 41 babies, a gorgeous stallion, 1 pregnant mare, a possibly pregnant mare and Grandpa Gus, the aged Mule.
(Above are some fun, random pix, of some of the babies you saved; yes, there are probably a couple duplicates lol.) We had a heck of a time matching up their paperwork. Some of them are identical except for a few of the hairs on their stars.
THANK YOU to each and every one who donated, prayed or shared the information.Most of the babies have already been adopted, and we actually have folks waiting for the more to come in. (Something we seldom see.)We still have several needing surgery or specialized care and we will be adopting them out once they are deemed healthy enough to do so.
Our adoption teamed rocked these latest rescues. Kari Robie, Emily Nes, Mama Mel, Danny & Danniell Dustin, and our Adoption Coordinator Helen Ardire, all came through to get these babies to their new homes.We incurred the rescue, vetting costs etc., but everyone working together is what makes this work. So THANK YOU TEAM! We could not do it alone.
However, today we need help back at the rescue in NV ! (We also need help for the Hernia surgery on one of our babies in Idaho.)
Big Matt, Texas Triumph, Tatiana and BatMan all need your help with some urgent veterinary care on Wednesday. Our colt in Idaho has his surgery the next day. He has an inguinal hernia?
We have been working on the drafts’ feet, but they are both having severe pain issues when it comes to lifting their back feet.Both of them have issues with their rear legs, Big Matt’s hocks are a mess, and we are still trying to diagnose all the issues Tex is having. If Tex stands still very long his back legs start shaking and he has trouble standing on them. (This was one of the reasons he needed to be shipped straight to slaughter and was on the “do not adopt or rescue list.”)
So after talking with Doc, they will be coming out on Wednesday and we will be getting a much better handle on both of the big guys’ feet. We were told very clearly when we rescued Big Matt that the issues with his hocks combined with his weight would be a “thing” when he needed hoof care. We have been working on his feet all along, but simply need to lay him down fully to really assess and do the complete job. (The issue with Big Matt’s hocks, feet etc. was discussed as to whether it was a reason not to keep him alive. Since he LOVES his life, the answer is obviously YES.)
Batman is getting ready to go to his new home. Wahh, sucks for me, but wonderful for him and his new family. However, he has recently developed a hernia that is continuing to get larger and larger and Doc thinks his intestines are coming out. So he needs surgery asap!
We are looking at close to $1500? on Wednesday to get Batman his surgery and the other 3 taken care of. Special needs children are not cheap, but they have all been through so much they deserve whatever care they need to have the best possible “rest of their lives”.
So please help us get them the care they need on Wednesday. If you would like to donate directly to the vet, please call Zimmerman Veterinary Clinic at 775-623-0981.
You can donate directly for milk or Texas Triumph’s grain at J & J Feed at 775-625-1200. Texas Triumph cannot eat anything but mash. He has damage to the lower muscle(s) in his esophagus. Let me tell you that boy can eat. He has lots of issues but is such a happy camper. Vet still says to be ready to walk out there someday and find him “aspirated with a possibly deadly case of pneumonia”. So we love him every day we have him.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED MILK, WIPES & VASELINE! WE SO APPRECIATE IT, but there is no name showing who sent it when it is delivered!!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
The calls keep coming. Another 911, another life to save!
An urgent call to save this precious life. “GRANDPA GUS” is so sad and confused. He doesn’t understand what is happening to him. Look at his sad little face.
PLEASE DONATE so we can save his life. This is time sensitive and extremely urgent. I just couldn’t bear to let him ship, so I took another leap of faith. I KNOW our Chilly Pepper family will come together to save him.
In April alone, Y’ALL HAVE SAVED 41 BABIES AND 3 ADULTS, including a gorgeous stallion shown below, and two mares, one of them a pregnant mare and the other a “gelding” who actually is a mare. So 3 adult lives and 41 babies. You ARE making a huge difference. It took a lot of funding, but y’all came through!
Today, let’s change the WHOLE WORLD FOR “GRANDPA GUS”!! He does not deserve to ship to slaughter. We are the only ones who can save him now. Please help if you can and share far and wide!
Standing by for the trappers (as usual). However, it was wonderful to be able to save the additional adults due to the fact the horses escaped the trap last week.
This gorgeous stallion (shown below) is now living in Oregon with a wonderful woman who has years of experience with the wild ones, including stallions. Y’ALL SAVED HIM!!
Most all the babies out of the first groups have been adopted, thanks to an amazing group of women.
But TODAY, WE NEED TO SAVE “GRANDPA GUS”! Remember, the clock is ticking.
THANK YOU to everyone who donated to save April’s horses. It meant everything to each and every one of them who were given a chance to be saved.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.