BREAKING: Our FY23 WIN for Wild Horses and Burros
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Breaking news:
Congress just passed its Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations omnibus spending bill — and it once again includes funding for humane fertility control and requires other reforms to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program!
Our government relations team has been advocating for these provisions over the course of the past year. And, we want to say thank you to all the wild horse advocates and AWHC supporters like you who fought alongside for these required reforms.
This is another important step in the right direction in our fight to preserve the freedom of America’s wild horses and burros.
The legislation ensures that up to $11 million of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) budget must be used to implement humane immunocontraceptive fertility control treatment and research, effectively diverting funds away from brutal and deadly helicopter roundups.
Other measures in the final bill include:
- Evaluating options for relocating wild horses and burros to different Herd Management Areas (HMAs) as an alternative to removals.
- Reviewing the agency’s controversial Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) for any program weaknesses that jeopardize the welfare of the mustangs and burros placed into private care.
- Pursuing partnerships with veterans and wild horse organizations to aid in humane fertility control management.
- Emphasizing the importance of screening adopters and purchasers to ensure the welfare and safe outcomes for the horses and burros adopted and sold by the U.S. Forest Service.
Of note, Congress appropriated less funding for the Wild Horse and Burro Program than the amount requested by the Biden Administration.
We believe that by limiting funding, triaging removals, and directing the BLM to utilize fertility control, Congress is signaling a new direction for wild horse management that will ultimately stabilize populations in the wild for the benefit of the agency, the taxpayer, and wild horses alike.
While some parts of this spending bill are concerning, the bill does also include long-standing anti-slaughter provisions that effectively prevent horse slaughter plants from operating in the U.S. and prohibit the slaughter of federally protected wild horses and burros for the remainder of the fiscal year.
So, Meredith: This is a strong step in the right direction, and we must acknowledge the progress we are making. Our fight to preserve the freedom of America’s wild horses and burros will not happen overnight. This battle is a marathon, not a sprint.
We will continue our work and research in the field to prove that humane management works and keeps wild horses in the wild where they belong. We will take this work and the full force of our strong advocate base to Congress to back up our calls for action. And when the federal government violates the law protecting wild horses and burros, we will go to court and fight on behalf of these cherished animals.
Thank you for standing with us,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Your $30 gift today will help us save a wild mare
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Did you know the price of a single mare’s annual PZP vaccine is just $30?
We’re asking: today — on May 30th, will you make a $30 gift to fund our PZP program and help us manage wild horse populations using tried and true fertility control measures?
DONATE $30 NOW |
We’re fighting back against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) massive herd removals in court and on Capitol Hill — and the success of our PZP program in Nevada has been critical in our fight to protect wild horses.
In roughly a month, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduled to resume helicopter roundups. And over the next 5 years, the BLM is planning to round up an estimated 90,000 wild horses and burros!
DONATE $30 NOW |
Tens of thousands of wild horses and burros will lose their families and freedom because of these roundups, and because the BLM doesn’t have the capacity to store all of the horses they capture, it’s already leading to slaughter for too many of these cherished animals.
$30.00 >> HELPS 1 HORSE |
$60.00 >> HELPS 2 HORSES |
$150.00 >> HELPS 5 HORSES |
$300.00 >> HELPS 10 HORSES |
DONATE OTHER >> |
AWHC Team