BREAKING: The BLM has declared emergency roundups >> Take action now!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) just announced a series of “emergency roundups” that will remove 6,000 wild horses and burros before the end of September.
This means that when the BLM’s Fiscal Year 2021 ends on September 30, nearly 117,000 wild horses and burros will have been rounded up and put in off-range holding facilities.
Act now to protect wild horses and burros >>
There are already over 50,000 wild horses and burros that have been stockpiled in government holding at the expense of taxpayers — now this number will skyrocket to at least 60,000. Erica, that is the highest number of wild horses and burros ever maintained in the BLM’s off-range holding facilities.
The BLM is rounding up these innocent animals under the guise of brutal weather conditions across the West — and while we agree that some areas of the range are experiencing water and forage shortages or fire emergencies, the BLM’s use of emergency roundups is at best a bandaid on a larger problem, and at worst an abuse of the public process.
By designating these roundups as “emergency,” the BLM can avoid the standard requirements for analysis and public commentary on a scheduled roundup AND they can also reduce populations below the already-low imposed population limits.
There’s no denying that the West is suffering from some extreme weather conditions right now, but livestock like cattle and sheep have grazed these lands for months, decimating the resources for all wildlife on the range.
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The Antelope Complex is one area where livestock heavily outnumbers the wild horse populations in the area. But yet again, the BLM has placed the burden of range degradation on mustangs and is ignoring the massive effect that livestock grazing has on our public lands!
The BLM must be held accountable. If range conditions are really so poor that the BLM feels the need to conduct emergency roundups of wild horses, then the agency should remove the livestock that utilize the same habitat. Take action now: Tell the BLM to prioritize the removal of livestock and protect wild horses and burros. >>
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BREAKING: BLM announces changes to the failed Adoption Incentive Program
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have some important news we want to share with you…
On the very same day that we confirmed 10 more Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-branded burros were adopted through the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) then dumped at an Oklahoma kill pen, the BLM released a list of so-called “reforms” to the AIP.
Although we are pleased that the BLM is finally paying attention to this disastrous program, the announced changes will not stop the flow of wild horses and burros through the AIP into the slaughter pipeline.
BLM-branded burros AWHC recently helped to rescue from an Oklahoma kill pen.
And while dozens of mustangs and burros continue to be funneled into kill pens across the country, the BLM continues to minimize the extent of the problem — despite the incriminating evidence found in the report AWHC presented to the agency.
So, while the BLM’s announced changes are a start, they are certainly not enough. These reforms will not be sufficient or effective in keeping wild horses and burros out of the slaughter pipeline. That’s why our lawsuit against the BLM to end this cash incentive adoption program is so important. We won’t stop until the program is terminated. Can you chip in to our Legal Fund now to help us have the resources to put an end to this failed program?
| DONATE TO OUR LEGAL FUND |
This is not the only critical flaw in the BLM’s proposed changes. The announced reforms do nothing to address the problem inherent in the cash incentive component of the program, nor do they provide adequate safeguards against widespread abuse within the AIP.
Unless the BLM stops paying people to adopt wild, untamed horses and burros, the flow of these innocent animals to slaughter auctions will not stop. We’re fighting hard to terminate the AIP and ensure that no more wild horses or burros are placed in jeopardy of slaughter as a result of this operation. Please consider making a donation right now to our Legal Fund to help us take on the BLM and put an end to the Adoption Incentive Program.
| DONATE TO OUR LEGAL FUND |
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Our game plan to stop the AIP: litigation, rescues, and investigation
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As we write this, more and more wild horses and burros continue to be funneled into the slaughter pipeline through the the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) failed Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which pays people $1,000 to adopt a wild, untamed horse or burro. Unscrupulous adopters are collecting the incentive payments, then sending the adopted mustangs or burros to slaughter auctions as soon as the money clears their bank accounts. Help us put an end to this shameful program >>
All the while, the BLM continues to round up wild horses and burros across the West, fueling this slaughter pipeline. The summer/fall roundup season is now in full swing — by the end of August, at least 1,400 wild horses and burros will be captured and removed from their homes on our public lands.
We have already filed suit against the BLM over the AIP and the federal laws they broke in the implementation of this program. And, we are also funding the rescue of innocent wild horses and burros who were “adopted” through this program and have ended up at kill pens — many just days or hours away from shipping to slaughter in Mexico or Canada.
In fact, we were just alerted to 10 BLM-branded burros up for sale in an Oklahoma kill pen. We know that burros are at a particularly high risk of being sent to slaughter through the AIP, giving us even more reason to help save these innocent animals. So we decided to offer a matching grant to help pay their bail!
| DONATE NOW >> STOP THE AIP |
BLM-branded burros being rescued from an Oklahoma kill pen.
We’re continuing to investigate the AIP and uncover the full breadth of the fraud and abuse that America’s mustangs and burros have suffered at the hands of this program.
Thanks to our months-long investigation, and an explosive New York Times exposé – we have delivered compelling evidence-filled reports to the BLM and we have worked with members of Congress to call for an immediate end to the AIP.
We’re taking every possible measure — litigation, rescues, and investigation — to end the AIP and stop the flow of federally-protected mustangs and burros to kill pens. Can you help us fight back with a donation to our efforts today to help us protect the lives of wild horses and burros and put an end to the AIP?
| DONATE NOW >> STOP THE AIP |
Thank you for your support,
AWHC Team
Help us enact lasting change for wild horses and burros
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The roundup of the beloved wild horses from the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) in Utah has officially ended. In total, 435 mustangs were captured, and there was one death of a young mare who suffered a severely broken leg after she was likely kicked in the chaos of the trap.
Approximately 135 Onaqui horses will be released back into the wild and our friends at the Onaqui Catalogue Foundation are using their comprehensive database of the Onaqui herd to assist the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in making the best decisions possible about which horses to return based on thoughtful criteria like keeping family bands together.
We are devastated, heartbroken, but more importantly we are fired up to fight harder than ever. The unnecessary mass roundup of most of the Onaqui wild horses has launched a rallying cry for true change.
| ACT NOW FOR WILD HORSES >> |
For 50 years, the BLM has all but ignored the will of the American people who want humane management of our Western herds. It has flipped the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act on its head, and instead of protecting these animals from “capture, harassment, and death,” its outdated management practices actively harm these beloved animals. What’s worse — Congress has granted the agency more than $100 million dollars to continue on with this woefully mismanaged program with no restrictions to prevent the BLM from using the funds to roundup more horses without implementing real change.
But we have an opportunity to change course during the next federal budget cycle. In fact, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to pass Fiscal Year 22 appropriations legislation that includes language, championed by AWHC and U.S Representatives Dina Titus, Steve Cohen, and Mark Pocan, to require the BLM to allocate at least $11 million to implement humane fertility control as a step toward eliminating cruel roundups and evaluate relocating these federally protected animals as an alternative to their removal from the range. Very soon, the Senate Appropriations Committee will also consider this protective language.
Time is of the essence. Join us in a day of action for the Onaqui wild horses who lost their freedom, for Velma Johnston, aka “Wild Horse Annie,” whose work contributed to federal wild horse protection 50 years ago, and for the millions of Americans who want wild horses and burros to be protected and preserved on our public lands for generations to come.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Click here to send an email to your Senators today. Then, follow up the email with a call.
- Download this graphic and upload it to the Interior Department and the White House Facebook pages.
- Click here to send an automated Tweet to President Biden and Secretary Haaland.
Let’s harness the outrage over the roundup of the Onaqui wild horses to make lasting change today!
| ACT NOW FOR WILD HORSES >> |
Thank you for standing with us and with wild horses,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
ACT NOW>> How you can help us reform the roundup-and-stockpile system
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Late last night, advocates around the world waited with bated breath as we learned that the roundup of the beloved wild horses of the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) had been postponed for another day. This was the second time in five days that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) postponed the roundup because of a pending federal court decision.
This morning, a federal judge denied an animal rights groups’ motion for an injunction to stop the roundup. The BLM then announced that the roundup will begin tomorrow.
Our work to reform the costly and cruel wild horse program doesn’t stop here, however. Can you sign our petition to the Biden Administration calling for meaningful reform to keep wild horses and burros in the wild where they belong?
| SIGN THE PETITION |
Collectively, wild horse organizations threw everything we had at the effort to halt this roundup.
AWHC launched SaveOnaqui.com to mobilize our grassroots army, which resulted in thousands of messages sent to both Congress and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. We garnered 50,000 petition signatures and hand-delivered them to the U.S. Department of the Interior. We worked with actress Katherine Heigl on developing and delivering letters to Congress. We held a virtual rally attended by hundreds of people around the world. And, we worked with our friends at Western Watersheds Project to develop a detailed, scientifically-based proposa for long-term management of the Onaqui wild horses, which was reviewed at the highest levels of the BLM.
We want you to know that while we did not stop this roundup, our collective voices have been heard. The BLM understands the high public interest in protecting this herd and has committed to working on a collaborative plan to humanely and sustainably manage the iconic Onaqui horses and protect the public’s interest in viewing them.
This morning, AWHC’s Field Correspondent Kimerlee Curyl was with the Onaqui herd documenting what will likely be the last moments of freedom for many of these cherished mustangs.
| WATCH & DONATE |
Thanks to the many photographs who follow this herd, we know the Onaqui wild horses as individuals and families, and the prospect of their roundup is painful. But the reality is that all wild horses and burros are individuals who love their freedom and their families and suffer under the current federal management program.
Our work will not stop until we ensure that all wild horse populations are managed humanely in the wild, where they belong. Please support this work by signing and sharing our petition to the Biden Administration calling for meaningful reform to keep wild horses and burros wild.
| SIGN THE PETITION |
The AWHC Team
ACTION ALERT: Tell your Senators to protect wild horses and burros!!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Over the last several months our Government Relations team has been working in collaboration with members of Congress to ensure that the interests of wild horses and burros are represented during the FY 2022 Appropriations process.
We are excited to report that the House Appropriations Committee just passed the Fiscal Year 2022 Interior Appropriations spending bill and it includes important language championed by AWHC and U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and over 40 other Representatives!
If included in the final spending bill passed by the House and Senate, this legislation will continue the ban on slaughtering wild horses and burros, require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to allocate at least $11 million to implement fertility control programs to manage wild horse and burro populations, evaluate relocating these federally protected animals as an alternative to removals, and review the “Adoption Incentive Program,” (AIP) which was exposed by the AWHC as a pipeline to slaughter for hundreds of wild horses and burros.
This is a win for wild horses — but our work isn’t done. We’re currently working with several Senators to urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to adopt similar language.
| CONTACT YOUR SENATORS >> |
Our next steps are very important, Meredith. We’re extremely concerned that an increase in funding to the BLM will continue the Trump Administration’s wild horse management plan, which calls for the removal of over 90,000 wild horses and burros from public lands over the next five years.
We have an opportunity to protect the lives of thousands of wild horses and burros, but it can’t be done without you. Can you contact your Senators right now and ask them to adopt at least $11 million for fertility control and the horse-friendly language passed by the House to protect the lives of wild horses and burros?
| CONTACT YOUR SENATORS >> |
Thank you for your support,
Holly Gann Bice
Director of Government Relations
American Wild Horse Campaign
How a donation from Meredith helps us rescue wild horses and burros
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Just this year, AWHC’s Rescue Fund has helped save dozens of lives, from assisting foals on Nevada’s Virginia Range to saving the victims of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) failed Adoption Incentive Program from kill pens.
Day in and day out we fight to protect wild horses and burros — whether that be through our rescue fund, in the courts, on the Hill, or in the field. None of this would be possible without supporters like you. Chip in to our Rescue Fund to help us continue saving the lives of wild horses and burros.
We couldn’t have helped these lucky horses and burros without your generosity, so we wanted to share with you some of the recent rescues we financially supported:
From left to right: Hazel (she’s gotten so big!) and her roommate
You might remember Hazel from when we shared her story with you on April Foals Day!
She was alone, separated from her family, and when Least Resistance Training Concepts team members were unable to locate Hazel’s mom, they got permission from Wild Horse Connection Range Management to take Hazel to LBL Equine Rescue.
After clearing some medical hurdles, we are so excited to tell you that Hazel is thriving! She is healthy and is getting stronger every single day! She even goes on walks twice a day with LBL Equine Rescue team members, who all say she is quite the fighter and a true spitfire!
Now, Hazel can be found cuddling with her two new roommates and playing in their enclosure, which we’ve equipped with rubber mats, thanks to your support through our Rescue Fund.
It’s stories like these that make what we do all the more worth it, Meredith. Thanks to your donations, we were able to play a hand in saving Hazel’s life. Your generosity provides us with the means to support the wonderful local volunteers and groups who work night and day to protect the Virginia Range horses in Nevada. If you can, please help us save more lives like Hazel’s by donating to our rescue fund today!
The Roan Filly and Her Friend
Back in April, we teamed up with wild horse sanctuary, Montgomery Creek Ranch (MCR) to rescue a roan BLM-branded filly from a Texas kill pen. This beautiful youngster was extremely skinny, in poor health, and was clinging to her friend, a domestic filly.
We promptly rescued both of them, and are excited to share that they arrived safe and sound at MCR. While they are in need of a lot of TLC, the caring staff at MCR will nurse them back to health in no time! Please help ensure we have the funds to continue helping organizations like MCR rescue mustangs in need.
The Victims of the Adoption Incentive Program
As part of our investigation into the Bureau of Land Management’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), we partnered up with Evanescent Mustang Rescue to save the lives of over 30 wild horses and burros who were dumped at kill pens across the country.
Most recently, with your help, we funded the rescue of 12 burros from a kill pen in Oklahoma as well as 10 unhandled mustangs from a kill pen in Colorado. All of the burros and horses have found homes and even better — three horses and four burros are going to a place we like to call “horsey heaven” — an AWHC board member’s sanctuary, Freedom Reigns!
These animals are symbols of the failure of the AIP. When AWHC staff investigated, it was discovered that all 12 burros were adopted by the same family and were dumped at the kill pen as soon as the family received their second payment of $500. But thanks to your generous support, they get a second chance at life. Donate today to help us continue saving the lives of wild horses and burros!
Your generous support for our Rescue Fund saves lives. Please help us continue this work by making a donation to our Rescue Fund today.
Thank you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Mark your 📅 for June 24! It’s our All About Burros Webinar!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We’ll be the first to admit that it can be difficult to stay up to speed with the complex issues affecting our nation’s wild horses and burros! With so many federal agencies, acronyms, and applicable laws, it’s easy to get confused.
That’s why we created our Keeping Wild Horses Wild 101 Series. In this series we’ll break the issues down for you with presentations covering topics from the history of our beloved equines to the present-day fight for their protection and preservation!
In this specific webinar, we’ll be focusing on the lesser-known of our federally-protected animals: wild burros! Wild burros have the same rich history and are as culturally significant as wild horses, but unfortunately, Meredith, they receive far less attention.
In this session we’ll cover:
- Burro Awareness Month
- Interesting Burro Facts
- The History
- The Act
- Roundups
- What Science Says
- Calls to Action
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign
Urgent! We need Coloradans to speak up for mustangs TODAY
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have an important ask: Can you please take one moment to reach out to your Senators in Colorado and urge them to protect wild horses?
Currently, a letter is being circulated in the Senate that would allocate significant funding from the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro budget to humane management using safe and effective PZP fertility control. Unfortunately, your Senators have not yet joined and we need them to hear from their constituents.
Please, take one moment to contact your Senators today:
Sen. Michael F. Bennet
- Denver Office: 303-455-7600
- DC Office: (202) 224-5852
Sen. John W. Hickenlooper
- Denver Office: 303-244-1628
- DC Office: (202) 224-5941
All you have to say is, “I’m a constituent, and I’m calling to ask that you please sign onto a letter being led by Senator Cory Booker that promotes humane, cost-effective management of wild horses and burros in the wild where they belong. It calls for allocating $11 million of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program budget to fertility control. Today is the deadline to join the letter. You can contact Sen Booker’s office to join on. Thank you.”
Then, follow up with a message using the button below.
Thank you so much for taking quick action to help wild horses!
Thank you,
Holly Gann Bice
Director of Government Relations
American Wild Horse Campaign
Tell Congress to Support Humane Management of Mustangs and Burros!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Wild horses & burros need your help. Read on to see how you can take action to protect these cherished animals!
Act Now: Tell Congress to Support Humane Management of Mustangs and Burros
As we speak, a sign-on letter is circulating in the U.S. Senate requesting that at least $11 million of Fiscal Year 2022 funding for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program be earmarked for humane fertility control as a step away from brutal helicopter roundups and the removal of wild horses and burros from public lands. Over 40 members of the House have signed onto a similar request. Now we need your help to get your Senators to sign on!
In-Depth: Forest Service Plans Mass Removal for California Wild Horses
The U.S. Forest Service is planning to continue its assault on the Devil’s Garden wild horses in California. During a Motorized Vehicle Public Meeting last week, officials from the Modoc National Forest announced their intent to remove between 800-1,000 wild horses from their 285,000-acre federally-designated habitat beginning in September.
The Forest Service will “dispose” of most of these horses by selling them — up to a truckload at a time — for $1 a piece! The plan is the result of a secret settlement between the Forest Service and ranchers who graze their privately-owned cattle on the public lands where the Devil’s Garden wild horses roam. Take a moment to read our in-depth blog on this unfolding situation and be on the lookout for a way to take action!
OpEd: America’s Wild and Wondrous Wild Burros
It’s well past the time to hit the reset button on the management not only of wild horses, but wild burros as well. Last week, AWHC’s program specialist, Mary Koncel teamed up with an adviser to the Cloud Foundation to write an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner to raise awareness about these amazing animals of the desert southwest and inspire citizens to take action to protect them. Read more below.
Tell the BLM Advisory Board: Protect Wild Horses and Burros
The BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet from June 30 – July 1. This citizen Advisory Board is supposed to represent broad stakeholder interests but its membership, which is appointed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture, is heavily weighted in favor of livestock interests.
For far too long the BLM’s solution to managing wild horse and burro populations has been costly and brutal helicopter roundups that lead to slaughter for far too many of these iconic animals. Please take one moment to sign onto our letter demanding meaningful change and protection for wild horses and burros.
Thank you for your support,
—The AWHC Team
HELICOPTER ROUNDUPS: Less than a month away (!!)
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As I write this, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rounding up wild burros in California. Next month, the official roundup season begins in full force. In the middle of July, Utah’s Onaqui herd will be targeted.
For these wild horses and burros, the dust never settles.
As you know, a huge part of our work involves observing and documenting as many roundups as we can. We do this to hold the agencies and government contractors accountable for their often inhumane actions. And, we report to the public what happens at each roundup on public land, so you’re informed.
Help fuel our programs. Please donate $30 today, and help us work to make roundups a thing of the past!
| DONATE |
- We’re working in Congress to ensure that protective language is being submitted that would give funds to in-the-wild management to begin the shift away from removals.
- In Onaqui, we have submitted a scientific plan for the humane management of the beloved horses that would leave them wild.
- We are working with a prestigious University on a rulemaking petition to make violations of the BLM’s animal welfare standards enforceable by law.
- We are proving humane management can work to keep wild horses wild through the world’s largest fertility control program for mustangs in Nevada.
We need all hands on deck, Erica, because the Biden Administration just released the next fiscal year’s budget, and it includes a $36.8 million increase for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. The new proposal also continues the Trump Administration’s accelerated roundup plan that could remove nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes over just the next five years!
We’re pulling out all the stops. We’re using our legal, legislative, scientific and grassroots resources to do everything we can to halt this inhumane and antiquated population control tactic. Can you make a $30 donation today to help us have the resources necessary to continue our efforts?
| DONATE |
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
ICYMI: Over 30 members of Congress have called on the BLM to suspend its’ AIP!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We wanted to make sure you heard about this exciting update:
Over the last week, 30+ members of Congress have called on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to suspend an adoption program that’s sending wild horses and burros to slaughter.
SIGN ON NOW TO DEMAND THE BLM HALT THE AIP >>
The recent groundbreaking New York Times report — prompted by an AWHC investigation of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) — has led to national awareness about the plight of wild horses and burros, and has received significant attention from legislators on Capitol Hill.
Late last week, in a letter directed to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) called on the Interior Department to immediately suspend the BLM’s AIP and conduct a thorough investigation into the program that’s become a pipeline to slaughter for untold numbers of federally-protected wild horses and burros.
On Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Dina Titus, Steve Cohen, Jan Schakowsky, and Mike Quigley along with 25 of their House colleagues sent a similar letter to Secretary Haaland, asking that the AIP be suspended and calling for the passage of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to protect all American horses from slaughter.
Thanks to your support and the buzz surrounding the New York Times article, significant action is being taken to protect America’s wild horses and burros! But Erica, we can’t stop now. Can you sign our petition and join Congress in demanding that the BLM halt the Adoption Incentive Program that’s sending wild horses and burros to slaughter?
| SIGN THE PETITION |
Erica, we’re doing everything we can to preserve and protect wild horse and burro herds across the U.S. Can you join us in our efforts by signing our petition and demanding that the BLM put an end to its disastrous Adoption Incentive Program?
| SIGN THE PETITION |
AWHC Team
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Attention young horse lovers: Spirit Untamed premieres in theatres TOMORROW — and all of us here at AWHC are SO excited for this film’s debut!
In case you have yet to hear about the movie, it features a young girl named Lucky who moves to a new town where she befriends a wild mustang. Now, Lucky and her new friends must save a wild herd of mustangs from wranglers.
Not only is it great to see a movie that aligns so closely with our mission of protecting wild horses making it’s national debut — it’s also an amazing opportunity to inspire a younger generation of wild horse lovers!
It’s so important that the wild horse and burro issue is brought to the forefront. Just last week, the Biden Administration released its proposed budget for next fiscal year, and it included an increase of $36.8 million for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program — which could remove nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes on public lands.
You can bet we’re doing everything we can to fight back against this proposal, but one of the best ways to protect wild horses and burros in the years to come is to spread awareness around the issue!
| DONATE & WATCH >> |
Thank you,
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
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 : Biden just released the proposed budget for the Interior Dept.
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Biden Administration just released its proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior. It contains an astounding increase of $36.8 million for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program, and continues the Trump Administration’s accelerated, mass roundup plan and scapegoating of wild equids.
Remember what that plan includes: the removal of nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes on our public lands, the tripling of the number of wild horses and burros in holding facilities, and a cost to taxpayers of nearly $1 billion in the first five years! And, as the New York Times recently reported, this is already leading to the slaughter of these protected national icons.
It’s shocking that Interior Secretary Haaland has put her seal of approval on this plan. As a member of Congress, she opposed additional funding for wild horse and burro roundups, advocating instead for humane birth control. Clearly, at the helm of the Interior Department, she’s now prioritizing livestock industry interests over the protection of wild horses and burros.
But remember, this is only a budget request. It does not mean that Congress will fund it.
So, it’s time to fight back … And it’s already happening!
- Increasing numbers of environmental organizations are speaking up against the scapegoating of wild horses for damage caused by massive livestock grazing. In fact, the Sierra Club recently adopted a policy calling for the elimination of livestock grazing in wild horse and burro habitats!
- Support for humane, in-the-wild horse and burro management is growing on Capitol Hill. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) were recently joined by over 40 of their House colleagues in requesting Congress to fund humane fertility control and other on-range methods as a priority over removing wild horses and burros from their homes.
- AWHC is working with key members of Congress to support a humane, environmentally-focused and scientific approach to wild horse management that would drastically reduce the removal of wild horses and burros from their habitats.
- We really need you to take action too. Here’s what you can do:
- Protest this budget request on the Interior Department’s Facebook page by downloading the below graphic and uploading it to this post.
- Tweet at President Biden and Secretary Haaland using this automated Tweet.
- Email Secretary Haaland at exsec@ios.doi.gov. Suggested message:
“I strongly oppose your cruel plan to remove tens of thousands of wild horses and burros from our public lands. I’m especially disappointed that you blame wild horses and burros for environmental damage and climate change while you continue to ignore livestock grazing, which is the real contributor to these issues. Humane on-range management alternatives — including birth control and removing livestock — are available, scientifically-recommended, and cost-effective. I’m very disappointed that you are prioritizing livestock interests over the interests of the 80 percent of Americans who want wild horses and burros protected, not rounded up, penned, and slaughtered.” - Ask Congress to fund humane wild horse management.
Thank you, 
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign - Protest this budget request on the Interior Department’s Facebook page by downloading the below graphic and uploading it to this post.
Katherine Heigl joins the fight to save the Onaqui wild horses!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Onaqui wild horses of the West Desert in Utah just gained a powerful voice in the battle to save the iconic herd from a brutal helicopter roundup planned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) this summer. What’s at stake: the fate of 300 of the 500 Onaqui wild horses targeted for removal by the BLM.
Actress Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), is using her platform to join AWHC in speaking out for this beloved herd, known for its striking colors, unique social dynamics, and acclimation to photographers and other visitors from all over the world.
A growing chorus of celebrities and activists is speaking out against the BLM’s inhumane mass roundup and removal of thousands of wild horses and burros every year from the public lands they call home. As was revealed by our investigation and confirmed by a New York Times exposé — far too many captured wild horses and burros are adopted then dumped at slaughter auctions across the country.
Katherine makes a great point:
Why are we spending so much time and money to round up the Onaqui wild horses, separating their family groups, terrorizing or even killing them, when there is already a humane fertility control program in place to control the population?
The Onaqui roundup is scheduled to start on July 12th. Please take action now to help us stop it: Visit saveonaqui.com to learn how you can protect the Onaqui wild horses today!
Here are a few ways you can help right now:
American Wild Horse Campaign
The BLM wants to remove 100% of these wild burros — can you help!?
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have urgent news.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released its final decision to round up and remove ALL of the wild burros in the Centennial, Panamint, and Slate Herd Areas (HAs) in California.
These Herd Areas are made up of roughly 1.73 million acres of public and private land and are currently home to roughly 1,000 wild burros!
The BLM changed the Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the burros in the three HAs to 0, even though these animals call this area home. NOW, the BLM is planning to conduct brutal helicopter roundups to remove every wild burro from this area over the next 10 years.
The BLM just announced that the first roundup is scheduled to take place next week, on May 28, and 300 burros are at risk of immediate removal, so we need your help now.
AWHC is working to appeal the decision, but we need your help to save these burros. Will you take the following actions to help us protect these three burro herds and save the place they call home?
- Send a letter to the BLM and tell them that this final decision to remove ALL of the burros from the Centennial, Panamint, and Slate HAs must be revised. You can use the letter we provided to tell them that you oppose this decision.
- Contact your members of Congress and tell them that you strongly oppose the BLM’s decision to remove these burros from the land they call home!
We sent a letter to the BLM months ago asking them to reinstate these HAs, and they ignored us. Not only will these roundups be traumatic for the burros being removed — this is another unnecessary removal action by the BLM at the expense of American taxpayers.
Recent research has shown that these burro species have made a positive impact on the lands where they live. Without burros as part of the ecosystem, the BLM could potentially impact the environment beyond repair.
We need your help, Erica. Will you take action and tell the BLM and your members of Congress that the burros in these three HAs MUST be protected?
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AWHC Team
Fuel our fight for wild horses on the Hill
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
This past week has been a whirlwind.
The New York Times article published last weekend has resulted in A LOT of buzz for wild horses. Thanks to our partners who helped us uncover the unethical operations that were happening through the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), we now have a means to fight against the AIP on Capitol Hill.
As we speak, we are working with members of Congress to put a halt to the AIP program, pass federal legislation to help keep wild horses wild, and we’re fighting back against a dangerous bill that would strip away federal protections for wild horses and burros.
Our Government Relations team is relentless in their legislative fight to protect wild horses and burros, but they have been working especially hard since the New York Times article came out. They’ve been working around the clock — holding meetings with legislators, mobilizing supporters to contact their elected officials, and working to help develop policies that will protect wild horses and burros.
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We’re able to do this important advocacy work because of supporters like you. Erica, will you make a donation today to help us continue our work in the fields, in court, and on the Hill?
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American Wild Horse Campaign
The thanks goes to you
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We wanted to say thank you — after this weekend’s New York Times article was published, we have received an outpouring of support for our work.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to read the article from the New York Times uncovering the wild horse-slaughter pipeline that has emerged as a result of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) — you can check it out at the link here.
In coordination with our partners, we spent significant time searching for and accumulating tangible evidence to document the connection between this program and the slaughter of hundreds of cherished wild horses and burros — leading to the New York Times exposé. Your support made this work possible and it will carry us through our efforts to use legal, legislative, and grassroots channels to shut this program down. Can you make a donation today to help us shut down the AIP?
A key part of our research was using our Rescue Fund to help our partners rescue wild horses and burros from kill pens. Not just saving these innocent animal’s lives, but also giving us access to information — including titles and brand numbers — that helped us connect the dots.
Now that this story is out, your support is critical. Thousands of America’s wild horses and burros are at risk because of this program and the BLM’s mass roundup plan that is resulting in their slaughter. They need our help.
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign
BREAKING: We worked with the New York Times to investigate the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have breaking news.
Over the last several months, the American Wild Horse Campaign — with assistance from Evanescent Mustang Rescue, Skydog Ranch and Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary — has been conducting an investigation into the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), leading to today’s New York Times report exposing this federal program as a subsidized pipeline to slaughter for federally-protected wild horses and burros.
The BLM’s AIP pays individuals $1,000 to adopt a wild, unhandled horse or burro. As AWHC predicted when the program was implemented in 2019, the initiative has been a disaster for these animals. It is now clear that the BLM is laundering horses to slaughter through the AIP and evading the long-standing Congressional slaughter ban.
This program is a predictable result of the BLM’s inhumane and costly mass roundup program and the agency’s efforts to empty holding pens to make room for the tens of thousands of horses and burros targeted for removal over the next five years.
Our investigation, as affirmed by the New York Times, has documented:
- Wild horses and burros are being sent to slaughter through the AIP.
- Adopters are collecting the payments then sending horses to livestock auctions known as “kill pens” where they are purchased by kill buyers and shipped across the border for slaughter.
- Adopters are routinely violating their BLM adoption contracts, which they sign under penalty of perjury, prohibiting the sale of these animals directly or indirectly to slaughter.
- Groups of related individuals are evading the four-horse adoption limit by adopting multiple horses each using the same location on their applications, then collecting as much as $30,000 in AIP payments and sales of the horses at kill pens.
- The AIP additionally has resulted in severe neglect and abuse of horses and burros by adopters unqualified or uninterested in providing adequate care.
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The AIP should not be allowed to continue. The BLM must stop rounding up wild horses and burros and start managing them humanely in the wild. Thousands of America’s iconic wild horses and burros are at risk and need your voice.
Please take these three actions to make change for them right now:
- Sign our petition demanding an end to the AIP and to mass roundups that send too many wild horses and burros into the slaughter pipeline.
- Share the New York Times article on social media.
- Call & write Congress to demand the AIP program be terminated. You can leave a message over the weekend.
Thank you for speaking up for our wild horses and burros at this critical time!
AWHC Team
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