wild horses
This week’s eNews: Thousands of wild horses at risk of disease in BLM WY facility
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We wanted to share some recent updates around roundups and holding, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 proposed budget for managing wild horses and burros, and a distinguished award won by a member of the AWHC herd! Read on to learn more and help us to protect these cherished animals. >>
Tell Congress Protect Wild Horses and Burros in the FY23 Spending Bill
The Biden Administration recently released its proposed FY2023 budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior and called for $153.1 million to fund the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program. While this is still a $16 million increase from the FY22 spending bill passed last month, the increase in spending is noticeably smaller than in previous years. Now it’s up to Congress to determine how much money will be appropriated to this mismanaged federal program.
Last month, Congress took a historic step toward reforming the Wild Horse and Burro Program when it passed its Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus spending bill that required the BLM to spend up to $11 million to implement a robust fertility control vaccine program as a step away from cruel roundups. Now Congress is working on FY23 appropriations and we need your help to protect wild horses and burros! Take action now by asking your elected officials to include similar measures to protect wild horses and burros in the FY23 spending bill.
Take Action for North Dakota’s Wild Horses
The wild horses that call the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota home have roamed the badlands for centuries, and many believe they are descendants of Sitting Bull’s horses and related to the rare Nokota breed. Although the wild horses are not protected under the 1971 Wild Horses and Burros Act, they are a significant part of the historical and natural heritage of the park and the state. Equally important, they’re a huge tourism draw for North Dakota.
Right now, the National Park Service is considering many management options for this herd, including slashing their populations or eliminating them entirely. Please take action TODAY!
“Strangles” Outbreak in Crowded BLM Wyoming Holding Corral
The BLM recently canceled an adoption event scheduled for April 1 at its Wheatland Off-Range Corral holding facility due to a “strangles” outbreak — a highly contagious upper respiratory disease with an up to 40% mortality rate. AWHC is calling for an immediate moratorium on all Wyoming roundups pending inquiry into the disease outbreak, as well as dozens of deaths of horses from other causes in the state’s holding facilities.
The Wheatland facility is one of the BLM’s newest and largest holding facilities, with a holding capacity of 3,500 wild horses. Learn more about our call for an investigation into the outbreak and a halt on all roundups in the meantime here:
AWHC Board Member Wins Top Nature Prize
AWHC Board Member and wildlife photographer, Scott Wilson won the coveted Natural World and Wildlife Award in the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards for his photo of a Colorado mustang, titled, “Anger Management” (above). Scott’s photo was chosen for the top prize out of 170,000 entries!
The photo was taken just months before the devastating roundup of the Sand Wash Basin wild horses of Colorado, where 684 wild horses were captured. Scott’s photo is bringing international attention to the plight of America’s wild mustangs. Scott is a strong advocate for the preservation of wild horses, and we are proud to have him as a member of the AWHC herd!
Thanks for all you continue to do to protect wild horses and burros!
— AWHC Team
BREAKING: The Biden Administration just released their proposed FY23 budget >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Biden Administration just released its proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior and called for $153.1 million to fund the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program. Meredith, that’s an increase of $16 million from the BLM’s approved FY22 program budget enacted earlier this month.
We’re disappointed to see the Biden Administration increase spending towards the BLM’s mismanaged programs, but compared to previous years, this increase is noticeably smaller — we’re hopeful that this marks a departure from the current mass round up and removal plan that would remove 100,000 wild horses and burros from public lands over the next five years.
So, we’re taking action. It’s time we start advocating for wild horse-friendly spending in the FY23 Appropriations bill to ensure the Biden Administration and our leaders in Congress enact a pro-horse agenda for the next year.
Congress already took historic steps this year when it passed the FY22 omnibus spending bill to ensure the BLM utilizes up to $11 million to implement a robust fertility control vaccine program for the remaining months of this year.
We know these vaccines are the best alternative way to manage horses in the wild, and that’s why we’re advocating for the same historic funding to be allocated in the FY23 spending bill. Will you call on your members of Congress and join us in this fight today?
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While there were aspects of Congress’ omnibus that were disappointing, the $11 million secured this year was the first time that Congress had directed the BLM to utilize scientifically-proven fertility control. And, that is a victory worth celebrating!
Meaningful implementation of a robust fertility control vaccine program means the BLM can’t afford to ignore the science. Our federal officials and BLM leadership will see once and for all that in-the-wild management works and means fewer removals for our wild herds.
But to ensure fertility control is prioritized, we must secure ongoing funding, which is why we need your help today. Will you call on your members of Congress to support $11 million in humane fertility control vaccine treatments in the FY23 spending bill?
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Thank you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
ACT NOW: Keep wild burros OUT of the skin trade
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has grounded its helicopters for foaling season, but unfortunately this break only applies to our nation’s wild horses. The agency has turned its focus to wild burros and over 2,000 are in the agency’s crosshairs.
The BLM continues to press on with an aggressive plan to remove at least 19,000 wild horses and burros from federal lands this year. And since burros do not have a designated birthing season in the same way that wild horses do, the BLM plans to continue on with its round-ups, targeting thousands of burros for removal starting in just a few short weeks.
The repercussions for captured wild burros are especially devastating. The increasing number of BLM-branded burros that are arriving in kill pens and livestock auctions has raised serious concerns about burros being exported for slaughter. Some may even become victims of the donkey skin trade for the production of ejiao, medicinal gelatin that is made from boiling the hides of these animals.
Each year, millions of donkeys are brutally slaughtered for the production of ejiao. The donkey skin trade is now decimating global donkey populations — and every federally protected burro at a slaughter auction could be in danger of entering that trade.
We have a chance to stop this pipeline in its tracks. The Ejiao Act (H.R. 5203), has been introduced in the House of Representatives and would ban the knowing sale or transportation of ejiao made using donkey skin, or products containing ejiao made using donkey skin, in interstate or foreign commerce.
Will you contact your elected officials and ask them to sign on in support of this important bill?
| TAKE ACTION |
The BLM’s increasingly aggressive roundup strategies are putting more wild horses and burros in holding every year. And the agency’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) is funneling unseen numbers of these federally protected animals into the slaughter pipeline.
This isn’t an isolated issue — we’re seeing an uptick in the number of burros dumped in kill pens across the country that’s consistent with the start of the AIP and the increase in demand for ejiao too.
Thanks for your support,
AWHC Team
Celebrating Women’s History Month by remembering Wild Horse Annie
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
March is Women’s History Month, a time of year when we pay homage to all the incredible accomplishments and contributions women have made to our nation’s rich history. In that spirit, we would like to take this opportunity to honor Velma B. Johnston, better known as “Wild Horse Annie.”
Velma Johnston was born in Reno, Nevada in 1912. She grew up around horses from an early age since her father used them for his freighting service. When she was 11 years old, she tragically caught polio — the experience left a huge impact on her and made her very empathetic to the suffering of animals. After she recovered, she devoted her time to caring for the animals on her father’s ranch.
One morning while on her way to work, Velma witnessed an appalling scene — a trailer filled with bloodied, injured wild horses recently captured from Nevada’s Virginia Range. Bravely, Velma followed the truck to its final destination, a slaughterhouse. After this experience, she learned that “mustangers” — usually ranchers and hunters — were capturing wild horses for commercial slaughter using airplanes and trucks, often with no regard for the injuries they caused. Velma was horrified.
Once she saw the brutality, she could not ignore it. From that day forward, she dedicated her life to stopping the inhumane treatment, abuse, and slaughter of wild horses.
Velma organized a huge grassroots campaign to put an end to these devastating practices, driving national attention to this issue. Her efforts were successful and resulted in the passage of the Wild Horse Annie Act of 1959. This Act prohibited the use of motorized vehicles to hunt wild horses and burros on all public lands, but it did not include her recommendations for federal protection and management of the wild horse population. So, Velma kept fighting in Washington.
She inspired thousands of school children to write letters to their elected officials and even testified before Congress herself! After another decade of advocacy, Congress finally passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the significant and influential piece of legislation that is credited with saving the West’s iconic wild horses and burros from total eradication.
Wild Horse Annie’s story is a testament to the strength and resilience of women everywhere. She fought fiercely for a cause that she deeply believed in and left behind a legacy of compassion for the majestic animals we continue our fight to protect.
So this Women’s History Month, we wanted to recognize Velma Johnston and share with you the hard-working and dedicated women of AWHC who are honored to carry on her legacy to preserve the freedom of our cherished wild herds.
Through each and every one of us, the work of Wild Horse Annie lives on.
– American Wild Horse Campaign
From the field ➡️ to Congress and the court
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We’ll be the first to admit that protecting America’s wild horses and burros is no easy feat.
The weather conditions at roundup observation sites can be particularly harsh, the time spent preparing for legal battles can go into the late hours of the night, and sometimes we feel like broken records combatting the misinformation spread by the cattle industry to Congress.
But we know — how we feel in these uncomfortable moments, pales in comparison to the pain our cherished wild horses and burros feel when they are chased into traps, breaking family bands apart and costing them their freedom forever.
We’re on a mission to preserve the freedom of wild horses and burros on the public lands they call home. And that starts with oversight.
From the reporting done by our observers in the field, to sharing these findings with Congress, to enacting life changing legislation for our wild herds, and taking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to court — we’re leading the charge for oversight and reform of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program.
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The movement to protect these cherished animals has not happened overnight. Our team has taken a calculated approach to fight for the protection of our wild herds in the field, in the courts, and on the Hill. We will not stop until wild horses and burros have true freedom on the public lands they call home.
Between video footage taken at roundups and documentation from our observation team, we are creating progress and enacting historic change. Right now, legislation has been introduced in Congress that would effectively ban the use of helicopter roundups as a population management tactic by the BLM.
Every court battle won and every victory in Congress brings us one step closer to preserving the freedom of these innocent animals.
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Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign
Helicopter cameras — 1 way we can hold the BLM accountable
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Every year, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) uses helicopters to brutally round up thousands of wild horses and burros. The majority of these roundups occur in remote areas of the West — out of the public’s eye. Our team of observers work to document these operations to hold the BLM accountable and to educate the public as to what’s happening to our federally protected wild horses and burros.
The BLM and its contractors that execute these helicopter stampedes have placed a number of restrictions on public observation, creating a significant lack of transparency at the site of these traumatic roundups.
If these federal roundups continue, there is one way we can ensure accountability — cameras. If cameras are installed on every helicopter used to capture wild horses and burros we can create public transparency and independent oversight for any operations that occur out of the public’s view. Will you join us today by calling for the installation of cameras for all helicopter roundup operations?
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We’ve seen time and time again that the public observation areas for each roundup are simply not enough to hold the BLM fully accountable. At the Wyoming Checkerboard roundup this past year, our team was placed over a mile away from the trap site and in a spot where terrain blocked most of our view.
Oversight and documentation drive accountability. Accountability that is badly needed to preserve the freedom — and more importantly, the lives — of America’s wild horses and burros. If you’re with us, will you call on the BLM today to require contractors to install cameras on their helicopters used in roundup operations?
| TAKE ACTION |
Thanks,
AWHC Observation Team
The BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program needs oversight
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) may have grounded its helicopters for the 2022 wild horse foaling season, but thousands of burros are still stuck in the crosshairs starting next month.
We send humane observers to bear witness to these devastating roundups, and , they are reporting some recurring and upsetting themes; a significant lack of transparency from the BLM and its contractors during the operations and a concerning number of injuries and deaths.
Today is the first email in a series where we’ll be sharing the costs and consequences of the BLM’s roundup program. Over the next few days, you’ll be hearing from us with observations from the field that highlight just why the BLM’s program urgently needs reform.
We’re using the documentation our team has accumulated to hold the BLM accountable. Will join us by calling for a Congressional oversight hearing on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program?
| TAKE ACTION |
The massive roundup that ended earlier this year in Wyoming’s Checkerboard region resulted in the removal of an astounding 4,161 wild horses, making this the largest wild horse roundup in history. The toll was steep: 37 of these cherished animals lost their lives as a result of the helicopter roundup itself, while dozens more died in the holding pens in the month after the operation ended.
Our investigations, based on information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, have revealed that the BLM is dramatically under-reporting the mortality rate of helicopter roundups by excluding the deaths that occur in the holding pens days and weeks after the roundups end.
This is unacceptable. Wild horses are being chased to pure exhaustion in a run for their freedom and their lives. Far too many die after sustaining traumatic injuries such as broken limbs and necks.
Enough is enough. Congress must be presented with the reality of these roundups that we, the taxpayers, are paying for. Will you join us in calling on Congress to hold an oversight hearing on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program? Reform of this disastrous program is needed now more than ever.
| TAKE ACTION |
Thanks for fighting alongside us,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
We’re changing the wild horse narrative
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Wild horses and burros get a bad rap in the media. These American icons are all too often labeled “invasive” and scapegoated as the cause of land degradation in the West.
We both know that’s not true. So we’re working to change the narrative from this:
To THIS:
To THIS:
| FUEL OUR WORK |
The plight faced by our cherished wild horses and burros is fueled by misinformation. These innocent animals are blamed for environmental damage across the West when they only inhabit a tiny fraction of our public lands. In fact, research implicates commercial livestock grazing, not wild horses, as the primary cause of land degradation.
The livestock industry has lobbied Congress for decades, blaming wild horses and burros with flawed statistics to try and get its way — well, we won’t have it.
As our organization and supporter base rapidly grows, so does our influence on Capitol Hill. We’ve built relationships with wild horse champions at the local, state, and federal levels and will continue to be the legislative voice of our cherished wild herds.
We’re demonstrating through our PZP program on the Virginia Range in Nevada that humane, in-the-wild management works. And we’re meticulously tracking and reporting on the successes of this program to show Congress and the media that there is a better way to manage wild horses and burros than costly and deadly helicopter roundups.
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Thanks for your support,
The AWHC Team
A critical first step
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Breaking news:
Congress just released its Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations omnibus spending bill — and in it, we successfully secured the humane immunocontraceptive fertility control funding and other language that our government relations team has been advocating for since this time last year!
Firstly, I want to say thank you — wild horse advocates and AWHC supporters like you fought alongside us over the last 12 months to make this language possible.
It’s a critical first step in our fight to preserve the freedom of America’s wild horses and burros. But that’s just what it is — a first step.
When passed, the bill will ensure that up to $11 million of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) budget must go toward humane immunocontraceptive fertility control treatment and research, effectively diverting funds away from brutal and deadly helicopter roundups.
However, we’re disappointed that the bill provides increased funding overall for roundups and removal — a total of $21 million over the FY21 funding levels. But fortunately, Congress ultimately appropriated significantly less funding than what was provided in the original FY22 House and Senate bills, and less than the $35 million increase that was requested by the Administration.
Despite scientific evidence, wild horses and burros are still being scapegoated for land degradation and climate change, even though research shows commercial livestock grazing is the real environmental threat to public lands. The omnibus also creates an interagency task force to deal with the “crisis” of growing wild horse populations — something we will be keeping a close eye on.
While parts of this spending bill are deeply 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 : 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 BLM violates the law protecting wild horses and burros, we will go to court and fight on behalf of these cherished animals.
Our fight is just beginning — and this $11 million is just the first step. Will you continue to stand with us today by calling for the next step: An oversight hearing on the BLM’s woefully mismanaged Wild Horse and Burro Program?
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Stay strong and stay ready,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Stargazer’s story
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
My name is Melissa and I just joined AWHC as their new Deputy Director. I’m reaching out today to share my story about why I’m all in on the fight to protect America’s wild horses and burros.
I’ve always been a photographer at heart. As a passionate advocate for animal protection, I’ve been behind the lens — as the owner of RJStein Photography — to bring awareness to the plight of wild mustangs.
My journey began in 2018, when I attended a photography workshop in Utah with the beloved Onaqui wild horses. I’ll never forget the moment — first I saw the dust clouds on the horizon, then I heard their hooves from afar. All of a sudden dozens of the most magnificent wild horses crested the hill and I was able to capture every stunning moment through the lens of my camera. It was truly life changing.
When I looked at my photos, I was awestruck by a beautiful dun pinto stallion who was known as Stargazer. He was living as a bachelor back then, and hadn’t yet started his family. I was in love. I continued to go to Onaqui over the next several years to visit with Stargazer and was delighted when he finally found his first and only mare — a beautiful grey mustang named Northstar, or Nora for short.
In 2021, the BLM’s helicopters descended on the Onaqui wild horses, and Stargazer was captured. This once brave stallion looked so lost and confused. Not only that, but he was without Nora.
At that moment — looking at the photos of him being rounded up still makes me cry — I was determined to reunite him with Nora so their story could continue on. I refused to allow their bond to be destroyed by the BLM. My husband and I adopted the pair so that they could live happily together on our farm — the next best thing to being wild and free. It is so special to know that they can never be torn apart again.
Photo credit: Darlene Smith Photography
I wanted to share this story because it’s a critical part of why I joined AWHC — it is the largest grassroots organization in the U.S. doing real, meaningful work to protect our cherished wild horses and burros.
We couldn’t do this without you,
Melissa Tritinger
Deputy Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Melissa with Stargazer on her farm.
BREAKING: 3/4 Americans OPPOSE Helicopter Roundups
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Over the last month, our team has been busy polling American voters about the plight of wild horses. And after much analysis, we are very excited to announce the astounding results:
| 74% of American voters, regardless of political affiliation, oppose helicopter roundups of wild horses and burros.
3/4 Americans oppose the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2022 plans to round up and remove 19,000 wild horses and burros from public lands. 88% of Americans want our nation’s wild horses and burros protected on the public lands they call home. 79% of Americans oppose the slaughter of wild horses for human consumption. Right off the bat, 72% of Americans oppose removing wild horses from their natural habitat, which increases to 75% once they hear more information! |
What does this mean? American voters have spoken!
Wild horse and burro protection on our public lands is an issue Republicans and Democrats can agree on — now it’s time for our elected officials to stand up for in-the-wild, humane management of our cherished wild mustangs and burros.
| TELL CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION |
Right now, Congress is considering legislation that could ban the use of helicopter roundups for good. Congress passed legislation in 1971 to protect wild horses and burros, yet the BLM’s current roundup plans would reduce wild horse populations to the pre-protection levels that pushed Congress to act over 50 years ago!
Wild horses and burros need our help now more than ever. Congress needs to hear from taxpayers like you that American constituents want to see wild horses and burros protected!
| TELL CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION |
— American Wild Horse Campaign
Celebrating World Wildlife Day with ACTION >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Do you know the best part about wildlife? It’s wild!
That’s why we can’t think of any better way to kick off today’s global celebration of wildlife than by taking action to protect America’s wild horses and burros right here at home!
| KEEP WILD HORSES WILD |
While the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) helicopters may be grounded until April when the agency starts rounding up wild burros, 19,000 wild horses and burros are still at risk of permanent removal from their homes on our public lands this year.
Speaking up for our wild herds right now will help us keep family bands intact and preserve the freedom of thousands of these cherished animals in the wild where they belong!
| KEEP WILD HORSES WILD |
Thanks for taking action!
AWHC Team
Foaling season is here
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) helicopters have officially stopped rounding up wild horses for the 2022 foaling season, which runs from March through June.
This is a time when the BLM grounds their helicopters for four months as mares give birth and tiny foals are on the ground. But this year, the helicopters will continue to fly. The target? Wild burros. The BLM’s rationale? Burros do not have a distinct foaling season, so they are fair game year-round.
Unlike horses, who will generally stay together in their social groups as they are chased into traps, burros tend to scatter and stand firm against the helicopters, resulting in prolonged and traumatic chases in extreme desert conditions. The skids of helicopters have even been documented hitting burros in the chase.
So, while wild horses may be getting a respite during this year’s foaling season, nearly 2,000 wild burros will lose their freedom starting in April.
And, AWHC will not stop fighting for them. In addition to sending observers to witness and record the unprecedented number of burro helicopter roundups, our work in the field to establish fertility control as a humane management alternative continues. We’ll also be on Capitol Hill, supporting the 2022 Horse Protection Platform, which includes banning the use of helicopters to round up wild horses and burros. In the courts, we’ll be litigating to end the BLM’s cash incentive adoption program that is sending “truckloads” of wild horses and burros into the slaughter pipeline.
Your support has helped us make historic strides in the fight for wild horses and burro protection.
Through your actions, we’ve saved hundreds of horses and burros from slaughter. We’ve gained momentum in Congress with champions like Representatives Steve Cohen and Dina Titus. And we’ve started funding scientific initiatives. Thanks to you, we’re supporting research on the important role wild horses and burros play in Western ecosystems and analysis to prove humane fertility control ultimately cuts costs for American taxpayers.
All of this has been made possible through your support and donations. So during this foaling season, as new life is beginning on the range, our fight for these cherished animals continues. Will you please send in a donation to help us continue our work in the field, on the Hill, and in the courts to protect wild horses and burros?
We couldn’t do this without you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
THIS is who’s profiting from wild horse roundups >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
A few short weeks ago, our investigative team emailed you with important information regarding who specifically is profiting from the brutal and inhumane practice of wild horse and burro helicopter roundups.
The sad reality is, that an astounding 89% of the Bureau of Land Management & U.S. Forest Service helicopter roundup contracts go to cattlemen — the very same people who have been lobbying for the removal of wild horses and burros from our public lands for decades.
We received an outpouring of support since our last email, and so today we’re asking you to use your online voice and help us continue to spread awareness about this incredibly important issue.
Our team put together a new graphic that you can share on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social platform you use to spread awareness around the plight of our wild horses and burros. Will you share this graphic to your social networks?
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Spreading awareness about the threats our cherished wild mustangs and burros continue to face is one of the best ways we can enact change to protect these innocent animals. Growing our network of wild horse advocates like you means more calls to legislators for wild horse protections, more American taxpayers standing up for what their money is used for, and ultimately a better life for wild horses and burros.
Thanks for all you continue to do,
Suzanne
Some feel good news for you
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Today we wanted to bring you some good news: Four youngsters from the famed Onaqui herd are now out of mud-ridden government holding pens and are starting their new lives!
These horses were rounded up late last summer during the devastating roundup across the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) and have lived in a cramped government facility ever since, where they haven’t been able to run or play like young wild horses do.
But thanks to their adopter and AWHC Board President, Ellie Price, they’ll now get a second chance at a good life at her wild horse sanctuary, Montgomery Creek Ranch, as they learn to trust people and become someone’s companion in a forever home!
You can learn more about this heartwarming rescue here:
We love happy endings like that of these young mustangs, and we’re working hard to bring even more happy endings to thousands of other wild horses and burros. Are you with us?
Thanks,
— AWHC Team
Not on our watch
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
19,000.
That’s how many wild horses and burros the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to remove from the wild this year. And sadly, that astounding number is just the beginning of the agency’s multi-year-long effort to rid western public lands of most of these iconic animals.
But not on our watch.
We are preparing for the major battles ahead and attacking disastrous proposals and programs with everything we’ve got. One way we do that is in the courts. Will you please chip in to our Legal Fund and help us fight back?
When our team heard about an influx of BLM mustangs and burros to kill pens, we investigated and documented a clear link between the BLM’s cash incentive adoption program and the increased number of wild horses and burros being sold at slaughter auctions. We got the New York Times to expose it.
Then we filed suit.
Any day now, the BLM will release a plan to conduct its final assault on the wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard. As if the recent removal of nearly 4,000 of these animals wasn’t enough, the agency has future plans to round up and remove every wild horse that lives in the Great Divide Basin and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas (HMA), drastically reduce the number of wild horses living in the Adobe Town HMA, and either eradicate the White Mountain wild horses immediately or slowly over time, by leaving a non-reproducing population of 200 surgically sterilized mustangs.
We are going to need your help to fight back. Please fuel our Legal Fund now.
We have a long road ahead of us, but our legal team has a nearly 90% success rate and stands at the ready.
Please consider donating today.
For the 19,000,
The AWHC Team
This week’s eNews: Take action to protect the North Lander Complex wild mustangs!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We wanted to share some recent updates about roundups, a happy ending for a few rescued burros, and actions you can take to help protect Wyoming’s wild horses from further danger. Read on and see how you can help to protect these cherished animals. >>
Speak Up For the North Lander Complex Wild Horses
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released an Environmental Assessment on a management plan for the North Lander Complex in Wyoming. The proposed action would reduce the wild horse population from 2,000 to 320, skew the sex ratio to 60/40 in favor of stallions, castrate 95% of the captured males, insert unproven IUDs into a portion of the mares captured and administer an experimental fertility control vaccine GonaCon to all mares slated to be released.
The plan threatens the long-term sustainability of this iconic Wyoming wild mustang herd. Please take action to protect the wild herds of the North Lander Complex. >>
| TAKE ACTION |
Death Toll Surges in Aftermath of Wyoming Checkerboard Roundup
Nearly 50 federally-protected wild mustangs died in the aftermath of the government’s recent roundup of the Great Divide Basin wild horses of Wyoming. The BLM officially reported the deaths of six mustangs following the roundup, which took place from October 5, 2021 to November 7, 2021, but didn’t release any information regarding the deaths of animals once they were removed from the range.
Under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, AWHC was able to obtain records that an additional 43 wild horses from the Great Divide Basin died or were euthanized while in holding just 90 days after the roundup. The Wyoming Checkerboard roundup was the largest on record by the BLM, with more than 3,500 animals permanently removed from the range.
Four other wild horse herds were removed during the operation, and we expect to see significantly higher death rates as those records come in. The BLM has announced more of such operations across the West for 2022, with plans to remove an unprecedented number of horses. Learn more here. >>
| LEARN MORE |
AWHC & AWI Partner in Homes for Horses Coalition Initiative
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
In an effort to permanently put an end to horse slaughter, AWHC has partnered with the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) as a sponsoring organization of the Homes for Horses Coalition. The Homes for Horses Coalition (HHC) is a national initiative made up of more than 520 member organizations with the ultimate goal of ending horse slaughter and all other forms of equine abuse for good.
Through this initiative, AWHC joins AWI in supporting the boots-on-the-ground rescues by providing advocacy leadership to address the root causes of the problem while providing resources to strengthen the nonprofits doing heroic jobs to help horses in need.
Right now, AWHC continues to push for the passage of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act in Congress, which would permanently prevent horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S. and stop the export of horses, burros, and donkeys for slaughter. Learn more here. >>
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Four Rescued Burros Find Their Forever Home at Montgomery Creek Ranch
AWHC’s Rescue Fund helps us to fuel rescue missions across the country. From orphaned or injured foals on Nevada’s Virginia Range to mustangs and burros in kill pens — your support helps us save the lives of these treasured animals when they desperately need our help. Recently, we coordinated the rescue of 4 BLM-branded burros from a kill pen in the Midwest. AWHC Board President and owner of Montgomery Creek Ranch Wild Horse Sanctuary, Ellie Phipps Price agreed to take them in.
When rescued, the burros were in very rough shape — three of these innocent animals had open wounds all over their bodies from a hot brand. The older white burro has a fallen crest, meaning his neck muscle hangs over to the side. They spent a few weeks at a quarantine shelter to treat their wounds and get them healthy enough for transport. Finally, they were healthy enough to go to Montgomery Creek Ranch where they will continue to heal and be prepped for adoption.
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— AWHC Team
💓 a valentine’s day tale 💓
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Happy Valentine’s Day!
One of our favorite stories from the range is perfect for a day that celebrates love. Renowned wild horse photographer and friend of AWHC, Kimerlee Curyl tells it best:
“In Wyoming, I came across this gorgeous snow-white mare, very heavy in foal. I thought she could have that baby any second, she was so large and moving slow. A commotion erupted as the stallion attempted to chase off a band of young bachelors that had approached her. The other mares in her herd kept close to her as he fought with the challenging group. He successfully won his battle, and swiftly returned to her side, positioning himself perfectly so she could rest her head on him in the warm afternoon sun.”
Wild horses are very social and family-oriented, and the bonds between individuals are strong. This is why it’s so important to keep them wild, together with their families, where they belong.
Valentine’s Day is all about love — and we appreciate the love you have for our wild horses and burros and all you do to fight for their freedom and their families.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Meredith! May your day be filled with lots of love. 
— AWHC Team