Thank you
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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wild horses
FWD: Your generosity gives hope to foals like this
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
It’s Suzanne Roy – Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Campaign. I wanted to make sure you saw our email yesterday.
I’m so proud that AWHC’s Rescue Fund was able to support Creedence’s care. He is just one example of the hundreds of wild horses and burros we’ve been able to help over the years all thanks to your generosity. None of this important work we do would be possible without your support.
On Tuesday, my team let you know that we set a goal to raise $25,000 by midnight tonight to recharge our Rescue Fund and help us continue powering our efforts. Right now, we’re still $10,261 away from reaching our goal.
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
Thank you for stepping up for our wild herds.
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
——– Forwarded message ——-
From: Team AWHC <contact@americanwildhorsecampaign.org>
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2024
Subject: Your support gives hope to foals like this
Yesterday, we told you about the importance of our Rescue Fund. Through this vital program, we’ve helped save hundreds of wild horses and burros from being shipped to slaughter and supported the medical care of dozens of rescued animals in need of care. Including Creedence!
| HELP US CARE FOR FOALS LIKE CREEDENCE |
Creedence was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range in March of last year. But soon after, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was unable to stand up several hours after he was born. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and back with his mother so she could feed him the milk he desperately needed.
Unfortunately, he was still too weak and cold to stand up on his own, so he was transported straight to Comstock Equine Hospital where blood work and other tests were run. Since Creedence had gone so long without nursing from his mom, he had to have a plasma fusion to survive.
But thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he was able to leave the hospital and continue receiving loving care back with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to help fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Rescue Fund enables us to help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
We also help fund life-saving foal kits. These foal kits are essential to expanding foal rescue capacity and to treating babies on the range so hopefully, no removal is necessary. The kits include wound care, foal milk replacer, colostrum replacement, and Air for Paws units, which are units small enough to provide oxygen to foals’ tiny muzzles.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Your support gives hope to foals like this
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Yesterday, we told you about the importance of our Rescue Fund. Through this vital program, we’ve helped save hundreds of wild horses and burros from being shipped to slaughter and supported the medical care of dozens of rescued animals in need of care. Including Creedence!
| HELP US CARE FOR FOALS LIKE CREEDENCE |
Creedence was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range in March of last year. But soon after, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was unable to stand up several hours after he was born. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and back with his mother so she could feed him the milk he desperately needed.
Unfortunately, he was still too weak and cold to stand up on his own, so he was transported straight to Comstock Equine Hospital where blood work and other tests were run. Since Creedence had gone so long without nursing from his mom, he had to have a plasma fusion to survive.
But thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he was able to leave the hospital and continue receiving loving care back with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to help fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Rescue Fund enables us to help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
We also help fund life-saving foal kits. These foal kits are essential to expanding foal rescue capacity and to treating babies on the range so hopefully, no removal is necessary. The kits include wound care, foal milk replacer, colostrum replacement, and Air for Paws units, which are units small enough to provide oxygen to foals’ tiny muzzles.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Saving wild horses and burros from slaughter
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
While our primary focus at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is ensuring the conservation and lifelong freedom of wild horses and burros, we also support direct rescue efforts through our Rescue Fund.
AWHC actively supports local rescue organizations across the West through capacity-building grants and direct rescue efforts, helping to save nearly 200 wild horses and burros who’ve been found in kill pens over the past few years. Many of these equines were in need of rescue thanks to the failure of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which has funneled hundreds, if not thousands of these innocent animals into the slaughter pipeline.
Our team is committed to combating this crisis on several fronts. We’re currently in court suing the BLM over the alleged illegal implementation of this disastrous program, and are working with our partners in Congress to pass legislation that bans both the slaughter of wild horses and burros and the foreign export of these equines for slaughter.
But those fights take time. Our Rescue Fund is often the difference between life and death for wild horses and burros. Many of the direct rescue efforts we’ve supported have saved animals who were just hours from being shipped to slaughter.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
In addition to direct rescue efforts, our rescue fund awards capacity-building grants to local rescue organizations. For example, we recently provided a grant to our Colorado partner, For the Love of Aria, enabling them to purchase a squeeze chute – an indispensable tool for the care of wild horses and burros. This equipment proved essential during a critical surgery for a rescued mustang last month, leading to a successful outcome and a testament to how such grants make a tangible difference in the lives of these animals.
These capacity-building grants do not merely save lives; they ensure that our partners can provide the necessary care to rehabilitate and nurture rescued wild horses and burros back to health. Your support for the AWHC Rescue Fund makes this possible. It enables us to intervene before it’s too late, to build the capabilities of rescue partners, and to ensure that every wild horse and burro we save receives the care they desperately need.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Happy Valentine’s Day!!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
On this day of love and admiration, we wanted to share a tale of devotion straight from the wild.
Meet Cobra and Misty, two beautiful mustangs roaming the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) in Utah. These two chose each other and only each other. They have been together ever since, a testament to the strong bonds our wild mustangs share.
Photo by Tandin Chapman
This Valentine’s Day, let us not only celebrate love’s warmth but also recognize the struggles our wild horses and burros are facing due to government mismanagement. Let us stand together in advocating for their protection and the conservation of their habitat.
So here’s to Cobra and Misty, the epitome of true love in its purest form. May their love continue to inspire us all, reminding us that sometimes, all we need is someone to share our journey with.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
AWHC Team
TAKE ACTION: Urge your representative in Congress to support this critical wild-horse legislation
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) has boots on the ground at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundups to educate the public and Congress about what happens to our wild horses and burros during these operations.
This winter, we sent our trained observers to the recently-concluded East Pershing Complex roundup – the largest roundup planned for Fiscal Year 2024. Sadly, what they saw at the roundup underscores the desperate need for reforming the way our federal government manages wild horse and burro populations.
| TAKE ACTION |
The roundup began on December 28th and aimed to capture 2,875 wild horses from their homes on the 2.2 million acre Complex. The federal government contracted with Sampson Livestock for the roundup, which resulted in 2,692 wild horses being captured, including 1,082 stallions, 1,245 mares, and 365 foals. In addition, 26 wild horses were either euthanized or killed – including a young foal who was euthanized at the capture site for an injury he suffered while being chased and roped by BLM wranglers.
That’s not all. In another shocking incident, our humane observers captured footage showing a wild mare being roped, hogtied, and left alone on the range before being dragged onto a trailer. These tragedies are not just distressing; they are a clear sign of the need for immediate reform.
| TAKE ACTION |
In addition to the danger they pose to these innocent animals, helicopter roundups are a grossly inefficient use of taxpayer dollars. Since 2017, the BLM has spent more than $25 million in taxpayer dollars for helicopter roundups. According to the agency itself, the cost to round up a horse from the range and warehouse the animal for life is up to $50,000.
| TAKE ACTION |
Thanks for stepping up for our wild herds,
Team AWHC
This week’s eNews: an opportunity for you to take action to protect the McCullough Peaks wild horses >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have a lot to share with you in this edition of eNews! Read on to learn about congressional action taken to protect wild horses, revealing insights on off-range holding facilities, and a direct action you can take to protect the McCullough Peaks wild horses.
Read on to learn more!
Rep. Dina Titus Speaks Out for Wild Horses
Last month, Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) calling on the agency to reevaluate its mass roundup and removal plans for Fiscal Year 2024. The letter urges the agency to use humane in-the-wild conservation tools, including fertility control vaccines to keep wild horses in the wild, where they belong. Read the letter here.
| READ THE LETTER |
Records Reveal Impact of Off-Range Holding Facilities
AWHC recently obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act that illuminate the impacts of the BLM’s off-range holding facilities. The records focus on the new Winnemucca Off-Range Corral, which has a capacity of 4,000 horses housed on 100 acres, and reveal that 23 horses died of botulism in 24 days. Read on to learn more.
| READ MORE |
During the BLM’s McCullough Peaks capture operation, a beloved filly named Kat Ballou died after being trapped by the BLM. AWHC has sent a legal letter to the BLM demanding a halt to this operation and we need your help. Please take action and call for a halt to the BLM’s McCullough Peaks bait trap removal.
| TAKE ACTION |
Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!
— Team AWHC
Fighting for our wild herds in the courtroom
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As the nation’s leading wild horse and burro conservation organization, some of the most important work we do for our wild herds is in the courtroom.
When evaluating potential litigation, there are many factors our expert legal teams consider, including the viability of legal action and the ramifications of winning or losing. We engage in litigation that protects the freedom and wellbeing of wild horses for years to come.
As you’re reading this, we’re engaged in two significant lawsuits that challenge some of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s most harmful policies affecting wild horses and burros. One is over the alleged illegal implementation of the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) and and the other is fighting to protect Wyoming’s cherished wild herds from unwarranted removal – lawsuits that could shape the future of widespread wild horse management in the United States.
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In Wyoming, we’re in the midst of a decade-long struggle against the demands of the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) to remove wild horses from over 2 million acres in the southwestern area of the state. We’re up against very powerful interests who view wild horses as competitors to their private livestock on our public lands.
Recently, our legal team filed the opening merits brief in this lawsuit. This filing is a major step forward in the battle to protect Wyoming’s herds from being eradicated from their home range and to secure the protection that they are entitled to by Congressional law.
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“Because BLM has completely disregarded Congress’s unambiguous limitations on the agency’s public land removal authority, that alone is fatal to BLM’s decision to eradicate these wild horse herds, adjust their AMLs, and remove more than a thousand horses from the range.” – Opening Merits Brief |
The outcome of this case will not only affect the herds in Wyoming but could also set precedent that impacts wild horse populations across the West. We’re at a pivotal moment, and your support has never been more important.
Thank you,
The American Wild Horse Campaign
Meet Baldy
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
For the past four years, our team has implemented the world’s largest wild horse humane fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range. This groundbreaking initiative has proven that there IS a better way to humanely manage our nation’s wild horses.
Today, we want to share a heartwarming story from the Virginia Range that illustrates the impact of your support for the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC). Meet Baldy – a beautiful pinto mare whose freedom and safety have been safeguarded thanks to AWHC’s pioneering PZP fertility control program.
| HELP PROTECT HORSES LIKE BALDY → |
With her colorful coat and spirited nature, Baldy embodies the untamed beauty of America’s iconic wild horses. Since she had her last foal in 2020, Baldy has been thriving – in part, thanks to our fertility control efforts. She is a proud mother of three, contributing to the genetic diversity of her herd, and she shares a close bond with her four-year-old daughter, Laney, who remains with her in the same family band!
Her story is possible thanks to your support for our innovative fertility control program. This program is more than just a humane way to manage wild horse populations; it’s a lifeline for horses like Baldy. Across the West, federally protected horses are facing increased roundups this year as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) nearly tripled the number of wild horses and burros scheduled to be rounded up in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
| DONATE $30 TODAY |
We are proud to lead the way in wild horse conservation through hands-on, humane programs like this. But we cannot do it without you. Your donation today can make an immediate difference for our wild herds.
| DONATE $30 TODAY |
As always, thank you for standing with us in the fight to protect America’s wild horses and burros.
– Team AWHC
A big THANK YOU for powering this vital work!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
On behalf of the entire American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) Observation Team, THANK YOU for supporting our roundup documentation work!
This past week, you heard from us about the importance of our humane observation program – one of the most impactful tools we have at our disposal to ensure transparency and accountability during federal helicopter roundups. Well, thanks to the support of this incredible herd of advocates, we significantly recharged our Observation Fund!
Thanks to you, we’ll not only be able to keep our humane observers who’ve already been deployed to the East Pershing Complex roundups in the field to continue their work, but also send more observers out to upcoming roundups in the months ahead.
That means more crucial evidence to provide to the media, the public, and to Congress that exposes the cruel realities of wild horse and burro roundups. Through our roundup observation work, and all of the other important programs you help power, we can and WILL show that there is a better way to conserve our precious wild herds.
Thank you!
– AWHC Observation Team
What it takes to hold the federal government accountable
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Over the past few days, we’ve told you about one very important aspect of our work here at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) – documenting the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) inhumane helicopter roundups of our cherished wild horses and burros.
In the last three years alone, over 39,000 horses and burros across the West were captured and removed from the wild by the federal government. Now, over 20,000 of these innocent animals are slated for capture in Fiscal Year 2024.
To document these roundups, AWHC has assembled and trained a team of photographers and videographers who are deployed to some of the most remote corners of the West where wild horses still roam and where these operations occur. The evidence they collect and the reports they compile are used to file complaints against the BLM’s actions, are provided to the media, and are used in our advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. The evidence we gather helps us establish an irrefutable pattern of cruelty and is a powerful motivator for change. Will you make a contribution today to fuel our Observation Fund and ensure no animal welfare violations go unrecorded?
Oftentimes, our representatives are the ONLY ones onsite to document any violations taking place. That means it’s critical that we have boots on the ground at as many of these roundups as possible.
The thing is this is grueling work. The days can be incredibly long, with start times as early as 4 AM and roundups going on from morning until dusk, sometimes amidst extreme heat or cold depending on the location of the operation. Watching these beautiful and innocent wild animals lose their freedom and families, day in and day out, is also emotionally draining for our observers.
On top of all that, it’s expensive to get them to these remote areas. AWHC provides them with the funds they need to keep them equipped and in the field with four wheel drive vehicles and places to stay after such exhausting days. That means your support is what makes this critical work possible.
Thank you,
Team AWHC
The largest roundup of the year
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As you’re reading this, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is continuing to round up wild horses in Nevada’s East Pershing Complex. Since the roundup began in late December, over a thousand of these incredible animals have been subjected to dangerous helicopter chases and inhumane treatment by BLM contractors in the largest scheduled roundup of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
So far, over 1,700 of the nearly 3,000 wild horses slated for removal have been captured. Nearly 20 innocent horses have already lost their lives during this operation, including a young foal who was euthanized at the capture site for an injury he suffered while being chased and roped by BLM wranglers.
AWHC has boots on the ground at the roundup to ensure people know what’s happening to the East Pershing wild horses. But that’s the thing – had our humane observer not been onsite to bear witness to and document stories like this foal’s, it’s possible the brutality our wild horses face would not be brought to light.
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This foal’s tragic story is just one of many coming out from the East Pershing roundup. Days prior, BLM contractors herded a large number of horses into a trap, causing them to panic and attempt to escape – almost breaking through the panels.
Our observer captured footage of this incident. The same day, we captured footage showing a helicopter flying dangerously close to the horses’ heads, as well as unnecessary agitation by BLM contractors post-capture.
All of our roundup documentation is critical to establishing the need for reform and is essential to educating Congress and the American public. But, this is just the first of many roundups scheduled for FY 2024. We need to ensure we have the resources to send our observers to as many of these operations as possible so that no violation or mistreatment goes unrecorded. Will you chip in to support our observation program?
| DONATE |
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign
This week’s eNews: an update on our major ongoing lawsuits against the BLM
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews! Please read on for updates on our major ongoing lawsuits against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a recent event where we presented Congresswoman Dina Titus with an award for championing the cause of wild horse and burro conservation, and our recent public comment submission on behalf of nearly 5,000 wild horse advocates speaking up for Wyoming’s wild herds.
Read on to learn more!
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We often get asked, why don’t you sue? And the answer is, we do! In fact, we have two major lawsuits in federal court. One is against the alleged illegal implementation of the Adoption Incentive Program, and the other is to protect Wyoming’s cherished wild herds. Recently, our lawyers, Eubanks and Associates, filed our opening briefs in our Wyoming case. Read on to learn more about the implications of this case, what opening briefs are, and what they say.
| READ MORE |
Honoring Wild Horse Champion Rep. Dina Titus
This month, AWHC was honored to present the 2023 Freedom Award to Congresswoman Dina Titus, a steadfast champion for wild horse protection. Rep. Titus introduced the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H.R. 3656), which aims to ban the use of helicopters to round up wild horses, and she continued to speak up for these iconic animals every chance she got. We’re grateful for her leadership. Click here to read more.
| READ MORE |
AWHC Submits Public Comments for Wild Horses on Behalf of Nearly 5,000 People
This week, AWHC, on behalf of nearly 5,000 wild horse advocates, submitted public comments speaking up for Wyoming’s wild horses. These comments called for an increased Appropriate Management Level for five Herd Management Areas (HMA), the reduction or elimination of livestock from the HMAs, and more! Read the comments here.
| READ THE COMMENTS |
Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!
— Team AWHC
Introducing our OFFICIAL 2024 AWHC Member Card!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The votes are in, and we have a winner! Drum roll please…
Introducing our OFFICIAL 2024 American Wild Horse Campaign Member Card:
Please download your virtual member card above and proudly show off that you’re a part of the AWHC herd!
We have a lot in store for the rest of 2024. Whether we’re in the field, in court, or on Capitol Hill, we’re going to continue our fight to protect America’s wild horses and burros from federal mismanagement so we can keep them in the wild where they belong.
| RENEW YOUR SUPPORT |
We’re laser-focused on advancing wild horse and burro conservation to new heights this year. In 2024, your support will help us:
Ensure that the inhumane treatment of wild horses and burros does not take place out of the public’s view by continuing our efforts to document abuses at roundups and raise public awareness to greater levels;
Drive policy reform on Capitol Hill and in state capitals across the country through our government relations work;
Prove that there is a better way to manage wild horse and burro populations by continuing our humane fertility control and habitat conservation programs in the West;
Hold the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) accountable through our litigation and investigations programs;
Save wild horses from slaughter through our Rescue Fund with direct and capacity-building grants to rescue organizations;
And so much more!!
| RENEW YOUR SUPPORT |
Thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!
– The American Wild Horse Campaign
FWD: LAST CHANCE! Help us pick our official 2024 AWHC Member Card >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Did you see our email last week?
We’re announcing the winning design for our Official 2024 American Wild Horse Campaign Member Card THIS FRIDAY! Make sure to cast your vote now and have a say on the final design! >>
A 2024 AWHC Member Card is *the perfect way* to show the world your commitment to standing up for America’s wild horses and burros.
| VOTE NOW → |
Thank you for your input!
Team AWHC
Can you help us pick our 2024 AWHC Member Card?
Option # 1
Option #2
Option #3
A 2024 AWHC Member Card is a great way to show off your dedication to protecting America’s wild herds. Will you cast your vote and let us know which design is your favorite? We’ll be announcing the winner next Friday!
| VOTE |
– American Wild Horse Campaign
SIGN ON: Demand transparency at federal wild horse and burro roundups
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Right now, thousands of wild horses in Nevada are being chased by helicopters in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) ongoing roundup in the East Pershing Complex.
In the two weeks since the roundup began, the death toll has already reached double digits – including a young foal who was euthanized for an injury he suffered while being roped by BLM wranglers.
Tragedies like this are all too common during these inhumane removals. But had it not been for our AWHC humane observer who was on site to bear witness and document this heartbreaking story, it’s possible the full cruelty this foal faced would never have been brought to the public’s attention.
| TAKE ACTION |
The East Pershing Complex is just the first of many wild horse and burro helicopter roundups this year. The BLM has begun its plan to remove up to 1,000 burros from the Black Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) in Arizona – the largest wild burro roundup of 2024.
These operations are often very traumatic for burros, and this herd has been particularly mistreated in past roundups. In fact, the BLM’s own Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) review of the 2022 Black Mountain roundup showed violations such as hitting wild horses and burros in an abusive manner, and even the use of an electric cattle prod on the captured animals.
| “During the process of loading the semi-trailer, one individual on the contractor’s crew appeared to be frustrated and angry. The individual used a shaker paddle in an abusive manner, including aggressively hitting and jabbing the paddle into the sides and sensitive areas of burros, and eventually using the handle end to aggressively poke and prod the burros.” – Excerpt from the BLM’s CAWP review of the 2022 Black Mountain roundup |
We’re fighting to end this inhumane treatment of our wild herds, but until we can bring about the lasting change these innocent animals need, we need to ensure accountability and transparency within our federal government and its operations.
| TAKE ACTION |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Help us pick our official 2024 AWHC Member Card!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Can you help us pick our 2024 AWHC Member Card?
Option # 1
Option #2
Option #3
A 2024 AWHC Member Card is a great way to show off your dedication to protecting America’s wild herds. Will you cast your vote and let us know which design is your favorite? We’ll be announcing the winner next Friday!
| VOTE |
– American Wild Horse Campaign
Take Action for Wyoming’s Wild Horses!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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Our 2024 agenda
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The new year is upon us, and with it, our fight to reform the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) costly and cruel roundup program continues. Throughout Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the BLM is planning to remove nearly 20,000 innocent wild horses and burros from the wild – double the number captured in FY 2023.
Entering 2024, our team stands ready for the challenges ahead — in the field, in court, and on Capitol Hill. We aim to set the conservation standard and ignite policy change to keep these majestic animals in the wild where they belong.
Here’s a glimpse of our key plans for 2024:
Field Operations
We are the boots on the ground, actively documenting mistreatment at the ongoing roundups. Right now, our observer is at the East Pershing Complex, recording shocking animal welfare violations that we are using to inform the public and Congress about the need for change. With nearly 30 wild horse and burro capture operations planned for this fiscal year, we will ensure these inhumane roundups do not occur behind closed doors. This work is critical for building the public opposition essential for real change.
Conservation Initiatives
We’re expanding and investing more in our keystone PZP fertility control program in Nevada’s Virginia Range and new initiatives in Nevada and Utah. The groundbreaking Fish Springs Land Conservancy Project is another focus, showcasing habitat preservation as a tool for protecting wild herds. These vital programs prove there is a better way to protect wild horses and burros and keep them wild.
Government Relations
Our Government Relations program continues to drive policy reform on Capitol Hill and at the state level. We are actively working to advance critical legislation, including the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act to ban the use of helicopters during roundups; the Ejiao Act to protect global donkey populations by banning the import of products containing Ejiao, which is made from boiled donkey hides; and the SAFE Act to ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and the export of horses from the U.S. for slaughter abroad.
Legal Battles
In court, we continue to defend wild horses from federal actions that violate the law. Currently, we’re litigating against the BLM over its plan to eradicate two iconic Wyoming wild horse populations. The lawsuit is the culmination of a more than a decade-long legal battle between AWHC and powerful ranching interests that seek to clear these public lands of wild horses to maximize commercial livestock grazing. We’re also challenging the disastrous implementation of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which pays adopters $1,000 to take home wild horses or burros.
Investigations
In 2021, our groundbreaking investigation into the AIP and the slaughter pipeline it created inspired an explosive exposé on the front page of the New York Times. We continue to document fraud within this program that has placed so many innocent wild horses and burros at risk of brutal slaughter for human consumption overseas. We’re expanding our investigations to look at the true consequences of roundups and confinement on wild horses and burros, and we use our findings to educate Congress and support litigation to achieve reform.
Rescue
Through our Rescue Fund, we will fight to save as many of these innocent animals as possible with direct and capacity-building grants to rescue organizations.
From my heart, I thank you for caring and for making this work possible.
Warmly,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
SURVEY REQUEST: Help us set our priorities for wild horses and burros in 2024 →
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As we start the new year, our team is not only reflecting on the impact we made in 2023, but also on how we can continue our momentum in 2024 – and we would like your input.
From expanding support for fertility control programs to other wild horse herds across the West, to the launch of our groundbreaking Land Conservancy Project and acquisition of over 3,300 acres of prime habitat in Nevada, we made tangible progress in advancing the cause of wild horse and burro conservation last year.
These remarkable wins are worth celebrating, but until our beloved wild herds can live out their days wild and free, there is still much to be done. So, our team is busy setting our priorities for 2024 – and, as one of our most dedicated AWHC supporters, we want your valued input.
| EXPANDING IN-THE-WILD CONSERVATION PROGRAMS, SUCH AS HUMANE FERTILITY CONTROL |
| EXPANDING LAND CONSERVANCY MANAGEMENT AND LAND ACQUISITION PROGRAMS |
| PASSING STRONGER PROTECTIONS FOR WILD HORSES AND BURROS IN CONGRESS |
| SUPPORTING MORE RESCUE EFFORTS FOR AT-RISK WILD HORSES AND BURROS |
| EDUCATING PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF WILD HORSES AND HOW THEY CAN HELP |
| ADVANCING LEGAL PROTECTIONS |
| INVESTIGATING AND EXPOSING THE HARSH REALITY WILD HERDS FACE AT THE HANDS OF THE GOVERNMENT |
| EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WILD HORSE HERDS |
2023’s successes were made possible because of supporters like you. And we know we can build on these wins in the year ahead — but only if we work together.
Thanks,
Team AWHC