We did it! Thanks to your help, we were able to raise $55,000, blowing our $50,000 goal out of the water!
With these donations, we’ll be able to continue fighting for wild horses — out on the range and in the courts. We couldn’t do this crucial work without your support.
Watch out for future emails from us with updates on the legal battles we’re fighting in Nevada, as well as rescue stories (the ones that make this all worth it).
I can’t thank you enough for helping us stand up for these innocent creatures. Together, we’re making the future of America’s wild horses and burros safe, secure, and beautiful.
We’ve got a lot going on, and it’s only with your support that we’re able to continue to protect our wild horses — in the field, in court, and in the halls of Congress.
Last month, the BLM rolled out a disastrous report to Congress on wild horse and burro management that pays lip service to humane solutions while continuing to push for mass roundups, slaughter and sterilization.
Even before Congress acts, the BLM is implementing actions that will destroy numerous wild horse herds and place thousands of mustangs in jeopardy of being killed.
➔ Wyoming, where we’re challenging the BLM’s attempt to round up even more wild horses than authorized from the Wyoming Checkerboard by pretending that foals don’t count in the overall removal totals. Help us win.
➔ Nevada, where we’re fighting a disastrous BLM plan to reduce the breeding population in two eastern Nevada regions by 90% and destroy these wild free-roaming herds by castrating stallions and using an unproven vaccine called GonaCon on mares. And we’re gearing up to sue to stop the BLM from zeroing out (eliminating all wild horses from) nearly one million acres of public land while allowing subsidized cattle grazing to continue in force. Help us win.
➔ Utah, where we’ve been fighting for four years to dismiss a rancher lawsuit seeking the removal of hundreds of wild horses from our public lands. We won at the lower court; now the ranchers have appealed, and we are defending Utah mustangs at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Help us win.
➔ California, where we’re defending the Devil’s Garden wild horses from a rancher lawsuit seeking removal of more than 2,000 mustangs from U.S. Forest Service lands. Help us win.
We’ve already won important legal precedents through successful litigation. With your help, we’ll score more legal victories to protect our cherished wild horse and burro herds.
The Bureau of Land Management just released its report to Congress on future management of wild horses and burros on public lands. The BLM’s answer: mass removals, slaughter and sterilization.
The report reveals that the agency will push to change the law to secure “flexibility” to transfer and sell animals without limitation, meaning tens of thousands would be slaughtered.
The plan calls for Congress to “remove prohibitions” currently placed into appropriations bills that forbid the agency from mass killing and slaughter of our mustangs.
The BLM is going against the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences and more than 100 horse advocacy organizations, and the will of the American people. The agency wants to reduce wild populations to 1971 levels — when Congress protected these animals because they were “fast disappearing.”
Worse, the BLM wants to sterilize 80 percent of the wild herds… a move that is both dangerous and would take the wild out of wild horses by destroying their natural behaviors.
The Bureau of Land Management just released its report to Congress on future management of wild horses and burros on public lands. The BLM’s answer: mass removals, slaughter and sterilization.
The report reveals that the agency will push to change the law to secure “flexibility” to transfer and sell animals without limitation, meaning tens of thousands would be slaughtered.
The plan calls for Congress to “remove prohibitions” currently placed into appropriations bills that forbid the agency from mass killing and slaughter of our mustangs.
The BLM is going against the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences and more than 100 horse advocacy organizations, and the will of the American people. The agency wants to reduce wild populations to 1971 levels —when Congress protected these animals because they were “fast disappearing.”
Worse, the BLM wants to sterilize 80 percent of the wild herds… a move that is both dangerous and would take the wild out of wild horses by destroying their natural behaviors.
It’s an exciting time for the American Wild Horse Campaign.
This spring, we helped win battles to keep wild horses protected in the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2018, launched a lawsuit against the BLM to stop destructive wild horse management policies on public lands, and even saw the Secretary of the Interior publicly backtrack from his all-out push to slaughter these American icons.
But this fight is far from over… We face another battle for the lives of our mustangs this year as Congress debates spending legislation for Fiscal Year 2019.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be keeping you updated on the work we’re doing to protect wild horses and burros, and the battles we’re fighting in court, on the range, and in Congress to defend their rights to live WILD and FREE on our public lands.
Now is a crucial time for your support. We’re building the grassroots support and laying the foundation for lasting protections…. Our campaign has come so far, and we can’t afford to lose any ground.
At a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), who last year lobbied hard for language authorizing the mass killing of wild horses and burros, signaled a possible shift in tactics. Instead of advocating for Congress to lift the ban on mustang slaughter, they focused on non-lethal management strategies. While the Interior Department’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget still proposes language that would authorize horse slaughter, it may be that Secretary Zinke and Rep. Stewart have resigned themselves to the fact that mass slaughter of America’s wild horses and burros is wildly unpopular, especially in an election year. Whatever the reason, the shift in focus away from slaughter to non-lethal options is a significant development. Read more in an analysis by AWHC’s lobbyist by clicking below.
As a supporter of AWHC, you deserve to know where your candidates stand on the issues involving wild horses. That’s why, in addition to our work in the field, in the courts, and with the federal budget, we’re launching a new initiative: our first candidate survey. Over the next few months, we’ll be asking candidates in key states a series of questions on where they stand on protecting wild horses and burros and our public lands. We’ll then inform our supporters of the candidates’ positions on the wild horse issue, so voters can be informed before heading to the polls this fall. Click below for a preview of the survey and stay tuned for the results.
As a result of AWHC’s Cooperative Agreement with the State of Nevada for rescue of the Virginia Range horses, over 200 of these cherished mustangs have been saved from slaughter. Through a strong coalition effort, the vast majority of these horses have been placed in quality homes. However, the downside of adoption is that many adoptions fail, and mustangs routinely enter the slaughter pipeline. Such is the case with five Virginia Range horses — a senior gelding and his family — who are currently being transported back to Nevada after being rescued from the kill buyer who operates the notorious Bastrop kill pen in Louisiana. Read more by clicking below about the rescue and why we fight so hard to keep wild horses wild and free on the range, where they belong.
The following is from The Cloud Foundation and The American Wild Horse Campaign:
As you probably are aware, 2017 presented major threats to America’s wild horses and burros. In 2018, the assault on our beloved wild herds is continuing and will intensify.
With the input of others that value our wild horses and burros, we’ve developed a Unified Statement. Its purpose is to detail and demonstrate common cause among equine welfare, photography, eco-tourist and other citizen organizations that support humane, evidence-based management of wild horses and burros on our public lands. By outlining principles and recommendations for ways to keep free-roaming equines on their homelands, the statement shows that we’re not only against a cruel and broken system of roundup and removal, but are also banding together around sensible alternatives. We’re excited that over 110 groups across the country have chosen to participate.
Last month, Congressional appropriators defeated an administration proposal to destroy tens of thousands of wild equines and allow “unlimited” sales of those deemed unadaptable. This month, the Trump Administration again called on Congress to grant authority in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget to authorize killing and selling to slaughter tens of thousands of captive and free-roaming wild equines. Therefore, the Unified Statement could not be more timely. Read the Unified Statement and learn how you can support this effort.
Your Senators and Representatives are back in their home districts for the next two weeks for Easter Recess.
This is a great time to call their district offices and thank them for maintaining protections for wild horses and burros in the 2018 Omnibus spending bill, which passed last week.
Remember, the Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations process is already under way, and the Interior Department is once again doubling down on its plan to slaughter our nation’s iconic mustangs and burros.
We have a major battle on our hands again, and we can lay a strong foundation for the fight ahead expressing our gratitude now to Congress for listening to the will of the people and protecting our wild horses and burros.
Here’s what you need to say: “I’m calling to let Senator/Rep [name] know how much I appreciate Congress’ decision to maintain long-standing protections for wild horses and burros from killing and slaughter. Please ask Senator/Rep to ensure that these same protections are carried forward in 2019 spending legislation. Thank you.”
The Omnibus spending bill is finally out, and America’s horses are protected for the next six months!
This is huge! Congress heard the voice of the American people and maintained protections for wild horses and burros against slaughter and mass killing. The spending bill also maintains the de facto ban on U.S. horse slaughter by continuing the prohibition for federal funding of USDA horsemeat inspections.
While we breathe a collective sigh of relief, let’s take a moment to savor the significance of this victory. Just one year ago, newly-appointed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made killing wild horses and burros a top priority of his administration, and he aligned with powerful agricultural lobbying groups to get his lethal agenda through the Congress.
But these special interests could not drown out the voice of the American people, who want our wild horses protected and humanely managed, not slaughtered.
We share this victory with many organizations and tens of thousands of citizens across the U.S., who made their voices heard on behalf of our iconic mustangs and burros.
So let’s celebrate today, but while we do, let’s remember that this fight is far from over. This spending bill expires on September 30, 2018, and Zinke’s Interior Department will double down on its efforts to slaughter our wild horses and burros. The next appropriations fight – for Fiscal Year 2019 — has already begun.
We’re counting on your support in the coming weeks and months as we work to build on this victory and secure lasting protections for our magnificent wild horses and burros. So please, stay tuned, stay strong and stay ready.
We have just eight days until Congress must make a decision on spending legislation for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018. Behind the scenes negotiations are going on RIGHT NOW as Congress decides between the Senate Interior spending bill, which prohibits killing and slaughter of wild horses and burros, and the House version, which would allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to destroy up to 90,000 mustangs and burros. It’s time to reach out to House and Senate leadership to save the lives of our American mustangs and burros – will you make the calls today?
We were honored this week to be joined at a press conference in Reno, Nevada by officials from the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRI), the largest industrial park in the world, in support of our fight to save the Virginia Range horses in northern Nevada. TRI Director and Storey County Commissioner Lance Gilman gave an inspiring talk about the incredible economic development happening at the TRI and how the powerhouse companies there — including Tesla, Switch, and Blockchains — are strongly behind protecting the horses. Tomorrow, we’ll file our lawsuit to stop the state from giving away the horses to a private owner who would then have the “property rights” to do what it wants with the horses, including selling them for slaughter.
AWHC and The Cloud Foundation are taking a stand against the BLM’s violation of public notice requirements in the scheduling of the next meeting of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, currently set for Salt Lake City on March 27, 2018. Yesterday, William Miller of Scottsdale, AZ, attorney for AWHC and TCF, sent a formal letter demanding that the meeting be rescheduled to allow for the required 30-day public notification. Mr. Miller says: “The BLM must give proper notice so that the public can have a voice on this issue that so many citizens care about. This Board has been consistently out of step with the wishes of Americans, 80 percent of whom oppose the killing and slaughter of our wild horses. We will not stand by while this agency trounces federal law in order to restrict the voice of the people and ram through yet another morally bankrupt and unscientific recommendation to kill our American mustangs.”
Thanks to overwhelming support from activists like you, our Spring Campaign was a great success. We were able to raise over $50,000 that will go toward saving and protecting our nation’s wild horses.
With your help, we’re able to continue to battle for wild horses and burros in the courts and in the field.
From everyone at AWHC, thank you.
But we’re still in the midst of one of our biggest battles. Right now, Congress is finalizing a spending bill that may include provisions for the roundup and slaughter of over 90,000 wild horses across the United States.
The deal will be done within the next 10 days. Here’s what you can do:
Call the Leadership of the House and Senate. See numbers below. Simply deliver this message: “I’m calling to urge Senator/Representative _____ to keep horse slaughter out of 2018 spending legislation by maintaining the Senate versions of Agriculture and Interior Appropriations bills. Please stand with the 80% of Americans who oppose horse slaughter and want our wild horses protected and humanely managed, not killed or slaughtered.”
Contact your representatives now.Tell them that you stand with the 80% of Americans who oppose killing wild horses and burros, and want them protected and humanely managed on our public lands. Take action here.
It’ll be a long fight to make sure the lives of wild horses and burros are no longer in jeopardy. But with your support, we’re making gains toward a successful future.
Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve been able to raise funds over the last two weeks to:
Prepare the best cases possible for our lawsuits against the BLM to defend wild horses in Nevada and Wyoming;
Raise awareness and organize action calls to Congress to protect wild horses and burros in 2018 Congressional spending legislation; and
Document the abuses that are happening on the ground so that Americans across the country can see this despicable treatment of our iconic mustangs.
The funds raised in our Spring Campaign are vital to making our work at AWHC possible. This is your chance to ensure the protection of our wild horses and burros for years to come.
Right now in Congress, members are working on a 2018 spending bill that will directly affect the lives of thousands of America’s wild horses and burros.
Your elected representatives need to hear from you now to ensure that protections against mass killing and slaughter are maintained in the final spending bill.
You can say: “As your constituent, I’m calling to ask Senator/Representative [Name] to work with leadership to ensure that the final 2018 spending bill protects America’s wild horses and burros from mass killing and slaughter. Please stand with 80% of Americans who oppose killing wild horses and burros and want them protected and humanely managed on our public lands. Thank you.”
Working in statehouses and in the halls of the Congress to demand humane, evidence-based wild horse management. CLICK HERE.
Observing and documenting the BLM’s cruel roundups so that citizens across the country can hold our government accountable. CLICK HERE
Taking the BLM and state governments to court to stop the roundup and slaughter of wild horses and burros. CLICK HERE
Some other priority we should be focused on? Let us know.
Your feedback is vital to letting us know how we’re doing — and where we can improve. Without advocates and supporters like you, wild horses and burros wouldn’t have a voice. Thank you for standing with us — and with them.
The BLM wants to sell off our country’s heritage to the highest bidder — and Congress might let them do it. We need your help to stop the roundup, sale, and slaughter of our wild horses.
The national budget is being debated now — and it includes provisions that allow for the destruction of wild horses. We have a limited amount of time to protect wild horses. Can you chip in to our Spring Protection Campaign today?
At AWHC, we’re doing everything we can to protect the futures of these beautiful animals — in the field, in the courtroom, and in the halls of Congress.
Earlier this year we sued the BLM to challenge the its ten-year plan to cruelly round up and remove nearly 10,000 federally-protected wild horses in Nevada and sterilize wild stallions who remain on the range. We’ve been documenting roundups, working with local businesses, ranchers and other stakeholders, promoting long-term and humane solutions to the challenges facing horses and burros. But there are some threats — like this budget — that we need to tackle today.
The budget debate is happening in Congress NOW — which means we have a limited amount of time to guarantee a pro-horse, anti-slaughter budget for 2018.
After kicking the can down the road for months, Congress now appears likely to vote in the next few weeks on spending legislation for the remainder of 2018.
That means the coming weeks will be crucial, as Congress decides between the House version (which would allow the BLM to kill as many as 90,000 wild horses and burros), and the Senate version (which continues to prohibit killing and slaughter).
We’ve got a number of fights on our hands, but the most pressing of all is the budget being debated in Congress right now. A proposed amendment would allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to destroy healthy wild horses and burros, putting the lives of up to 90,000 animals at risk.
That’s not a move toward sustainable management — that’s a massacre.
We’ve launched the Spring Protection Campaign to fuel all our work to protect wild horses — can you help?
We’re in the halls of Congress, fighting back against these disastrous, inhumane proposals. And, we’ve teamed up with over 80 other organizations to urge Congress to maintain protections for wild horses and burros against mass killing and slaughter. But we need to do even more to protect these iconic animals.
As Americans, the fate of 90,000 horses is in our hands. Help us prevent the passage of the BLM’s cruel and lethal budget plan before it’s too late.
Picture dozens of terrified horses, lathered in sweat despite frigid temperatures, eyes wide with fear, running away from government helicopters. Exhausted and resigned, they are driven into traps, then trucked to packed holding pens where they languish for weeks, months, and even years.
That’s what our AWHC team witnessed in Nevada, Utah, and Oregon already this year, as we documented BLM roundups. I’m just back from the Triple B roundup in Nevada where I filmed hundreds of horses, including heavily pregnant mares and several tiny foals, stampeded by helicopters. The trauma of the roundups will cause many of the captured mares tol abort their foals.
These barbaric roundups will keep happening unless we fight back. That’s why AWHC has launched the Spring Protection Campaign to make sure that all of its vital work continues — from documenting BLM roundups, to advocating for a slaughter-free budget in Washington, to defending wild horses and burros in court.
The lives of every one of these horses are in danger as Congress decides whether or not to give the BLM permission to kill or slaughter as many as 90,000 of them.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Long-term, humane management via birth control is more than just possible; it’s the best option. But the BLM is committed to perpetuating its cruel, inhumane management practices. That’s why documenting the roundups is so important — to let all Americans know about the abuse that our government is perpetrating against our iconic wild horses and burros.
This is a tough fight, but AWHC is in it for the long haul. This week has been hard — but I’m more determined than ever to save these beautiful, wild creatures.
The Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget is out, and it again asks Congress for permission to slaughter federally protected mustangs and burros in holding facilities and on the range. The budget calls for slashing $14 million from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program budget by selling as many as 90,000 wild horses and burros for slaughter to supply foreign horsemeat markets. The lethal plan tramples the wishes of the vast majority Americans – including 86% of Trump voters — and is contrary to the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences. We now have two fights on our hands as Congress finalizes 2018 spending legislation and begins the 2019 appropriations process. Please take one moment to take a stand against mass mustang slaughter by clicking below.
Late last week, AWHC sent Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and his Department of Agriculture a legal letter demanding that they rescind the Request for Proposals to transfer ownership of the historic Virginia Range mustangs to a private party. The new owner would then have “property” rights to do what it wants with the horses, including sell them for slaughter. The proposed giveaway is not only illegal, but also would prevent the public from having any say in the protection and management of this locally cherished mustang population. Join us in standing up for the Virginia Range horses by clicking below.
AWHC is pleased to join with more than 80 other organizations and businesses in calling on Congress to maintain prohibitions on mass killing and slaughter of wild horses and burros, and to compel the BLM to implement a humane, scientific and politically viable management program for the nation’s iconic mustang and burro herds. The “Unified Statement “on the Humane, Sustainable, and Cost-Effective On-Range Management of America’s Wild Horses and Burros” lays out a set of principles and recommendations on which such a plan can be based. Please click below to read and share the Unified Statement – the more we stand together, the better our chances of prevailing for the mustangs!
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