We need to pick up the pace
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
News & Alerts
Earlier this month, the Congress gave the green light to accelerate roundups in the West, which could result in as many as 20,000 wild horses being removed from public lands in 2020.
This comes at a time when the Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management is describing mustangs and burros as an ‘existential threat’ to the survival of public lands…. Even though wild horses aren’t even on 88% of those lands! We know what this scapegoating of wild horses will mean if we don’t stop it.
Many of you have reached out and asked why don’t we sue to stop this? Well, the answer is we are!
90% of the suits our legal team files we win — and our ongoing litigation is one of the most important ways we’re fighting back and setting legal precedents to defend America’s wild horses and burros.
California: AWHC successfully prevented the U.S. Forest Service from significantly reducing the size of the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in California — One of the largest in the state.
Nevada: AWHC filed suit to challenge the BLM’s decision to permanently remove all wild horses from the Caliente Herd Area in Nevada without considering any reductions to domestic livestock in the area.
Oregon: AWHC sued the BLM in order to stop proposed cruel sterilization surgeries on wild mares. The court granted our request for an injunction, causing the BLM to cancel the experiments.
Utah: AWHC successfully defended wild horses in Utah from a rancher lawsuit that sought the removal of thousands of wild horses from public lands.
Wyoming: AWHC successfully intervened and successfully petitioned the court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the State of Wyoming on behalf of in-state ranchers seeking the forcible removal of thousands of wild horses.
And these are just a handful of examples.
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign
There’s no recess for wild horses… and more news
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
News & Alerts
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
No Recess for Wild Horses – Take Action!
Where does your member of Congress stand on protecting wild horses? If you don’t know, now’s the time to find out. And if they’re supporting mass roundups and sterilization, it’s the time to change their minds. Your Representative and Senators are back home for the August recess and will be holding town halls and taking meetings – so now’s your chance to speak up for our wild horses and burros! Learn how at the link below.
Response to Alta Magazine’s, “Feral Horses, Fierce Controversy”
Our wild horses and burros are often the subjects of inaccurate, misleading, agenda-driven reporting. A recent example is Jason G. Goldman’s “Feral Horse, Fierce Controversy” that was published in the July issue of Alta, a magazine that promises “a celebration and examination of all things about California.” If you shopped at Whole Foods in California this summer, you will have likely seen this cover story on the magazine prominently displayed in the check-out lines. It’s a biased, sensationalized piece far below the journalistic standards that Alta says it aspires to. Read our response below.
U.S. Forest Service Seeks to Weaken Environmental Review Regs. and Limit Public Comment
The U.S. Forest Service is proposing rules that will significantly weaken its regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of proposed actions prior to making decisions. The Forest Service proposed rules would limit the opportunity for public input and make it easier for the agency to make decisions on proposed actions, like wild horse roundups, without analyzing the environmental impacts. Please read more and weigh in against the proposed rule change by clicking below.
Video Highlight of the Week: Issue Overview
Help us prepare for this battle in court
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
In just a few short months, 100 innocent wild Oregon mares are slated to become victims of invasive and risky surgical sterilization experiments conducted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Veterinarians call the procedure — which involves manually ripping out the mares’ ovaries with a rod-and-chain-like tool — “barbaric.” Many of these mares have recently given birth and are nursing young foals. Their survival is far from guaranteed.
he BLM is doggedly moving forward with this cruel “research” despite massive public opposition, scientific criticism and loss of affiliation with two major research institutions that have cut ties with the project.
Twice before, we filed legal action to block these cruel experiments. Just seven months ago, working with The Cloud Foundation (TCF) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), we won a federal injunction that blocked BLM from proceeding.
Now the BLM is at it again and we are gearing up for a third legal battle.
Just yesterday, AWHC, TCF and AWI delivered a 51-page public comment document featuring opinions from leading veterinary and medical ethics experts — a first step to continued litigation to battle this inhumane project.
The stakes could not be higher. If we don’t stop the agency, the BLM will subject these mares to the risky and painful “ovariectomy via colpotomy” surgery under unsterile conditions, without adequate anesthesia or pain relief. The mares face trauma, pain, suffering and serious risk of dying from hemorrhage, infection and evisceration (fatal and excrutiating protrusion of the intestines through the surgical incision in the vaginal wall.)
The threat to these wild mares and their helpless, dependent foals is real and looming. The BLM wants to begin the experiments as early as August.
Please contribute today to help us put a stop to this cruelty once and for all.
Thank you for standing strong to protect wild mares and their foals,
Suzanne
Something horrific could happen to horses in Oregon
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
News & Alerts
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is at it again. For the third time, despite multiple federal lawsuits and public outrage, the agency is planning dangerous surgical sterilization experiments on wild mares in Oregon.
Warning: this may be hard to read.
In the proposed “ovariectomy via colpotomy,” procedure, a veterinarian makes an incision in the mare’s vagina, inserts his arm into the vaginal cavity, manually locates the ovaries and rips them out using an “ecraseur,” a rod-like device with a chain on the end. The painful procedure will subject mares to the risk of infection, hemorrhage, and evisceration.
We have to stop this. Click here to submit a comment opposing this cruel treatment.
The BLM has only provided until June 12 to send in comments opposing the proposal. And if we don’t take action today, these experiments could mean living hell for helpless horses in Oregon.
The prior action you took helped us stop them before, and we can do it again – together. Please, take action today.
– The AWHC Team
Calif. wild horses still at risk… and other news
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
News & Alerts
Update on the Devil’s Garden Wild Horses
The Forest Service’s roundup of the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory is ending this week, with the permanent removal of over 900 horses from their federally-designated habitat on our public lands in the Modoc National Forest. To date, thirteen horses have died, including one foal. In addition, three mares have miscarried, likely due to the trauma of the roundup. Seven of the horses euthanized after showing symptoms of pigeon fever, a contagious but generally non-fatal bacterial infection. Despite the outbreak, the Forest Service plans to hold an adoption/sales event next weekend. And, the Forest Service still intends to sell older horses by the truckload for $1 a piece without limitation on slaughter after 60 days. See the latest update on the Devil’s Garden roundup and speak up for these iconic horses by clicking below.
Spay Experiments: What Our Preliminary Injunction Means
Late last week, we won a preliminary injunction to halt the BLM’s planned barbaric spay experiments in Oregon. The action was part of a lawsuit filed by AWHC, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and The Cloud Foundation aimed at blocking the BLM from performing risky and inhumane sterilization surgeries on wild Oregon mares recently captured from the Warm Springs Herd Management Area. The had BLM planned to begin the experiments this week. Learn more by clicking below.
What the Election Means for Wild Horses
Last night’s election results changed the playing field for many issues, including the fight to protect wild horses and burros. The power shift in the House of Representatives makes it extremely unlikely that the Interior Department’s agenda of mass roundups, sterilization and slaughter will become reality, but making proactive change in a divided Congress is going to take real work. Meanwhile, developments in states may open the door to driving change at the local level. Read about some key election results that have implications for wild horses and burros by clicking below.
BREAKING: Judge blocks mare sterilization experiments
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
News & Alerts
This morning a federal judge in Oregon granted our request for a preliminary injunction to stop the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from proceeding with controversial experiments to surgically remove the ovaries of wild mares in Oregon. The experiments were set to begin this month. Due to the experimental design, which requires conducting the procedure on pregnant mares, the injunction effectively means that the research may not proceed for a year, if at all.
It was the second time this week that our attorneys were in federal court fighting against the government’s war on wild horses. And it’s the second time in two years that our legal action has stopped the BLM from proceeding with these cruel surgeries.
We’re pleased that Judge Michael W. Mosman recognized the strong public interest in humane treatment and protection of wild horses and we’re grateful to our co-plaintiffs — The Cloud Foundation and its Executive Director Ginger Kathrens, the Animal Welfare Institute and photographer Carol Walker for joining us in this fight!
It’s time for the the BLM to reconsider its plans to conduct this inhumane research and focus instead on humane, scientifically recommended forms of population management, including PZP fertility control.
This is an important first step in the fight against inhumane surgical sterilization of our wild horses and burros. We will continue to keep you updated.
Have a good weekend, and thanks for standing with us!
– The AWHC Team
URGENT: California’s wild horses are in danger of slaughter
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
News & Alerts
Act Now: California Wild Horses to be Sold for Slaughter
The U.S. Forest Service is planning to round up and remove 1,000 wild horses from California’s largest federally-protected habitat area – the 233,000-acre Devils Garden Wild Horse Territory in the Modoc National Forest near Alturas. Even worse, the Forest Service intends to sell captured horses age 10 and over “without limitation,” allowing kill buyers to purchase a truckload of 36 horses per week for slaughter! We can’t let this happen – especially in California, a state that has banned the cruel practice of horse slaughter (including export for slaughter) for two decades! The roundup starts as early as next week, so time is of the essence.
Preliminary Injuction Filed to Stop Mare Experiments
Late last week, AWHC, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and The Cloud Foundation filed a motion for preliminary injunction to stop the BLM from performing risky and inhumane sterilization experiments on wild mares in Oregon. The BLM plans to begin the experiments — which involve a veterinarian placing his hand into a mare’s abdominal cavity via an incision in her vaginal wall, manually locating the ovaries, then twisting, severing and removing them by using a rod-like tool with a chain on the end — in early November. Check out our press release below, with more information on this critically important legal action.
Warm Spring Roundup Begins
On Tuesday, the BLM began the roundup and removal of wild horses from the Warm Spring Herd Management Area (HMA) in Oregon. The BLM intends to round up 100% of the wild horses and burros in the Warm Springs HMA (approximately 800) AND permanently remove 685 horses and burros from their homes on our public lands in this area. The agency wants to use 100 of the captured mares in the brutal sterilization experiments described above. Read our field observer’s reports from the roundup below.
Re: Breaking: We just sued the BLM
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Wanted to make sure you saw that we’re suing BLM. Can you chip in to support our efforts?
Today, we filed a lawsuit in Oregon to stop the BLM from conducting cruel and dangerous sterilization surgeries to remove the ovaries of wild mares.
The BLM’s plans violate the U.S. Constitution and three federal laws – and they pose a serious, dangerous threat to wild horses. Our suit asks for an immediate injunction to stop these experimental procedures from moving forward.
We can win this in court but we need your help. Donate now, and help us stop the BLM’s cruel sterilization experiments.
The experiments are gruesome and painful: a veterinarian inserts his arm into a mares’ abdominal cavity through an incision in the vaginal wall, manually locates the ovaries, then twists, severs and removes them using a rod like tool with a chain on the end. The procedure is outdated, inhumane and will subject the mares to life-threatening complications. The National Academy of Sciences itself warned the BLM that it is too risky for field application, but the BLM just ignored that warning.
We know the agency is bought off by special interests, which is why we must turn to the courts to stop this. We can win this case, and we’ve teamed up with our colleagues at The Cloud Foundation and Animal Welfare Institute to ensure that we do!
This legal strategy is costly. Please donate now to help us fund this lawsuit and keep it going!
Starting next month, the BLM plans to start rounding up 100 percent of the wild horses in the Warm Springs Herd Management Area in southeastern Oregon. An estimated 685 horses will be permanently removed and another 100 mares will be surgically sterilized. Chip in now, before it’s too late for these mares.
We need your support to win this fight.
Thanks,
Suzanne
Breaking: We just sued the BLM
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We’re filing suit to stop cruel sterilization experiments — can you donate to fuel our fight?
Today, we filed a lawsuit in Oregon to stop the BLM from conducting cruel and dangerous sterilization surgeries to remove the ovaries of wild mares.
The BLM’s plans violate the U.S. Constitution and three federal laws – and they pose a serious, dangerous threat to wild horses. Our suit asks for an immediate injunction to stop these experimental procedures from moving forward.
We can win this in court but we need your help. Donate now, and help us stop the BLM’s cruel sterilization experiments.
The experiments are gruesome and painful: a veterinarian inserts his arm into a mares’ abdominal cavity through an incision in the vaginal wall, manually locates the ovaries, then twists, severs and removes them using a rod like tool with a chain on the end. The procedure is outdated, inhumane and will subject the mares to life-threatening complications. The National Academy of Sciences itself warned the BLM that it is too risky for field application, but the BLM just ignored that warning.
We know the agency is bought off by special interests, which is why we must turn to the courts to stop this. We can win this case, and we’ve teamed up with our colleagues at The Cloud Foundation and Animal Welfare Institute to ensure that we do!
This legal strategy is costly. Please donate now to help us fund this lawsuit and keep it going!
Starting next month, the BLM plans to start rounding up 100 percent of the wild horses in the Warm Springs Herd Management Area in southeastern Oregon. An estimated 685 horses will be permanently removed and another 100 mares will be surgically sterilized. Chip in now, before it’s too late for these mares.
We need your support to win this fight.
Thanks,
Suzanne
4 days left!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have just four days left to get our comments in to oppose the BLM’s plan to conduct barbaric sterilization experiments on wild mares in Oregon. The BLM intends to remove the ovaries of 100 mares via a surgical procedure (ovariectomy via colpotomy) that is associated with high risk of pain, hemorrhage, evisceration, infection and abortion for pregnant mares. Recently Colorado State University (CSU) pulled its association with the experiments, but BLM is proceeding anyway! Please protect wild mares from these risky and cruel surgeries by weighing in today!
Thanks,
The AWHC Team
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