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Here are 3 steps you can take NOW to help wild horses and burros

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Roundup season is just around the corner, so we’re fighting on all fronts to protect our cherished wild horses and burros – whether that’s in the field, in the courts, or on Capitol Hill.

Our Government Relations team has been working tirelessly to help advance pro-wild horse and burro legislation in Congress, and our efforts have been building momentum. But we need your help to keep up the pressure. 

Here are three actions you can take NOW to help fight for the protection and conservation of our cherished wild mustangs and burros:

1.) Urge Your Representative to Cosponsor the SAFE Act (H.R. 3475)!

Each year, tens of thousands of American horses — both wild and domestic — are brutally slaughtered in Canada and Mexico for human consumption in foreign countries. That’s why we’re supporting the SAFE Act, legislation that would permanently ban the slaughter of equines for human consumption and ban the export of equines to foreign countries for slaughter.

TAKE ACTION

2.) Call On Your Representative to Cosponsor the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act (H.R. 3656)!

Federal helicopter roundups terrorize wild horses and burros. Far too many of these innocent animals are injured, or even killed, as a result of this inhumane practice. That’s why we’re working to pass the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act. This critical bill would prohibit costly and inhumane helicopter roundups of wild horses and burros.

TAKE ACTION

3.) Tell Congress to Protect Wild Horses and Burros in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill!

Congress will soon begin consideration of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 spending bills, providing us a key opportunity to advocate for humane reforms to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program. With the removal of more than 20,000 wild horses and burros from the wild last year, and thousands more to follow as roundup season begins next month, wild horses and burros need your voice more than ever!

TAKE ACTION

Thank you for stepping up for our wild herds.

— AWHC Team

URGENT: Colorado’s wild horses need your voice RIGHT NOW

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We need you to take immediate action for Colorado’s wild horses!

Right now, the Colorado Senate’s committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is considering a forward-thinking bipartisan bill, Senate bill SB23-275. This piece of legislation has the potential to reduce the need for roundups and removals of Colorado’s wild horses by allocating $1.5M in state funding and resources to expand existing fertility control and on-range stewardship efforts.  

With federal funds currently being directed towards managing an over-capacity crisis in wild horse and burro holding facilities and an inadequate investment in on-range conservation tools, this is Colorado’s best available option to keep more wild horses on the range and help to reduce the traumatic reactive cycle of large-scale helicopter roundups in future years. SB23-275 could put Colorado at the forefront of humane wild horse management in the West. 

Meredith, SB23-275 will be heard tomorrow by the Senate’s committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and your Senator is on the committee. Will you please take the following actions right now?

1.   Call your Senator Janice Marchman at (303) 866-4835. You can say, “Hi, My name is [NAME] and I am calling from [TOWN/CITY] to ask that Senator [NAME] please vote to SUPPORT SB23-275, the Wild Horse Project. Thank you.”

2.   Send an email by clicking here.

Your voice matters in Colorado. Please use it to speak up for our wild mustangs! 

Thank you,

The AWHC Team

We just helped save 16 mustangs from slaughter. Read their story!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We’ve got a LOT of news to share with you this week! You won’t want to miss the story of how we partnered with Skydog Sanctuary to rescue 16 mustangs from a notorious kill pen in Colorado, and you’ll definitely want to take action to support a bill to ban cruel helicopter roundups. So, please read on!

Ask Your Member of Congress to Co-Sponsor the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act (H.R. 6635)

Across the West, Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-contracted helicopters are hunting down wild horses right now, chasing tiny foals, pregnant mares and other horses in high summer temperatures across very rugged terrain. These helicopter roundups are traumatic and dangerous, and wild horses are injured and killed because of them. Take this week, when BLM helicopters in Califoria stampeded 124 wild horses at once into a far too-small trap pen, causing the panels to burst and killing two horses in the process. Fortunately, members of Congress are standing up to this brutality, including Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) who has introduced a bill (H.R. 6635) to end helicopter roundups for good. Please act today and ask your legislators to cosponsor this important legislation!

TAKE ACTION

The Pinto Post – Tales from the Wild

AWHC operates the world’s largest humane birth control program for wild horses on Nevada’s Virginia Range. It’s part of an amazing community initiative involving several wonderful local organizations and dozens of volunteers who work tirelessly to protect this historic group of wild mustangs. Now you can keep up with their incredible (and sometimes daring!) efforts by subscribing to the Pinto Post, a monthly electronic newsletter that chronicles the work of the volunteers and tells the stories of the beautiful wild horse families living in this area.  Subscribe today to keep up with all the news!

SIGN UP FOR THE PINTO POST

16 BLM Mustangs: Saved from Slaughter!

On the same day we released our explosive investigative report on the deadly consequences of the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), we partnered with Skydog Sanctuary on the rescue of 16 BLM-branded wild mustangs from a notorious kill pen in Eaton, Colorado. After being immersed in the grim statistics documenting the hundreds of BLM wild horses and burros who have been sent into the slaughter pipeline, we were gratified to help save 16 wonderful souls who would have otherwise faced a horrific fate. Read the story of these horses and find out how you can help by clicking below.

READ MORE

Thank you for your support.

— AWHC Team

This week’s eNews: Thousands of wild horses at risk of disease in BLM WY facility

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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

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!

TAKE ACTION

“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:

LEARN MORE

AWHC Board Member Wins Top Nature Prize

Photo by Scott Wilson

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!

READ MORE

Thanks for all you continue to do to protect wild horses and burros!

— AWHC Team

Stargazer’s story

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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.

So if you can, please consider making a donation today to support AWHC’s efforts in the field, on the Hill, and in the courts to protect more wild horses and burros like Stargazer and Nora!

We couldn’t do this without you,

Melissa Tritinger
Deputy Director
American Wild Horse Campaign


Melissa with Stargazer on her farm.

THIS is who’s profiting from wild horse roundups >>

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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?

SHARE ON FACEBOOK

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.

Will you take action once again today and share this graphic online to spread awareness on behalf of wild horses and burros?

Thanks for all you continue to do,
Suzanne

I’m proud to support AWHC this Giving Tuesday — will you join me?

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Lin — a life-long wild horse lover and friend of the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC). I wanted to reach out to you today to tell you about all of the important work AWHC is doing and why I’m proud to match every donation made to AWHC today as part of Giving Tuesday.

My love for horses started when I was a child. I was drawn to these breathtaking animals because they are just the most magnificent creatures!

When I learned the plight of the wild horses and burros living on our public lands, I was appalled. They have lived in the wild for hundreds of years, but special interests have lobbied for decades for the removal of these cherished icons so that private cattle can graze on federal lands.

As a result, wild horses and burros face the constant threat of brutal helicopter roundups, which remove them from the lands they call home, split up family bands, and cause them immense trauma.

It’s a devastating reality, but I have hope for the future of America’s wild horses and burros. Why? Because AWHC is doing the hard work necessary to help these animals maintain their freedom.

Will you make a donation of whatever you can afford today to fuel AWHC’s fight for wild horses and burros? I’ll match every donation made today up to $40,000 so that your gift can go twice as far.

I’m proud to work with the AWHC because they are doing more than any other organization to save our wild mustangs and keep them free on our public lands.

From legal battles, to working with the federal government to create new laws that protect these cherished animals, to funding scientific research to provide humane alternatives to manage wild horse and burro populations instead of traumatic helicopter roundups — AWHC is doing it all!

I’m so proud to support the amazing work AWHC is doing, and I hope you will too. That’s why today, I will match every donation made to AWHC up to $40,000 so that your gift can go twice as far for wild horses and burros this holiday season.

HAVE YOUR GIFT DOUBLED →

Thanks,
Lin

Meet Flurry, one of the newest additions to the Virginia Range family

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

This holiday season, we hope you’re not too saddled with work or stressful travel plans and are enjoying some quality time with friends, family and loved ones.

On the topic of family, we wanted to introduce you to one of the newest additions to the Virginia Range in Nevada: Flurry.

Flurry really loves his mom, Empress  — You can find them together exploring the wide expanses of the Virginia Range side-by-side.

Flurry was born recently during one of the first snow storms of the season, and he, his mom and the rest of his herd are doing well. We’ll be keeping a close eye on them, since Flurry, Empress, and their herd are wild horses currently documented in our precedent-setting humane management program.

It’s photos and moments like these that remind us why we’re in this fight together. Empress, Flurry, and all of America’s wild horses and burros deserve to be wild and free with their families.

As we gather with our families this holiday, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to you, our loyal supporters, for all you do to make freedom a reality for wild mustangs like Flurry. Each and every day, with your support, we work to make sure that Flurry and other wild horses have a future in which they can not only survive, but also thrive.

On behalf of everyone at AWHC, we are grateful to you for being part of the AWHC family. Our very best wishes to you and your loved ones, the happiest of holidays and a healthy and joyous New Year.

With Gratitude,

Suzanne, the Board and Staff of AWHC

Help save the wild burros and mustang with TMR Rescue 501(c)3

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The following is from TMR Rescue:

Help Save the Wild Burros and Mustangs

Wild horses and burros are quickly disappearing from our public lands. The round ups continue despite proof that the stated numbers on our public lands are far fewer than reported. Often, wild horses and burros adopted through the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) adoption program do not land in good hands. Especially, those who came out of the program from 15 years ago. This is because people don’t know how to train a wild equine so they end up forgetting about them. Or hurting them through the frustration caused by not knowing what to do. Here at TMR Rescue we are doing all we can to help these animals in need of a good home. TMR Rescue has over 60 wild burros with more on the way within the month. We also have 6 beautiful wild mustangs at the ranch that live along side one of our wild burro herds.

 

Some of our New Arrivals

 

New Wild Burros on the Run

 

Some of our Mustangs having a blast

 

Your donations will go directly towards taking care of our wild animals.

Thank you for supporting the wild burro protection league!

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The following is from TMR Rescue:

Here are TMR Rescue we care for several wild mustangs from the american west. Also we care for 66 wild burros. We are in the process of working with the animals and eventually finding them good permanent homes where they are appreciated and loved. We would love your financial support and if possible come visit us and our wonderful animals just north of Houston, TX.

Some of our beautiful mustangs at the ranch

Just a small sample of our precious wild burros at the ranch.