| Over the weekend, we were tipped off that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was preparing to launch another “emergency” roundup of wild horses near Ely, Nevada.
Less than 48 hours later, helicopters were already chasing horses across the range — before the public had any meaningful opportunity to review what was planned or why.
This is now the second emergency roundup of 2026 — and the BLM has released no planned roundup schedule for the year. We refuse to stand by as an “emergency” is used to bypass transparency and public process.
The BLM claims this operation is necessary due to severe drought and lack of forage and intends to remove roughly 300 wild horses from outside the Antelope and Moriah Herd Management Areas (HMAs). But what our team is documenting on the ground raises serious questions about that narrative:
- This “emergency” didn’t materialize overnight. Operations like this take planning. The BLM could have provided appropriate notice and transparency. It chose not to.
- No evidence of crisis conditions has been made public. If drought and starvation are the justification, where is the documentation of suffering horses and degraded range?
- On Day One, helicopters ran 17 times, 161 horses were captured, and one died. Snowy conditions and distance made body scoring difficult. The footage we’ve captured does not support claims of widespread starvation.
- Foaling season is imminent. Many mares being chased and captured right now are likely heavily pregnant, putting unborn foals at risk.
- Captured horses will likely be sent into the BLM’s Adoption and Sale Program. Once horses enter Sale Authority, federal protections drop away — creating a fast track out of safeguards with minimal transparency and accountability.
Our team is on the ground right now documenting land conditions, body condition, helicopter runs, and whether livestock are present in the same areas horses are being removed from. If the BLM’s claims are true, the evidence should support them. If not, the public deserves to know.
This is bigger than one roundup. If agencies are allowed to repeatedly invoke “emergency” to avoid transparency and public process, this becomes a permanent loophole — and wild horses will pay the price.
We’re demanding immediate checks and balances on this growing “emergency” strategy. Will you add your name to our petition calling for transparency, independent review, and real checks and balances before wild horses are removed?
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Conservation |
