Wild Mustang/Burro Campaigns

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: Many of you have been following our Land Conservancy Project, the bold initiative we pioneered last year. This program aims to perserve and enhance key habitats so our iconic wild herds can live wild and free in ecological balance in America’s western landscapes. Click here to support our Land Conservancy Project!! FUEL THE LAND CONSERVANCY PROJECT Our Land Conservancy Project is focused on three critical areas: land acquisition, habitat restoration, and humane management. For context, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) own range data indicates that private livestock overgrazing, along with fire and drought, have depleted habitats for all wildlife, including protected species like wild horses and burros. This preventable habitat deterioration is one reason we took a huge step forward last year by acquiring 3,300 acres of prime habitat within Nevada’s picturesque Carson Valley. The land supports a diverse array of wildlife including the federally protected Fish Springs wild horse herd. We aim to use this innovative project to help set a new conservation standard for wild horse and burro protection. Our dedicated land manager, along with a team of passionate experts, is working on the ground, actively tracking wild horse movements, studying the intricacies of the land, and undertaking vital habitat restoration projects. Photo of a Fish Springs foal by John T. Humphrey We’ve spent the past year compiling photo evidence and scientific insights into how wild horses and local wildlife peacefully coexist, sharing the resources this land provides. Photo taken on AWHC land by John T. Humphrey Photo taken on AWHC land by John T. Humphrey AWHC has a strong track record of protecting not only wild horses, but also the land they roam. Our Land Conservancy Project aims to build on this strong record by working to restore meadows, protect creeks and springheads to provide life-sustaining access to water, and reseed areas with native grasses to ensure that wild horses and other wildlife have the resources they need to thrive. AWHC is proud to have embarked on this groundbreaking — or ground healing — project.  If you’d like to help us support and expand this program to other areas of the West, please consider making a donation today. Your generosity will help ensure we have all the resources we need to make this initiative a success. FUEL THE LAND CONSERVANCY PROJECT Stay tuned for future updates on the program’s progress and ...

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: Within the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began a series of wild horse and burro helicopter roundups as it continues its summer roundup campaign, aiming to remove over 7,000 federally protected animals.  Photo of the White Mountain Herd by Nenah Demunster PROTECT OUR WILD HERDS Wyoming's White Mountain roundup began on August 15th. Our on-the-ground observer visited the White Mountain herd in the few days before the helicopters took off. She documented the beautiful mustang families living wild and free in the Herd Management Area (HMA), and who were unaware that in mere days, nearly 600 would be ripped from the only homes they'd ever known. Tragically, almost every horse she saw in those last moments of freedom has now been captured. The south side of the HMA has been scraped clean. Every single band that has been known and documented for years has been permanently removed, every familiar face is gone. Now 536 wild horses have lost their freedom and 10 have lost their lives. Oregon's South Steens roundup began the same day. The BLM aims to capture 760 wild horses. So far, 574 animals have been rounded up and eight have died. On August 18th, the Marietta Wild Burro Range helicopter roundup began as well. This Range is the nation’s first formally recognized range managed principally for wild burros and is home to an estimated population of 387 burros. This roundup will reduce the population by a staggering 75%. Photo by Steve Paige PROTECT OUR WILD HERDS These operations endanger the well-being of these innocent animals as well as the long-term viability of their herds. These cruel roundups often leave wild horses and burros traumatized. Young foals are separated from their mothers, horses and burros are often run to exhaustion, injuries are commonplace, and sometimes lives are tragically lost.  AWHC is on the ground at these roundups, in remote corners of the West, bringing firsthand reports from the frontlines of these roundups to share the stories of these wild horses. By raising awareness, we can drive change, and our observation program is the cornerstone of educating the public about the plight of our wild horses and burros. As the BLM pushes ahead with these upcoming roundups, we’re preparing to deploy more observers to the field – but we need your support to ensure that they have the resources they need to continue this work. These iconic animals are ...

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: We are at a crossroads in our fight to protect America’s wild horses. This week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming ruled on our legal case giving the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the green light to remove nearly 5,000 Wyoming wild horses and destroy 2.1 million acres of their habitat. But this is not the end of the story — it’s a call to action. FUEL OUR LEGAL FUND This outcome was not unexpected and we will appeal it to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. We knew from the start that this issue would ultimately be decided by the appellate court, regardless of which side prevailed at the lower court. We’ve won important cases at this appellate court before that show the BLM doesn’t have the power to remove wild horses from public lands just because landowners want them off their private property. And we’re not backing down now. Can you donate right now to fuel our legal team and ensure we have the resources to see this case through the Appellate Court process? Photo Credit: Kimerlee Curyl Photography I’ve been working with the attorneys, fighting for Wyoming’s wild horses for over a decade.  I’ve visited these herds, I’ve seen how magnificent these wild horses are. I know that if we stand by, this ruling could give the BLM unprecedented power to erase Herd Management Areas, threatening the very existence of not only the Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin herds, but also other wild horse herds across the West. But if we act now, we have a chance to preserve these lands and protect the wild horses who call them home. That’s why today, we filed a Notice of Appeal, making it clear to the BLM that we will not back down. FUEL OUR LEGAL FUND This is a pivotal moment in our 12-year fight for these incredible animals. We cannot allow the livestock industry’s demands for eradication of the iconic Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin wild herds to prevail. I hope you stand with me as we once again take this fight to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Onward, together, Suzanne Roy Executive Director American Wild Horse Conservation ...

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) Assessment of the Blue Wing Complex roundup – and yet again, the agency is turning a blind eye to wild horse and burro abuse. Despite the horrific incident our humane observers captured on video in which a BLM contractor brutally kicked and punched a collapsed wild horse, the BLM gave the operation a CAWP score of “excellent.” This CAWP report clearly flies in the face of the reality of what’s been happening on the ground at wild horse roundups. In addition to the abuse our observers documented, the operation has also resulted in the shocking deaths of 42 animals so far, making it the deadliest roundup of Fiscal Year 2024. The BLM conducted the assessment on July 18th and 19th, approximately a week before the documented abuse took place. However, despite acknowledging the abuse on its Facebook page, the BLM neglected to amend the CAWP report or deploy a second CAWP team to conduct a follow-up assessment. It’s clear that had it not been for the presence of our humane observers at the roundup who were able to document the cruelty this horse was subjected to, the BLM would have never brought this abuse to light. FUEL OUR OBSERVATION FUND That’s why AWHC intends to continue fighting for this horse and all the other horses and burros who are chased by helicopters into traps, separated from all they hold dear -- family and freedom. We pledge to continue serving as the boots on the ground at these inhumane roundups to ensure no incidents of abuse like this are swept under the rug. The summer roundup season is still in full swing and AWHC has observers on the ground right now. Please help us keep them in the field by supporting our work fighting for transparency and accountability at federal roundups.  Thank you, American Wild Horse Conservation ...

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: This week’s edition of eNews is full of updates from Capitol Hill, the country’s first wild burro range, and Utah’s off-range holding facilities. Read on to learn more about lawmakers speaking up for wild horses, the Marietta wild burros, and for a look inside the Sutherland and Axtell holding facilities. Members of Congress Speak Out Against Wild Horse Abuse Incident In response to AWHC’s recently released video showing a Bureau of Land Management contractor repeatedly kicking a collapsed wild horse during the Blue Wing Complex helicopter roundup, Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ) have called for increased transparency, scrutiny, and strict adherence to animal welfare standards during roundups. They joined a chorus of organizations and individuals calling for an investigation into the incident, including re-evaluating the relationship with the contractor involved. Click here to read more. Read More Marietta Wild Burro Range The Marietta Burro Range is the nation’s first formally-recognized range managed principally for wild burros. It was designated as such in 1991 in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. In just a few days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to round up 75% of this historic burro population. Last week, AWHC observers made a trip to survey the conditions of the range and to document the burros in what may be their last week of freedom. Click here to read more and meet the Marietta wild burros! Meet the Burros! Utah Off-Range Holding Facility Tours AWHC’s observer recently attended two tours of Utah’s off-range holding facilities. The first was at the Sutherland off-range corral, which is overcapacity and is home to 1,524 wild horses. The second tour was at the Axtel facility, which holds 1,612 wild horses and 968 burros. Click here to read AWHC’s report from these tours and see photos of the captured wild horses. Read the Reports Onward, Team AWHC ...