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Wild Mustang/Burro Campaigns


Educational Links:
www.wildhoofbeats.com
www.wildhorseeducation.org

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A big THANK YOU for powering this vital work!

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: On behalf of the entire American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) Observation Team, THANK YOU for supporting our roundup documentation work! This past week, you heard from us about the importance of our humane observation program – one of the most impactful tools we have at our disposal to ensure transparency and accountability during federal helicopter roundups. Well, thanks to the support of this incredible herd of advocates, we significantly recharged our Observation Fund! Thanks to you, we’ll not only be able to keep our humane observers who’ve already been deployed to the East Pershing Complex roundups in the field to continue their work, but also send more observers out to upcoming roundups in the months ahead.  That means more crucial evidence to provide to the media, the public, and to Congress that exposes the cruel realities of wild horse and burro roundups. Through our roundup observation work, and all of the other important programs you help power, we can and WILL show that there is a better way to conserve our precious wild herds. Thank you! – AWHC Observation Team ...

What it takes to hold the federal government accountable

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: Over the past few days, we’ve told you about one very important aspect of our work here at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) – documenting the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) inhumane helicopter roundups of our cherished wild horses and burros.  In the last three years alone, over 39,000 horses and burros across the West were captured and removed from the wild by the federal government. Now, over 20,000 of these innocent animals are slated for capture in Fiscal Year 2024. To document these roundups, AWHC has assembled and trained a team of photographers and videographers who are deployed to some of the most remote corners of the West where wild horses still roam and where these operations occur. The evidence they collect and the reports they compile are used to file complaints against the BLM’s actions, are provided to the media, and are used in our advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. The evidence we gather helps us establish an irrefutable pattern of cruelty and is a powerful motivator for change. Will you make a contribution today to fuel our Observation Fund and ensure no animal welfare violations go unrecorded? DONATE Oftentimes, our representatives are the ONLY ones onsite to document any violations taking place. That means it's critical that we have boots on the ground at as many of these roundups as possible.  The thing is this is grueling work. The days can be incredibly long, with start times as early as 4 AM and roundups going on from morning until dusk, sometimes amidst extreme heat or cold depending on the location of the operation. Watching these beautiful and innocent wild animals lose their freedom and families, day in and day out, is also emotionally draining for our observers. On top of all that, it’s expensive to get them to these remote areas. AWHC provides them with the funds they need to keep them equipped and in the field with four wheel drive vehicles and places to stay after such exhausting days. That means your support is what makes this critical work possible. So chip in whatever you can afford to our Observation Fund and help us hold our federal government accountable by documenting the often cruel reality of wild horse and burro roundups! POWER OUR WORK → Thank you, Team AWHC ...

Arizona’s wild burros need your help

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: Thanks to increasing public awareness in recent years, a growing number of Americans are speaking out about what’s happening to wild horses. But sometimes, wild burros can be left out of the conversation. Don’t let the name fool you – our team here at the American Wild Horse Campaign is dedicated to fighting every day to protect our nation's wild burros.  According to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Fiscal Year 2024 roundup schedule, the agency is planning to remove over 2,640 burros from their homes this year. The largest of these roundups is happening right now in Arizona’s Black Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA), which is home to nearly 2,000 of these beloved animals. AWHC has deployed one of our humane observers to bear witness to this roundup and to document any animal welfare violations that may occur. This work isn’t easy but it’s critical to advancing our cause. Our observers are the public’s eyes and ears on the ground, reporting back on what happens to our beloved herds during these often traumatic and potentially life-threatening operations. Can you chip in to our Observation Fund today and support our work to hold the federal government accountable for the mistreatment of wild burros? DONATE Unlike wild horses, who generally panic and stay together during roundups and follow their herd to the trap site, wild burros are stoic animals who often stand their ground in the face of the helicopters or scatter in an attempt to avoid capture. As a result, roundups can be even more traumatic for burros. Photo by Darlene Smith For example, in the first month and a half after Nevada’s Blue Wing Complex roundup last year, 31 burros died from a blood disease that can be brought on by extreme stress.  This is the fate that potentially awaits many of the burros the BLM plans to capture this year, including the Black Mountain burros. That’s why AWHC is working to end helicopter roundups and instead shift the government's focus to implementing in-the-wild management to conserve our beloved burro populations – and the evidence our observers collect during these operations is vital to this mission. So will you help power this critical work by making a contribution to support our observation program today? DONATE Thank you! – Team AWHC ...

The largest roundup of the year

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: As you’re reading this, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is continuing to round up wild horses in Nevada’s East Pershing Complex. Since the roundup began in late December, over a thousand of these incredible animals have been subjected to dangerous helicopter chases and inhumane treatment by BLM contractors in the largest scheduled roundup of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. So far, over 1,700 of the nearly 3,000 wild horses slated for removal have been captured. Nearly 20 innocent horses have already lost their lives during this operation, including a young foal who was euthanized at the capture site for an injury he suffered while being chased and roped by BLM wranglers. AWHC has boots on the ground at the roundup to ensure people know what’s happening to the East Pershing wild horses. But that’s the thing – had our humane observer not been onsite to bear witness to and document stories like this foal's, it’s possible the brutality our wild horses face would not be brought to light. That’s why our observation work is so critical to our mission at AWHC. We’re fighting to end federal helicopter roundups, but until they’re stopped, we need to ensure accountability and transparency within our government’s operations. Through our observation program, we’re able to collect the evidence we need to expose the cruel nature of helicopter roundups. Will you power our roundup observation work by chipping in a contribution and helping us support our dedicated humane observers? DONATE This foal’s tragic story is just one of many coming out from the East Pershing roundup. Days prior, BLM contractors herded a large number of horses into a trap, causing them to panic and attempt to escape – almost breaking through the panels. Our observer captured footage of this incident. The same day, we captured footage showing a helicopter flying dangerously close to the horses’ heads, as well as unnecessary agitation by BLM contractors post-capture. All of our roundup documentation is critical to establishing the need for reform and is essential to educating Congress and the American public. But, this is just the first of many roundups scheduled for FY 2024. We need to ensure we have the resources to send our observers to as many of these operations as possible so that no violation or mistreatment goes unrecorded. Will you chip in to support our observation program? DONATE Thank you, American Wild Horse Campaign ...

This week’s eNews: an update on our major ongoing lawsuits against the BLM

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: We have a lot to share with you in this week's edition of eNews! Please read on for updates on our major ongoing lawsuits against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a recent event where we presented Congresswoman Dina Titus with an award for championing the cause of wild horse and burro conservation, and our recent public comment submission on behalf of nearly 5,000 wild horse advocates speaking up for Wyoming's wild herds. Read on to learn more! AWHC Legal Update We often get asked, why don’t you sue? And the answer is, we do! In fact, we have two major lawsuits in federal court. One is against the alleged illegal implementation of the Adoption Incentive Program, and the other is to protect Wyoming's cherished wild herds. Recently, our lawyers, Eubanks and Associates, filed our opening briefs in our Wyoming case. Read on to learn more about the implications of this case, what opening briefs are, and what they say. READ MORE Honoring Wild Horse Champion Rep. Dina Titus This month, AWHC was honored to present the 2023 Freedom Award to Congresswoman Dina Titus, a steadfast champion for wild horse protection. Rep. Titus introduced the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H.R. 3656), which aims to ban the use of helicopters to round up wild horses, and she continued to speak up for these iconic animals every chance she got. We’re grateful for her leadership. Click here to read more. READ MORE AWHC Submits Public Comments for Wild Horses on Behalf of Nearly 5,000 People   This week, AWHC, on behalf of nearly 5,000 wild horse advocates, submitted public comments speaking up for Wyoming’s wild horses. These comments called for an increased Appropriate Management Level for five Herd Management Areas (HMA), the reduction or elimination of livestock from the HMAs, and more! Read the comments here. READ THE COMMENTS Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros! — Team AWHC ...