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A Victory for North Dakota Wild Horses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: Have you heard the incredible news out of North Dakota? Thanks to a strong showing of public support from wild horse advocates, the Three Affiliated Tribes, state leaders, and Congressional representatives — North Dakota’s only wild horse herd will be allowed to continue living in the only home it has known for centuries. GIVE TO HELP US ADVOCATE FOR WILD HORSES The National Park Service recently announced it will abandon plans to severely reduce or completely remove the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) horse herd. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of the only parks in America where visitors can catch a glimpse of free-roaming horses. Photo courtesy of Sandy Sisti When we heard about the plans to eradicate the Teddy Roosevelt wild horses, we knew we had to join the elected leaders and wild horse organizations fighting back. So, AWHC submitted public comments, launched awareness-raising billboards, and mobilized over 20,000 members of the public to speak up for the preservation of this historic herd. Strong showings of support, like this one, are key to enacting lasting policy reform in both the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The future of America’s wild herds depends on our ability to advocate for them on Capitol Hill, in the courts, and in the field. Can you donate today and help sustain our lifesaving efforts? POWER OUR WORK Together, we can secure a future of humane management and fair treatment for these historic animals. Thank you, American Wild Horse Conservation ...
SIGN ON: Join our demand for transparency at BLM Roundups!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: Thanks in part to AWHC’s public awareness campaigns, a growing number of Americans are speaking out against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) cruel helicopter roundup and removal cycle. Despite this growing outrage, the agency continues to conduct these operations – oftentimes in some of the most remote corners of the West and away from the public eye. Photo of the January 2024 roundup at Black Mountain by Darlene Smith While we send observers to document as many of these roundups as possible, the BLM and its contractors enact restrictions on public observation, including placing our observers over a mile away from the trap. This often results in a significant lack of transparency during the roundups. That’s why we are continuing to call on the BLM to require camera installations on all helicopters and wranglers used during roundups and at the trap sites of these operations. Will you join us and help ensure transparency and accountability for any violations during BLM helicopter roundups? SIGN ON → The roundups of the Black Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) burros in Arizona over the past few years are prime examples of why these cameras are so desperately needed. This HMA spans an impressive 1.1 million acres and encompasses public, state, tribal, and private lands in Mohave County, AZ. The BLM estimated the current population of the Black Mountain HMA to be nearly over 800 burros, making it one of the most genetically diverse wild burros herds left in the American Southwest. Unfortunately, this herd has been repeatedly targeted for removal by the BLM and has suffered tremendously as a result. Photo of the January 2024 roundup at Black Mountain by Darlene Smith The agency targeted hundreds of burros for removal from the HMA this year in an attempt to reduce the population to an arbitrary Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 478 burros. While the BLM did not meet its target, many burros were captured and removed from their homes, and one burro was even euthanized for a pre-existing condition. This herd was also targeted in a particularly brutal roundup in 2022. AWHC had observers on the ground to document the operation, but it wasn’t until after the roundup had concluded that it was uncovered that the BLM granted its contractors permission to use electric cattle prods on several animals while loading them onto trailers. According to the agency’s ...
ICYMI: Our investigations team helped uncover hundreds of deaths at this BLM facility
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: In case you missed it, last month the American Wild Horse Conservation’s investigations team unveiled Bureau of Land Management (BLM) records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. These records revealed a deeply disturbing trend at the Indian Lakes Off-Range Corral in Nevada. In 2023 alone, 267 wild horses died in captivity at this federal holding facility. These deaths — many of them unexplained — represent a staggering 9% mortality rate for just one year. HELP US CONTINUE RAISING AWARENESS Here’s some of what our team uncovered through the FOIA records:
- 30 horses were euthanized by the BLM for non-life-threatening conditions such as eye abnormalities.
- 49 horses died from traumatic injuries resulting in broken bones.
- More than 100 horses were “found dead in their pens” for reasons described as “Unknown/Undiagnosed.”
From our family to yours, Happy Mother’s Day!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: From everyone at the American Wild Horse Conservation team, Happy Mother’s Day! Today we’re celebrating the mothers who work tirelessly to provide for their young ones – both human and equine. Mothers are the backbone of our families. Their nurturing spirit ushers new life into this world, and many of us wouldn’t be who we are today without the love and guidance they have provided us. And since May is also Burro Awareness Month, we’re going to celebrate this Mother’s Day by telling you a sweet story about a beloved burro duo at the Hickison Summit Burro Range Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada. Meet Gunga and Misa! Misa and her foal Gunga have a bond like no other. Gunga almost never leaves his mother’s side. He learns all he can about life in the wild from her, like how to find water sources and dig for groundwater. As a young foal, Gunga loves to play and is curious about anything and everything. Misa nurtures his curious (and sometimes mischievous!) spirit. She is fearless in her role as his protector, teacher, and role model – standing ever vigilant for threats to his safety, whether human or animal. Her steadfastness allows him to have the peaceful and playful life that a baby animal should have. Like many of the motherly figures in our lives, Misa’s strength and commitment to her little one continue to inspire us and strengthen our resolve to fight for a better future for all of America’s wild herds. So to Misa, and all the strong, wonderful moms out there who nurture and care for their families like her — Happy Mother’s Day!!! Thank you, Team AWHC ...
BREAKING: 77 House Reps Sign Letter Demanding Humane Treatment of Wild Horses, Burros
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign: When wild horse advocates allies band together, we can move mountains — or at least make them safer for America’s wild horses and burros. This month, 77 members of U.S. Congress, from both sides of the aisle, called for humane wild horse management in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) House Appropriations legislation. In the language submitted, they have requested the following:
- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) spends no less than 10% of its budget on humane fertility control in at least five herd management areas (HMAS).
- If the BLM fails to implement acceptable fertility control programs within 120 days of the bill’s passing, it will incur a $100K reduction in program funding per day until it does so.
- Prohibit the use of funds for ovariectomy procedures
- Direct studies considering humane alternatives to helicopters
- Stop cash incentive payments for adoptions
- Identify HMAs and Herd Areas that could be redesignated for relocating horses as an alternative to off-range holding
- Maintain the prohibition on the sale or adoption of healthy wild horses and burros that results in their destruction.
