Stop the Brutal Wild Horse and Burro Round-Ups
- by: Marie Lindberg, Sweden
- recipient: US Embassy Sweden, President Obama, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, US Office of Travel and Tourism, BLM Directo Bob Abbey
From over 2 million in the 1800s, America’s wild horse population has decreased to fewer than 28,000. There are now more wild horses in government holding pens than remain in the wild. Still, the round-ups continues. Injuries, abortions, trauma, heards coming appart and death are the common results of wild horse round-ups. Terrified horses chased by helicopter running for their lives. Young foals running so hard in desparation that their hooves fall off. Around 40 – 60 horses in these Round-Ups is not unusual; pregnant mares, mares, foals, stallions. Later in these Small, Narrow holding pens, they can hardly move. This can make any horse panicin. Stallions in the same pen start fighting, foals are trampled, horses trying to get out, lots of injuired horses and death. Words from an eye-witness from a round-up in Utah: “In all my life I have never seen such blatant abuse and neglect and just plain lack of compassion for horses, or animals in general for that matter.”
The faith of these “wild-holding-pen-horses” are lifes in BLM's holding pens facilites, if they wont get adopted, then awaits slaugther in the most unexpensive way, often through auctions, dealers buys them and transport them to Canada or Mexico were they are treated very brutal before they are killed. The remaining horses are destened to a life in captivity. Most of the American people want their western wild horses running free, but the government and BLM, Bureau of land management, want something else. In short: In 2001 the BLM obtained a 50% increase in annual budget to $29 million for implementation of an Aggressive Removal Campaign. This opens up for sale of thousands of wild horses to slaughter for human consumption abroad. BLMs responsibilities also include issuing public land grazing permits to cattle ranchers. These areas of public land are available for lease. So, for every wild horse removed from a grazing permit allotment, a fee-paying cow gets to take its place, and a public land rancher gets the benefit of public land forage at bargain rates. This is the number One reason wild horses are removed from public lands. Fortunately, there are organisations with strong and purposefull people who are fighting for these wild beautiful horses. Among them:
http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/
http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/
http://www.madeleinepickens.com/
Photo: Mike Lorden
Dear Sir,
We oppose against the Round-Ups on Wild Horses and Burros that is going on in several States of the US, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The purpose is very questionable, the methods cruel and unacceptable. The whole way from the brutal helicopter round-ups to holding-pens to BLM holding faciclities to auctions. The horses is suffering and mainly transported and slaughtered under really bad and doubtful circumstances. Many horses are being sold to "slaughterdealers" who buys them and transport them to Canada or Mexico were they are treated very brutal before they are killed. Living outside in Europe we were chocked that a civilized country such as the USA did treat it´s wild life in such a way and that the US Government actually is a part of cruelty from chasing these horses to the unacceptable transportations to slaughter houses in for instance Mexico.
We want You to end these Round-Ups and preserve one fine piece of American World Heritage as it is. The wild horses are a reason for people to visit the U.S. and an effort to preserve land and end these Round-Ups so that the horses can live free will increase the tourism further in the future.
Kind Regards
Marie Lindberg
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