Stop the Roundups and Slaughter of Wild Horses and Burros

Thousands of wild horses are living peacefully on public lands right now, completely unaware that the government is coming for them. Many will soon be rounded up and sent to slaughter.

Tragically, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has failed to uphold its duties under the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which was intended to protect wild horses from "capture, branding, harassment, or death." The law was enacted in 1971, after Congress officially recognized the value of wild horses as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" because they "contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people."

Despite that protection, they continue to be removed from public lands, and remain warehoused in holding facilities. Special interests, mainly livestock and extractive industries, want to see wild horses exterminated, and the branches of the government under the Trump Administration that are supposed to protect these animals are caving.

The House Appropriations Committee recently passed the Stewart Amendment as part of the 2018 budget, which would allow the BLM to send 92,000 healthy healthy wild horses and burros in holding to slaughterhouses, along with those who are deemed excess on the range.

This cruelty, at the expense of taxpayers, must end.

Please urge your representatives to ensure that wild horses and burros are protected from slaughter, and humanely managed on public lands.