Washington D.C. (August 17, 2021) — Today, the nation’s leading wild horse and burro protection organization, the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC), praised U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) for calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior to strengthen protections for wild horses and burro and for urging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to re-evaluate its controversial Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which is resulting in droves of the federally-protected animals landing in slaughter auctions across the country.
The AIP — which pays people $1,000 per animal to adopt up to four wild, unhandled wild horses or burros — was exposed by an AWHC investigation as a pipeline to slaughter. The investigation prompted an explosive New York Times report documenting that “truckloads” of wild horses and burros were being sent to slaughter auctions after adopters pocketed the federal incentive payments, which come in two installments: $500 when the horse or burro was adopted and $500 twelve months after the adoption when the title is transferred.
In response to the growing public and Congressional concern, the BLM recently announced additional steps it will take to “secure the health and safety of adopted wild horses and burros through the Wild Horse and Burro AIP”.
However, according to AWHC, the changes the BLM is enacting are insufficient and ineffective. As one example, the agency is proposing to conduct compliance inspections of wild horses and burros adopted through the AIP within six months, rather than 12 months. While this could uncover abuse and neglect of some animals earlier, it will not prevent individuals from sending horses and burros to auction after receiving the second payment at the 12-month mark.
“I believe more must be done in light of the disturbing allegations that some adopters have mistreated or illegally sold wild horses and burros, and respectfully urge BLM to conduct a full investigation of the matter and prevent such adopters from adopting again,” said Senator Feinstein in her public letter. “Additionally, I urge BLM to re-evaluate its cash incentive for the adoption of untrained wild horses and consider prioritizing such federal payments to subsidize training for adopted wild horses to increase the likelihood that they stay in loving homes instead of ending up at slaughter.”
“We are grateful to Senator Feinstein for her steadfast support for wild horse and burro protection and her strong opposition to horse slaughter," said Holly Gann Bice, Director of Government Relations for the AWHC. “By underestimating the scale of the problem and failing to eliminate cash incentives, the BLM continues to allow these federally-protected animals to be sold into the slaughter pipeline.”
Although adopters sign a contract, under penalty of prosecution, agreeing not to sell horses or burros to any person or organization that intends to resell or give away the animal for slaughter, the agency is not enforcing those contracts. The AWHC uncovered groups of related individuals adopting four horses or burros each (the BLM’s per-adopter limit), collecting the incentive payments then dumping the animals at kill pens. This operation nets the groups of individuals $30,000 or more in federal payments and sale barn fees. The AWHC investigation also found disturbing abuse and severe neglect of wild horses and burros by AIP adopters who were unwilling or unqualified to provide proper care.
In early July, AWHC, joined by Skydog Sanctuary and its founder, Clare Staples, Evanescent Mustang Rescue and Sanctuary, and wildlife photographer Carol Walker, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of the Interior and BLM, claiming that the agencies violated multiple federal laws in the creation and implementation of the BLM’s controversial Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) for wild horses and burros. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the groups by Eubanks and Associates, a top national public interest environmental law firm.
About the American Wild Horse Campaign
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is the nation’s leading wild horse protection organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for protection and preservation of America’s wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.
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