-Representatives from American Wild Horse Campaign Will be On Hand for Comment-
AUGUST 11, 2017 (Cedar City, UT) – Apparently emboldened by the Interior Department’s lethal plan to kill tens of thousands of federally-protected wild horses and burros despite the lack of Congressional authorization to do so, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is galloping ahead with plans to remove nearly 10,000 wild horses from their homes on the range in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, and Colorado in the coming months. The massive helicopter roundups will decimate the wild populations in these areas.
In all cases, the BLM is mum on the impacts of this unprecedented roundup activity on the thousands of wild horses who will be captured and removed from public lands. These horses are in grave danger of being killed or sold for slaughter if Congress grants the BLM’s request to lift the current prohibition on destroying healthy wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter. A provision that would allow this practice passed out of the House Appropriations Committee in July and is awaiting action in the Senate.
While several roundups are planned, including the largest roundup of wild horses in recent history, the first such event will begin on August 11 in the BLMs Bible Springs Complex, outside Cedar City, UT, where 100 horses are slated to be removed. If Congress were to grant BLM authority to destroy “excess” horses, most of these animals would be brutally slaughtered.
Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, Simone Netherlands, the AWHC’s national spokesperson and president of AWHC coalition partner the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, will all be on hand at the Bible Springs roundup and available for comment on August 15 and 16.
Interested media who are seeking additional information, looking to coordinate interviews, or interested in speaking with any of these representatives in advance of the event can contact Andrew Ricci at [email protected] or by phone at 202-973-1334.
Additional information on other roundups is available at https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/media/upcoming-wild-horse-roundups-what-you-need-know.
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About the American Wild Horse Campaign
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) (formerly known as the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign) is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. Its grassroots mission is endorsed by a coalition of more than 60 horse advocacy, humane and public interest organizations.
