Talking Points: Tell the BLM to Stop Using Helicopters to Round Up Wild Horses and Burros

On May 6, 2025 from 1-3 pm MST the Bureau of Land Management is hosting its legally mandatedvirtualmeeting on the use of helicopters and other motorized vehicles in wild horse and burro management. These meetings provide an important opportunity for public input into the BLM's use of motorized vehicles during roundups and into the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

If you’re interested in providing virtual comments on the day of the meeting,please register here by May 5, 2025!

Register to speak at the meeting!

To help you draft your testimony, check out our talking points below

Opposition to Helicopter Roundups

• I strongly oppose the BLM’s continued use of helicopters to round up wild horses and burros.
• These roundups are inhumane, ineffective, and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
• Over100,000 Americanshave already spoken out against them in a Halt The Helicopters petition

Documented Cruelty

• Wild horses—including foals, pregnant mares, and older animals—are chased for miles across rugged, often dangerous  terrain.
• Many sufferbroken legs, fractured necks, or die from exhaustion.
• In 2024, a contractor wascaught on video kicking a downed horse in the head. This is abuse, not management.

Taxpayer Waste

• Helicopter roundups costmillions of dollars each year.
• Despite removing over16,000 animalslast year, the population dropped by fewer than400—clearly an ineffective strategy.
• The system is broken and fiscally irresponsible.

Science Doesn’t Support Removals

• The 2013 National Academy of Sciences report found that mass removalsdisrupt herd dynamicsand can actuallyincrease reproduction rates.
• The BLM’s roundup-heavy strategy is not working—it’sbackfiring.

There Is a Better Way

• Fertility controlis safe, humane, and cost-effective.
• It keeps wild horses and burros on the range and reduces the need for removals.
• Yet the BLM dedicatesless than 4%of its program budget to this solution. That must change.

Transparency Is the Bare Minimum

• If helicopters are still used, the BLM must requirecameras on all helicopters, bait traps, and holding facilities.
• Recordings should be madepublicly availableto ensure transparency and accountability.

Final Message

• The public has spoken. It’s time for the BLM to adopt amodern, humane, and fiscally responsibleapproach to wild horse and burro management.