Advocacy Group Criticizes BLM for Mass Removal of Wild Horses

Ely, Nevada (November 19, 2018)– The nation’s leading wild horse advocacy organization, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), today blasted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its plan to begin a mass roundup and removal of federally-protected wild horses in eastern Nevada. This move aims to clearpublic landsfor taxpayer-subsidized livestock grazing.

Early next week, helicopters will descend on the Silver King Herd Management Area (HMA), a 575,000-acre area of designated wild horse habitat onpublic landsoutside of Ely, Nevada. TheBLM’s ultimate goal is to reduce the population to a mere 60 horses.

In a recentpress release, theBLMstates that the wild horse population is “currently over 10-times above the land’s capacity to support wild horses,” citing the agency’s own self-imposed population limit numbers. However, the National Academy of Sciences clearly stated in its2013 reportthat these numbers are not supported by scientific information.

“TheBLMis willfully misleading the public when it claims that nearly 900 square miles can only support between 60-128 wild horses,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director for the AWHC. “The agency does not apply the same scrutiny to the thousands oflivestockand sheep that it is permitting to graze on allotments within the horses’ habitat.”

AWHC noted that all of the horses removed will be warehoused in short-term holding pens – the most expensive type of holding, which costs taxpayers $5 per horse per day.

“TheBLM’s push to round up horses from ourpublic landsto achieve arbitrary and unscientific population limits not only jeopardizes entire populations of horses but also burdens the taxpayer,” continued Roy. “Meanwhile, the agency continues ‘business as usual,’ ignoring scientifically recommended solutions such as PZP fertility control to humanely manage wild horses and burros, as evident in its2019 roundup schedule, which indicates that the agency plans to vaccinate zero horses with the scientifically-proven vaccine.”

AWHC added that theBLM’s plan for mass roundups in Nevada this winter continues the failed management practices that the National Academy of Sciences, in 2013, warned were “expensive and unproductive for theBLMand the public it serves.”

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) is dedicated to defending America’s wild horses and burros to protect their freedom, preserve their habitat, and promote humane standards of treatment. AWHC’s mission is endorsed by a coalition of more than 60 horseadvocacy, public interest, and conservation organizations.