BLM to Begin Rounding Up Wild Horses in Utah on August 15

Representatives from American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) Will be On Hand for Comment

AUGUST 11, 2017(Cedar City, UT) – Emboldened by the Interior Department’s lethal plan to kill tens of thousands of federally-protected wild horses and burros, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is moving forward with plans to remove nearly 10,000 wild horses from their homes in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, and Colorado. These massive helicopterroundupswill decimate wild populations.

TheBLMremains silent on the impacts of this unprecedented roundup on the thousands of wild horses who will be captured and removed from public lands. These horses face grave danger of being killed or sold for slaughter ifCongressgrants theBLM’s request to lift the current prohibition on destroying healthy wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter. A provision allowing this practice passed the House Appropriations Committee in July and awaits Senate action.

Severalroundupsare planned, including the largest in recent history. The first event will begin on August 11 in theBLM's Bible Springs Complex, outside Cedar City, UT, where 100 horses are slated for removal. If Congress grantsBLMauthority to destroy “excess” horses, most of these animals could be brutally slaughtered.

Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Conservation, and Simone Netherlands, AWHC’s national spokesperson and president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, will be present at the Bible Springs roundup and available for comment on August 15 and 16.

Interested media seeking additional information or interviews can contact Andrew Ricci ataricci@levick.comor by phone at 202-973-1334.

Additional information on otherroundupsis available athttps://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/media/upcoming-wild-horse-roundups-what-you-need-know.

About the American Wild Horse Conservation

TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation(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.