Independent Review Confirms: BLM Lacks Justification to Remove Wild Horses Near Carson City

Independent Review Confirms:BLMLacks Justification to Remove Wild Horses Near Carson City

Community Calls UponBLMto Cancel Auction Event for Captured Horses and to Meet with Local Community onSolutions

Carson City, Nevada – March 18, 2013 – Today, responding to the independent confirmation that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lacked evidence to support the removal of a small family of wild horses in Carson City, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), a national coalition, and local community members are calling on theBLMto cancel the planned March 23 auction of the horses.

In light of the new evidence, the advocates also called for theBLMto re-evaluate the return of the horses to the range, an option the agency had previously rejected.

An independent investigative andfact-checking articlepublished on Sunday in theReno Gazette Journalexamined whether theBLM"was justified in removing a family of wild horses off Deer Run Road near Carson City." In the investigative piece published in the well-regarded “Fact Checker” column, reporter Mark Robison examined each of theBLMclaims created to justify the agency's removal of the horses. He concluded:

"Now that theBLMallegations about these wild horses have been exposed as false, the agency must cancel the currently scheduled auction of the horses and meet in earnest with the community on a solution that works for the horses and the community,” said Annie Jantzen, a local community organizer. "This small wild horse family is like family to us. They have been a part of our community and our lives for decades. TheBLMhas no excuse for taking these horses away from their home, since it has now been shown that they have never caused any problems."

"TheBLMstill has the opportunity to do the right thing and work with the community to release these horses to the range," said Deniz Bolbol, AWHC communications director.

Recently theHumane Society of the U.S (HSUS) joined the call for the release of the small family of wild horsesto the range. The AWHC has outlined theBLM’s erroneous rational for removing the horsesand theopportunities to work with the local communityto safely return the horses to the range.

TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign)(AWHC) is a coalition of more than 50 horseadvocacy, public interest, and conservation organizations dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come.