Mare Sterilization Research Update: Legal Battles and Advocacy Efforts
July 26, 2016
The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) plans to conduct invasive and risky sterilization experiments on wild mares at the Wild Horse Corrals near Burns, Oregon, have sparked significant opposition from veterinarians and the public. These experiments pose a high risk of death from hemorrhage, infection, and evisceration. Alarmingly, many of the mares involved are pregnant, leading to potential abortions of unborn foals.
The fight to halt these archaic experiments and prevent mass sterilizations on the range has intensified with several recent developments.
Front Range Equine Rescue Files Suit to Stop BLM Mare Sterilization Experiments
On July 25, 2016, Front Range Equine Rescue, a coalition partner of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, DC, to stop the BLM from proceeding with this research. The lawsuit argues that the BLM's intention to conduct surgical experiments on 225 wild horses, many in various stages of pregnancy, and potentially thousands more over time, causes harm and suffering in violation of federal law.
Read more about Front Range Equine Rescue’s Lawsuit here.
AWHPC & The Cloud Foundation Demand First Amendment Right to Observe Experiments
On July 20, 2016, AWHPC and The Cloud Foundation sent a demand letter to the BLM to secure the public's First Amendment right to observe the mare sterilization experiments, should they proceed. Since one of BLM's reasons for conducting these experiments is to determine their social acceptability, it is crucial to prevent the agency from conducting this research behind closed doors. We are prepared to file suit in federal court if the BLM denies our request.
Read more about our efforts to secure our First Amendment right to observe BLM’s mare sterilization experiments here.
AWHPC, Cloud Foundation & Return to Freedom Fight BLM Plan to Implement Sterilization on the Range
Our lawsuit in Idaho to stop the BLM from surgically sterilizing every wild stallion and mare in the Saylor Creek Herd Management Area continues in federal court. This litigation is crucial as it aims to block the precedent that would be set if BLM is allowed to turn a Herd Management Area for wild free-roaming horses into a holding facility for captured and sterilized mustangs.
Read more about our litigation to stop the BLM from designating the Saylor Creek HMA as a “non-reproducing herd.”
The stakes could not be higher. The BLM wants to surgically sterilize all of the 40,000 wild horses it considers to be “excess” on the range. Not only will sterilization endanger these federally protected animals, but it will also strip away their natural behaviors, which are the essence of what makes them wild and special.
Defeating this destructive plan requires smart, strategic action from the entire wild horse community. We’ll stay on it, and we hope that you will too!