Return to Freedom Leads Fight to Save Nation’s Mustangs

A national grassroots campaign is underway, led by Return to Freedom and the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), to urge Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to halt federal wild horseroundupsand secure lasting protection for these iconic animals. This initiative, launched in 2004, aims to create a strong grassroots base and a unified platform for the wild horse issue.

To date, the campaign has garnered support from notable figures such as Robert Redford, Carole King, Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Wendie Malick, Betty White, and others, along with 30 Congresspersons, 18 leading wild horseadvocacyorganizations, and over 30,000 American citizens. It has also sparked significant activity on social media, with thousands of messages in support of wild horses and burros posted on the Department of the Interior’s Facebook page.

Recently, Return to Freedom and the American Wild Horse Conservation delivered the “Step In Sally” sign-on letter to the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC. This action followed a National Academy of Sciences report criticizing the federal wild horse program for being costly and unproductive, lacking a sound scientific basis.

The report found that the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) roundup and removal program exacerbates the problem by causing wild horse populations to reproduce at their biological maximum. The scientific panel recommended the use of PZP fertility control to manage horses on the range, a tool that theBLMhas underutilized.

Neda DeMayo, Founder and CEO of Return to Freedom, stated, “Americans from all backgrounds have joined together to urge Secretary Jewell to step in and take a new approach to preserving our nation’s iconic wild horse and burro herds on their ranges. We recognize that theBLMis facing a challenge. We stand ready to work with Secretary Jewell and theBLMto implement viable solutions that will protect naturally free-roaming horses and burros.”

Carole King added, “Wild horses have long symbolized the freedom that Americans value so highly. There’s no need to round up wild horses at all, let alone terrorize them with helicopters. There’s no need to herd them into corrals, break up herds and family bands within the herds, or remove thousands of wild horses from their homes to wait for…what? Adoption? They’re not being adopted in anywhere near the number of (formerly) wild horses in holding facilities. As one Idaho cattleman put it, ‘They wasn’t hurtin’ anyone.’”

Each year, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management uses helicopters to round up and remove thousands of wild horses from public lands in the ten western states. Since adoption demand remains low, most of the horses are warehoused in holding facilities. Today, theBLMstockpiles more than 50,000 wild horses in government pens and pastures, while fewer than 32,000 remain free in the wild. The roundup program costs taxpayers $80 million annually.

Return to Freedom is dedicated to preserving the freedom, diversity, and habitat of America’s wild horses through sanctuary, education, and conservation, while enriching the human spirit through direct experience with the natural world. Return to Freedom provides a safe haven to over 350 wild horses and burros at its sanctuary in Santa Barbara, California.

Originally Posted By The Santa Barbara Independent