Senate Upholds Protections for Wild Horses Against Slaughter

Washington, DC (November 20, 2017)- The U.S.SenateAppropriations Committee has released its Fiscal Year 2018 Interior spending bill, maintaining protections for the nation's wild horses and burros against killing and slaughter. This decision is a significant victory for wild horse advocates.

Senate's Rejection of Slaughter Proposals

TheSenate's Interior bill opposes the Interior Department's budget request, which sought to lift prohibitions on the destruction of healthy wild horses and burros and their sale for slaughter. The chairman'sexplanatory statementdirects theBLMto pursue "humane and politically viable options" for wild horse management.

House's Contrasting Stance

In July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Stewart Amendment” to 2018 spending legislation, which AWHC labeled a“death warrant”for wild horses and burros. This amendment would allow the destruction of wild horses and burros deemed surplus by theBLM. The fate of these animals will be decided in negotiations between the House andSenateto reconcile the spending legislation.

AWHC urgesSenateand House negotiators to reject the Stewart Amendment, which threatens over 90,000 wild horses. A2017 national pollshows that 80% of Americans, including 86% of Trump voters and 77% of Clinton voters, oppose the plan to kill America’s mustangs.

Wild Horses and Public Lands

Wild horses and burros are protected onBLMland in ten Western States, where they are outnumbered by privately-ownedlivestock. Thelivestocklobby views wild horses as competition for taxpayer-subsidized grazing on public lands. Public lands ranchers pay$1.87 per animal per monthfor grazing, compared to$22.60on private lands.

Special interests benefiting from agricultural subsidies are pushing to kill and slaughter wild horses and burros, despite 80% ofBLMland grazed bylivestockhaving no wild horses present.

TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign)is dedicated to preserving American wild horses and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for future generations. Its grassroots mission is supported by a coalition of over 60 horse advocacy, humane, and public interest organizations.