Spending Bill Threatens America's Wild Mustangs

WASHINGTON, DC | December 16, 2019

Two national horse protection organizations today blastedCongress’ decision to increase the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program budget by $21 million to accelerate the roundup and removal of federally-protected wild horses and burros from public lands.In doing so, appropriators ignored requests by Congressman Raul Grijalva, Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, and 11 of his House colleagues, to restrict funding to humane population management with scientifically recommended fertility control instead of roundups. The funding is part of the final omnibus FY 2020 spending package unveiled by Congressional appropriators today and set to be voted on later this week.

“Congressjust unleashed a catastrophic assault on America’s cherished wild horses and burros, turning back the clock 50 years to a time when these iconic animals were almost extinct andCongressacted unanimously to protect them,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), the nation’s largest wild horse protection organization. “TheBLMwill now use tens of millions of tax dollars to round up 20,000 horses a year to achieve population levels that the National Academy of Sciences 'not supported by scientific information', and 'not transparent to stakeholders.'”

The funding increase for theBLMwild horse program is the result of a backroom deal cut by Washington, DC lobbyists for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and other livestock interests and the Humane Society of the U.S., the ASPCA, and Return to Freedom—organizations that critics say literally “horse traded” the fate of America’s mustangs for ulterior purposes.

Some deal supporters stand to benefit financially, either by the replacement of wild horses that are rounded up with commercial livestock onpublic landsor from lucrative government contracts to warehouse thousands of wild horses and burros that will be captured, removed, and incarcerated under the plan. These contracts are already attracting contractors with no animal welfare experience, like thecompanypursuing5,000-horse holding facilitythat is headed by a South Dakotan who government financial regulators called “a predatory businessman who has fleeced financially distressed consumers across the country with high-interest loans.”

“It’s disappointing that appropriators were sold a bill of goods by these “humane” organizations that not only ignored the National Academy of Sciences’ findings and the overwhelming will of the American people, but also actively undercut Chairman Grijalva’s attempts to protect wild horses from brutal massroundupsand risky surgical sterilization procedures,” Roy concluded. “We look forward to working withCongressnext year to prevent irreparable harm to America’s wild mustangs.”

Pollingreleasedin October shows a strong bipartisan majority and nearly three out of four Americans oppose the new plan to round up mass numbers of federally-protected wild horses and burros from America’s Westernpublic lands.

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More information:

• Push to Accelerate Mustang Captures Draws Fire in Congress
• Chair Grijalva, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Write to House and Senate Interior Appropriators Urging Clarity, Funding Limits on BLM Horse Program
• Poll Shows Majority of Americans Oppose Mass Wild Horse Roundup Plan

TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation(AWHC) is the nation’s leading wild horse protection organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.