U.S. House of Representatives Approves Funding Bill with Protections for Wild Horses and Burros

Vote is welcomed by the nation’s leading wild horse and burro conservation organization, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign)

WASHINGTON (Nov. 3, 2023) — Today, the American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for advancing bipartisan language in The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024(H.R. 4821)and itsaccompanying report, which continues protections for wild horses and burros from slaughter, and includes other key reform directives for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’sWild Horse and Burro Program.

The legislation passed the House this morning on a 213-203 vote. It includes language directing as much as $11 million of the agency’s budget toward humane immunocontraceptivefertility control. The measure also continues to call for partnerships with military veterans and wild horse organizations, and evaluating other on-range management options, such as relocation, that would keep horses and burros out ofBLMholding facilities.

The House bill further includes language urging theBLMto consider alternatives to the use of helicopters and manned fixed-wing aircraft. This marks the first time that Congress has urgedBLMto consider alternatives to helicopters.

This action is timely as the Bureau of Land Management is currently conducting helicopter roundups, which aim to capture 8,826 wild horses and burros and permanently remove 8,214 by the end of Fiscal Year 2024. Several large roundups are underway in Nevada, including in the Roberts Mountain Complex where 11 horses have been killed to date, including astallion who suffered a horrific broken leg after escaping from a trapand seven horses who died after agovernment-contracted semi-truck flipped on its side.

“We applaud the House of Representatives for taking steps to implement meaningful improvements to theBLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program and for emphasizing the need for cost-effective and humane management solutions,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of the AWHC. “The appropriate use of provenfertility controlvaccines will help end the ongoing cycle of removing and confining horses in overcrowded holding facilities.”

Fertility controlvaccine implementation was noted as a priority by the House. TheBLMhas historically spent less than 1 percent of its Wild Horse and Burro Program budget onfertility control. However, the agency has taken steps to expand field application offertility controlfollowing last year’s appropriations language, which also called for dedicated funding forfertility control.

“We’re grateful for the leadership of Representatives Dina Titus, David Schweikert, Steve Cohen, Juan Ciscomani, and Mark Pocan for championing wild horse protection measures in thislegislation,” concluded Roy.

About the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign):

The American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation's leading wild horse conservation organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America's wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horsefertility controlprogram in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.

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