Bill Presents New Threat to Salt River Wild Horses
February 26, 2020 - Five years ago, in collaboration with our local coalition partner, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG), we successfully prevented the mass roundup, removal, and slaughter of the famed Salt River wild horses in Arizona's Tonto National Forest. In 2016, the state enacted a law to protect these horses in their historic habitat along the lower Salt River.
This month, a new bill, HB 2858, was introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives by Rep. Kelly Townsend. HB 2858 seeks to amend the original Salt River horse protection bill. While some provisions of the bill are positive, Section 1, subsection D mandates that human interaction, including feeding, be limited to preserve the "wild nature" of the horses. However, the terms "limited" and "wild nature" are not defined, and the language appears to conflict with subsection C, which authorizes interaction with the herd if necessary "to protect the safety or health of a horse that is or horses that are part of the Salt River horse herd or the public," provided it is approved by the Arizona Department of Agriculture or the county sheriff.
Arizona residents: Take action here!
Under the original law, the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) contracts with the SRWHMG to provide humane management, critical aspects of which could be prohibited by HB 2858. These include:
- Rescuing horses with life-threatening injuries or orphaned foals within an emergency time window. The bill currently requires the approval of the governor and posting on the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) website before a horse is removed, even in emergencies. Such delays could result in the suffering and death of horses.
- Supplemental feeding is sometimes necessary to maintain the horses' body condition during drought and range stress. Without this feeding, the horses may become thin, increasing the likelihood of mass removal from their habitat. The bill limits human interaction, including supplemental feeding.
- Fertility control is vital to keeping the horses in the wild by humanely reducing the population size over time. As currently written, the bill's vague wording and undefined requirement to "maintain their wild nature" could be interpreted to prevent this type of management.
In a Feb. 20, 2020 hearing on HB 2858 before the Land & Agriculture Committee, Rep. Townsend was asked if her bill would block supplemental feeding and fertility control. She replied "no," but has been unwilling to amend her bill to ensure that lifesaving management would not be prohibited. She even rejected a request from her own co-sponsor, Rep. Jay Lawrence, to amend the bill so that it did not undermine the original legislation! In response, Rep. Lawrence wrote:
“At this moment, Rep. Townsend will not include the needed amendment, therefore I have notified her that I will remove my support of the bill. I was proud of my initial endorsement of the bill, but I can no longer support it in its current form and will be withdrawing as a co-sponsor.”
The Land & Agriculture Committee passed AB 2858 out of committee, although Chairman Rep. Timothy Dunn acknowledged problems with the bill and committed to continuing to work to amend it to address them. The bill is now in the Rules Committee, chaired by House Speaker Rusty Bowers.
Thanks to all the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) and SRWHMG Arizona supporters who have called and written in opposition to the bill. The grassroots pressure is working to prevent this dangerous bill from moving forward!