BLM Wyoming Wild Horse Roundup Continues Amid Mounting Animal Welfare Concerns
American Wild Horse Conservation files complaint seeking halt to roundup pending investigation of potential animal welfare violations
Sweat-soaked mare, chased by helicopter, collapses and is roped.
- As of November 1, 2021: 946 wild horses (339 stallions, 413 mares, and 194 foals) have been captured in the massive Bureau of Land Management helicopter roundup that began on October 7 in the Great Divide Basin Herd Management Area (HMA) northeast of Rock Springs.
- New controversy swirls over a Rock Springs resident’s photographs showing a band of sweat-soaked wild horses being chased by helicopter, with one mare collapsing yet still being chased and roped.
- At least 4 foals have been orphaned, including two previously undisclosed foals sent by BLM to foster care and a two-month-old who was left alone in the wild overnight.
- At least 3 traumatic deaths have occurred, including a horse who broke his neck after crashing into the trap panels, a horse who was euthanized after breaking his leg, and a mare who collapsed and died after being chased by the helicopter.
- The American Wild Horse Conservation today sent a complaint to the BLM seeking a halt to the roundup pending investigation of ongoing animal welfare violations, full disclosure over the deaths and orphaning of foals in the roundup, and installation of video cameras on helicopters and in the trap and holding pens to ensure transparency and compliance.
- Quotes: “Leaving a two-month-old foal alone in the wild without his mother, chasing wild horses to extreme exertion and traumatizing them causing them to break their necks and limbs is unacceptable,” said Suzanne Roy, American Wild Horse Conservation Executive Director. “The serious animal welfare concerns at the ongoing Wyoming wild horse roundup warrant a halt to the helicopters pending a full investigation by the BLM and implementation of measures to guarantee humane treatment of these federally-protected icons of the American West.”
- “No wild horse should be chased and pursued to the point of collapse and beyond in helicopter roundups and the BLM must fully investigate this matter,” said noted wildlife photographer Carol Walker who has photographed the Great Divide Basin wild horses and observed BLM roundups for many years. “The BLM’s cruel and costly management of wild horses by helicopter roundup shows a complete disregard for the welfare of these cherished animals. These wild horses belong to us, the American people, not to the Bureau of Land Management and they need to be treated with respect, care, and dignity.”
- More information:
AWHC Wyoming Checkerboard Roundup Reports
BLM Rock Springs Wild Horse Gather Reports
About the American Wild Horse Conservation
The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) 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 and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.