BLM's Largest Wild Horse Roundup in History Set to Begin
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing to conduct the largest wild horse roundup in history, starting on or around October 8 and continuing into February. This operation will target 4,397 wild horses across five Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Wyoming, known as the Wyoming Checkerboard.
The roundup will drastically reduce the wild horse population in these HMAs to just 1,550, leaving only one horse for every 2,217 acres. Visitors to Sweetwater County, Wyoming, may struggle to see even one free-roaming mustang after this massive action.
Our team is fighting back. We are launching a national campaign to protect the wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard. This effort begins with a joint petition with the Animal Welfare Institute, urging the BLM to reconsider the removal of these horses.
Sign our petition today to join the fight to protect the horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard.
This roundup is expected to result in the deaths of over 50 wild horses and will cost taxpayers upwards of $175 million. The operation aims to clear public land of wild horses for the benefit of private ranchers.
The 3,555 wild horses who will be permanently removed will be sent to holding facilities, including the BLM’s corrals in Rock Springs and a new, privately-operated facility in Wheatland, WY. These horses, once free to roam, will be confined to feedlot pens with limited space, separated by sex, and deprived of their freedom and family bonds.
Even more devastating, this roundup is a precursor to a pending BLM plan to eradicate horses from most of the HMAs in this area. If successful, this would result in the loss of 52% of the state’s wild horse habitat.
We will keep you updated over the coming weeks as we launch our campaign. Please sign on to stand up for these cherished icons today!
Thank you for your support in Keeping Wyoming WYLD,
— American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign)
#KeepWYWyld