Devil's Garden Wild Horses: Legal Battle Over 'Without Limitation' Sales

AWHC Fights USFS Wild Horse Sales 'Without Limitation'AWHC Fights USFS Wild Horse Sales 'Without Limitation'

On October 19, 2018, the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), joined by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), filed a complaint challenging the U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) decision to sell federally-protected wild horses 'without limitation.'

The USFS, without engaging in any notice-and-comment decision-making, announced on September 25, 2018, that it would begin rounding up and removing nearly 1,000 excess horses from the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory. These horses would be available for adoption and sale. During a conference call on the same day, USFS officials explained that the agency had decided to sell excess horses with limitations for the first thirty days, and thereafter, older horses would be sold without limitation.

We requested the court to set aside the agency's decision for non-compliance with federal law and the agency’s Forest Plan. Additionally, we sought to enjoin the defendants from implementing the decision to sell without limitations until full legal compliance was achieved.

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