Federal Roundup Contractor Incompetence Sends Captured Wild Horses Tumbling Out of Moving Trailer

Inhumane treatment of wild horses continues unchecked during federal operations

(SUSANVILLE, Calif., October 4, 2024) – During the Twin Peaks wild horse helicopter roundup on October 3, 2024, the back door of a livestock trailer transporting recently captured mustangs flew open, sending nine horses tumbling out of the moving vehicle. The incident, documented by American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) observers on the ground at the roundup in California, has prompted the organization to call for an immediate moratorium on wild horse roundups, citing a shocking failure to ensure humane treatment.

There were no fatalities, but the extent of the injuries sustained is unknown as all nine horses escaped capture and fled to their habitat. According to the BLM, the horses have not been recaptured.

The incident comes just months after AWHC observers documented abuse of a wild horse at the Blue Wing roundup in Nevada where a federal contractor was caught on camera repeatedly punching and kicking a collapsed wild horse in the head. Despite evidence of criminal abuse, there has been no accountability or consequences for the contractors involved.

"Ensuring the safety of wild horses during federal roundups should be a basic requirement, yet time and again, we witness contractors failing to meet even the most elementary standards of humane treatment,” said AWHC Executive Director Suzanne Roy. "The trauma inflicted on these animals is unacceptable, and there must be accountability for the ongoing disregard for their well-being."

In the 2022 Twin Peaks roundup, federal contractors stampeded too many wild horses into the trap, leading to its collapse, placing not only the horses but the contractors themselves in danger of injury.

The 2024 Twin Peaks roundup aims to capture 943 horses. As of October 4, 2024, the BLM has removed over 200 and two have died.

During Fiscal Year 2024, over 15,000 wild horses have been removed from the wild and funneled into overburdened holding facilities, and 211 have died during these roundups.

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American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit 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 horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.