The Urgent Need for Wild Horse Protection
Forty-two years ago, President Richard M. Nixon invoked the famous words of Henry David Thoreau when signing the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. He expressed his pleasure in signing strong legislation to protect these noble animals, emphasizing their right to exist in the wild.
Despite this, the promise of the Act remains unfulfilled. In 1971, President Nixon noted that commercial forces had pushed wild horses and burros to the brink of extinction. Velma Johnston, known as Wild Horse Annie, was instrumental in advocating for the Act's passage, highlighting the powerful forces against wild horses, including the domestic livestock industry and the Bureau of Land Management.
Today, these interests continue to threaten wild horses, leading to their massive roundup and removal from public lands. The result is a federal program that holds more wild horses in captivity than are free on the range. If this continues, truly wild, free-roaming horses may soon be extinct.
Half of all lands designated for wild horses and burros have been eliminated, and successive administrations have allowed their systematic removal. President Nixon recognized the public's concern for preserving these animals, and today, we must reignite that concern to counter the threats they face.
With 50,000 wild horses in holding facilities and the horse slaughter industry poised to resume in the U.S., the stakes are high. Visit StopTheRoundups.com to join the movement to Keep Wild Horses Wild. When people speak, change can happen.