Wild Horse Advocates Criticize BLM for Lack of Transparency in Wyoming Mustang Roundup

Rock Springs, WY. (September 29, 2017) - The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) has criticized the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for misrepresenting the number of wild horses being captured and removed from public lands in Wyoming. The ongoing roundup is set to remove nearly 2,000 horses, including foals and weanlings, which the BLM has not included in its official tally.

The agency's omission means hundreds more horses will be removed than publicly stated. Once captured, these horses are taken to holding facilities closed to the public, making it difficult to monitor their condition and fate.

To date, 298 horses have been captured from three federally-protected Herd Management Areas (HMAs) – Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, and Great Divide Basin. Among them, 52 foals are not counted in the official removal tally.

“The BLM has found a new way to wipe out Wyoming’s wild horse herds by pretending that young horses don’t count,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Conservation. “This allows the agency to remove more mustangs than originally approved, without public disclosure or analysis of its impacts as required by the National Environment Protection Act.”

Roy also highlighted the BLM's request to Congress for permission to sell these horses for slaughter in Mexico, criticizing the agency for prioritizing special interests over public opinion, which supports wild horse protection.

The roundup will continue for 4-6 weeks. Photographer Carol Walker from the Wild Horse Freedom Federation and a humane observer from Return to Freedom are providing daily reports from the site.

Background

The American Wild Horse Conservation has been engaged in a legal battle against the BLM's plan to eradicate wild horses from a two million-acre area at the request of the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA). The RSGA views wild horses as competition for livestock grazing on public lands.

Less than a year ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued a landmark decision preventing the BLM from removing wild horses from over one million acres in the Wyoming Checkerboard.

This roundup follows others, including the removal of about 100 horses from Bible Springs, Utah. The BLM has not addressed the impacts of these activities on the wild horse population.

These horses face the threat of being killed or sold for slaughter if Congress approves the BLM’s 2018 budget request to lift the prohibition on destroying healthy wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter. A provision allowing this passed the House Appropriations Committee in July and awaits Senate action.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly known as the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign) is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for future generations, as part of our national heritage. Its grassroots mission is supported by over 60 horse advocacy, humane, and public interest organizations.