Save The Mustangs

Mistreatment of our Wild Horses has become a nationwide issue and undeniably brings up a concern that the horses are not being managed appropriately. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been in charge of managing the wild horses since 1971 and, since that time, they have represented these horses as they see fit under the guidelines of the Free Roaming Act. BLM should not be allowed to manage these iconic symbols any longer. It is evident they have over stepped their authority. The BLM have been accused of unnecessary injuries and or death during round ups, allowing horses to be sent to slaughterhouses and, in most cases, with the attitude that the horses are a burden and not the animal that depicts a large part of America's history.

Wild horses are an iconic symbol of independence in the American West, and at their peak, in the mid-1800s, an estimated 2 million wild horses roamed our lands. By early 1900s, most of the wild horses had disappeared from the Great Plains and by 1971; only 9,500 wild horses were thought to live on public lands. Congress enacted the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to protect wild horses and burros from being abused, or destroyed, and to manage them in ways that would maintain a thriving ecological balance of our lands. The 1971 act declared that these horses are "living symbols representing the historic spirit of the United States; that they contributed to the diversity within the Nation and enriched the lives of the American people."

The 1971 act authorized and directed the Secretary of the Interior, of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), "to protect and manage the wild horses." The BLM is obligated by law to manage the herds assuring that wild horse populations are balanced with other authorized uses of the public lands and that a thriving natural ecological balance is achieved and maintained in the areas where wild horses were found in 1971. Wild horses are to be managed as self-sustaining populations of healthy animals in balance with other multiple uses, such as livestock grazing and providing critical habitat for threatened and endangered species. (WFRHB act of 1971) This act has since been revised 4 times by the BLM themselves making the act work for them.

Since The BLM has been managing the wild horse herds, concerns have come up about abuse and neglect during gatherings. The BLM gathers horses from public lands that are no longer able to sustain the amount of horses. U.S. Forest Service says that "the average recruitment rate for wild horses is 18% per year, so their population doubles about every 5 years. Mountain lions do an adequate job of controlling wild horse numbers in only a few locations. The majority of herds need to be controlled by the managing agencies in order to protect the land from overgrazing and to protect the horses from eventual starvation due to overgrazing. It is for the health of the land and the health of the animals that "excess" wild horses are removed from their territories" (U.S.FS).

The BLM have been blamed for numerous wild horse deaths during these gathers; yet, will not give us an accurate count. Protect the Mustangs is a non-profit organization that has been an advocate for the wild horses for fifteen years. Posted June 23rd 2012, "So many wild horses die because of roundups yet the BLM does not count the deaths accurately," explains Anne Novak, Executive Director of the California-based Protect Mustangs. "Congress hears that there is only a 1% death rate at 'gathers'. We want transparency and accountability for all the deaths at roundups." Novak also explains that the BLM skews the number of deaths to acquire keep their funding. BLM has not complied with issuing an accurate death report, according to Protect the Mustangs.

An example of unnecessary death comes from The Desert Independence, a newspaper out of Reno Nevada. Reporter Robert Winkler wrote on November 27, 2011 a story of an old mare and her last moments of freedom.

"She made it all the way in after being chased by the helicopter but was exhausted,' states Kindsfather. "In the trap pen, the group of horses was scared by a wrangler using a whip with a plastic bag tied on to it. The horses panicked, ran into the mare and piled up against her, smashing her into the fence. In an already terrifying situation, he continued to use the whip to get the mare up on her feet. " The mare could have tied up (had severe muscle spasms) after being chased for miles in the freezing weather and then forced into a crammed pen where she was not walking around enough for her muscles to cool down properly," says Kerry Becklund, wild horse advocate with Protect Mustangs. "Advocates need to see the mustangs when they are brought in but we are kept away. It's clear from looking at the photos that the mare was in distress and the whips aggravated her fear. She did not deserve to be put down after surviving this ordeal, she deserved to live." "Once the BLM brings in a wild horse it is their responsibility to care for the horse," states Novak. Old Gold was put down in temporary holding." (TDI)

This kind of treatment is unnecessary and should not be allowed to continue. We haven't treated animals like this since the 19th century. BLM should be held accountable for every inhumane act they have been accused of.

The BLM contracts helicopters to help with the round ups, most of these sub-contractors have no concern for the horses and just do the job hired for. The act states that "It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment or death," (WFRHB act) yet the BLM's actions since June 8 seem to be in contradiction to the Act. The BLM in Jackson Mountain, Nevada is being accused by animal advocates of literally running a band of wild horses to death in an attempt to catch and corral them. On June 8th, helicopters began chasing the horses and forcing a stampede to round up an estimated 630 of the 930 that are living in the wild. Many of the horses caught up in the forced stampede are pregnant mares