The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) roundup of Sand Wash Basin wild horses in Colorado concluded yesterday. Since the roundup began on September 1st, a total of 631 wild horses have been captured, and two have died. We are calling on the BLM to end wild horse roundups due to documented abuse that has occurred.
The BLM planned to gather approximately 783 “excess” wild horses, removing approximately 733 wild horses for future adoption or sale, and returning approximately 50 wild horses back onto the Herd Management Area (HMA). Approximately 25 mares will receive fertility control before being returned to the HMA.
In the last few days, multiple foals have been left behind orphaned on the range after their mothers were captured during the roundup. Additional reports of injured horses — including a mare with a potential broken leg and a foal by her side, both left on the range after the helicopters swept through — add to the concern about the conduct of this roundup.
Not only has the BLM been conducting this roundup under the guise of extreme drought when recent rains have rejuvenated range conditions in Sand Wash Basin — but these incidents of documented abuse are directly in violation of the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) guidelines.
The BLM contractor that conducted the roundup is in direct violation of the CAWP guidelines that require helicopters to drive the horses no faster than the weakest animal in the group.
The BLM also dismissed a CAWP guideline limiting temperatures at which horses should be run to no higher than 95º Fahrenheit as a “suggestion.” Instead, the BLM stated that the only hard stop for chasing wild horses with helicopters in the summer heat is 105º Fahrenheit. And this statement was made on a day when helicopters were stampeding horses over a long distance of potentially 10-15 miles.
The treatment of America’s wild horses is unacceptable. Join American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) in speaking up today for the Sand Wash Basin wild horses of Colorado.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Please contact the BLM and the U.S. Department of the Interior and tell them to end cruel wild horse roundups for good.
2. Call the Interior Department and BLM
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Secretary Deb Haaland at (202)-208-3100
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Acting BLM Director Nada Culver at (202)-208-3801
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BLM Colorado State Director Jamie Connell at (303)-239-3600
