Target: Tracy Stone-Manning, Director of Bureau of Land Management
Goal: Amend or abolish mustang roundups to prevent tragic deaths.
A beautiful stallion affectionately known as Mr. Sunshine spends over 30 harrowing minutes fleeing from a helicopter. The pursued animal breaks his rear leg and is “euthanized” shortly thereafter. Four of Mr. Sunshine’s wild and free companions die from broken necks, and five small foals succumb as well. In all, an estimated 36 horses perish. These are the latest tragic results of a controversial mustang roundup that takes place annually in Nevada. The event, in which helicopters and other means are used to corral the state’s nation-leading population of wild horses, are sanctioned and carried out by the federal government.
The Bureau of Land Management seeks to gather up around 2,500 horses in this region each year and chase them into makeshift corrals, apparently by any means necessary. They claim the roundup is in the interest of ecological preservation, but critics believe the agency is more beholden to ranching special interests that view the mustangs as competition for their grazing herds. The use of helicopters and the roundups continuing despite extreme heat have drawn particular scrutiny.
A federal judge has joined the ranks of individuals questioning the practice. By the judge’s dictate, the bureau must now submit legal justification for the roundups to continue in their current form. Another measure, introduced by a congresswoman from Nevada, would prohibit the use of helicopters in favor of more humane and safer methods.
Sign the petition below to demand this agency of conservation take the necessary steps to conserve one of the nation’s most precious natural wonders.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
“He tried to buck off the searing pain and then struggled on three legs. He was then pursued to the far side of the valley and shot. The incident took longer than 30 minutes to resolve,” she said. “These barbaric, cruel, intentional acts must end.” Before the Bureau of Land Management submits its reasoning for continuing mustang roundups, consider this stirring eyewitness account of just one tragedy resulting from this event. Nevada is home to fully two-thirds of the entire nation’s wild horses, and these animals deserve better than being hunted down with broken bones, snapped necks, horrendous barbed wire gashes, and other preventable injuries or deaths.
This agency has not fully explored humane alternatives like autumn bait-and-water trapping, nor has it truly undertaken a data-driven analysis of if this practice is even necessary. Until detailed and well-informed reforms take place, suspend this controversial event that is becoming more synonymous with eradication than preservation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: American Wild Horse Campaign
The BLM takes joy in air polluting helicopter round ups knowing full well the tragedy to wild horses. This has gone on for years. Nothing is done. I think to take the helicopters away and put the BLM on horses for round ups would solve the problem. Why? Their butts would hurt to do this in the old fashioned way. It’s better than polluting with helicopters which pollute more than airplanes. But it wouldn’t be as much fun. There are other viable, realistic, alternatives like autumn bait and trapping or data driven analysis. There are viable solutions, suggestion and applications. Stop the joy rides and force compassion and the use of intelligent methods to achieve the goals. Death round ups must end.
STOP THIS APPALLING AERIAL BLOODSPORT.
This is in NO WAY A HUMANE WAY TO MANAGE ANY ANIMAL.
Horses are suffering HORRENDOUS INJURIES & AGONIZING DEATHS!
Hope theses EVIL SAVAGES CRASH & BURN!