Jack,

Last week, during the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) McCullough Peaks bait trap roundup, a young horse named Kat Ballou died of a head injury, caused by the roundup operations. She was only one year old. Her death was cruel, unnecessary, and preventable.

On January 22, 2024, 10 wild horses, including Kat Ballou and her mom, Keota, were captured in the bait trap.  The BLM staff decided to release Keota and five other horses, separating Kat Ballou and her mother. She and three other young horses were kept overnight in temporary holding before being shipped to short-term holding for processing and potential adoption. Sometime between the departure of BLM staff and the following morning, tragedy struck. Kat Ballou was found dead in the pen, having succumbed to a traumatic head injury. It is believed that she died while trying to escape and reunite with her mother. 

Photo credit: Living Images By Carol Walker

She was not the only young horse separated from her mother. A young foal identified as Skydancer was only four months old and forcibly removed from her mother during this roundup. The other two captured horses were brothers Bandero, age five months, and Brumby, just under two years old. 

Friend, the BLM's decision to separate young horses from their mothers, then leave them unattended overnight demonstrates a callous disregard for the well-being of these innocent animals. In fact, this treatment of wild horses is unconscionable and unacceptable. Please take action now and demand that the BLM immediately halt the McCullough Peaks bait trap roundup.

To add insult to injury, the Environmental Assessment for this roundup states that peak foaling season begins February 1st and that the agency must avoid wild horse roundups six weeks before the start of this time when young, fragile foals are just being born. Despite this directive and young foals on the ground, the McCullough Peaks bait trap roundup is continuing.

AWHC has sent a legal letter to the BLM demanding a halt to this operation and we need your help. Can you take action right now to let the BLM know that this roundup must be halted to ensure the safety and well-being of young foals?

We join the community in mourning the loss of Kat Ballou. Please help us channel that pain into action and make a tangible difference for our beloved wild horses and burros. 

Thank you for using your voice for the McCullough Peaks wild horses,

Team AWHC