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Jack,

Here at American Wild Horse Conservation, we’re fighting to reform the federal government's cruel and costly wild horse and burro roundup program and to ensure wild horses and burros roam the American West for generations to come.

One of the driving factors behind helicopter roundups is that wild horses and burros are often blamed for the impacts of extractive uses on our public lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as well as ranchers and private interests who want to free up our public lands for commercial use, often take advantage of these outdated misconceptions to justify the ongoing roundup, removal and stockpile cycle.

That’s why combating the myths that scapegoat wild horses and burros is critical to our work. To help our herd of advocates do that, we’ve compiled answers to frequently asked questions so you can be ready to push back against false narratives that threaten our wild herds!

1.
Are
wild
horses
and
burros
overpopulating?

NO!
Wild
horses
and
burros
are
not
overpopulated.
In
reality,
the
only
animals
truly
overtaking
the
West
are
the
privately
owned
cattle
and
sheep
permitted
to
overgraze
our
public
lands.
Wild
horses
are
present
on
just
27
million
acres
of
BLM
land
in
the
West,
while
private
livestock
graze
on
over
155
million
acres.
Even
worse,
wild
horses
are
not
present
on
88
percent
of
the
public
lands
the
BLM
manages.

2.
Are
wild
horses
and
burros
responsible
for
overgrazing
on
our
public
lands?

NO!
The
main
cause
of
land
degradation
in
the
American
West
is
livestock
grazing.
A
study
[[link removed]]
by
Public
Employees
for
Environmental
Responsibility
(PEER)
found
that
not
only
do
livestock
outnumber
wild
horses
and
burros
on
public
lands
by
30:1,
but
livestock
grazing
is
the
reason
72
percent
of
rangelands
did
not
meet
the
required
Land
Health
Standards.

3.
Are
wild
horses
native?

Wild
horses
are
a
native
re-introduced
species.
According
to
research
out
of
the
University
of
California,
Santa
Cruz’s
prestigious
Paleogenomics
Lab,
[[link removed]]
fossil
records
and
genetic
results
confirm
that
horses
were
part
of
the
North
American
fauna
for
hundreds
of
thousands
of
years
prior
to
their
extinction
on
the
continent
around
eleven
thousand
years
ago.
The
genetic
connection
between
extinct
North
American
and
present-day
domestic
horses
means
that
the
wild
horses
in
the
American
West
share
much
of
their
DNA
and
evolutionary
history
with
their
ancestors.
Further,
Indigenous
oral
histories
suggest
that
horses
never
diminished
to
extinction
in
North
America.

4.
Why
do
roundups
happen?

Roundups
are
a
result
of
over
50
years
of
federal
mismanagement
by
a
government
agency
that
prioritizes
private,
extractive
uses
on
public
lands
over
federally
protected
mustangs
and
burros.
This
includes
maintaining
artificial
population
limits,
implementing
cruel
and
costly
helicopter
roundups,
and
unfairly
allocating
more
resources
to
private
livestock
than
to
wild
horses.

5.
Why
do
wild
horses
and
burros
have
to
be
managed
at
all?

They
live
on
land
that
is
shared
by
multiple
interests,
including
livestock
grazing
and
other
extractive
uses.
Often,
natural
predators
like
mountain
lions
are
eradicated
by
hunters
and
a
government
program
that
kills
predators
for
the
benefit
of
ranchers.
Under
these
man-made
and
artificial
conditions,
some
form
of
management
is
necessary.
With
that
being
said,
the
BLM's
roundup
and
removal
approach
is
not
only
inhumane,
but
also
completely
unsustainable,
disproportionately
aggressive,
and
has
brought
the
program
to
the
brink
of
fiscal
collapse.

6.
Do
wild
horses
and
burros
end
up
in
the
slaughter
pipeline?

Yes.
While
the
agency
cannot
sell
wild
horses
or
burros
directly
to
slaughter,
countless
equines
are
being
funneled
into
the
slaughter
pipeline
thanks
to
the
BLM’s
disastrous
Adoption
Incentive
Program
(AIP),
which
pays
individuals
$1,000
to
adopt
unhandled
horses
and
burros.
AWHC’s
investigation
into
the
AIP
has
shown
that
people
are
routinely
adopting
mustangs
and
burros,
pocketing
the
cash
incentive
and
then
funneling
them
directly
into
the
slaughter
pipeline.

7.
Why
don't
you
sue
to
stop
roundups?

We
do!
While
we
would
like
to
be
able
to
go
to
court
to
stop
every
roundup,
litigation
is
far
from
certain.
Many
factors
need
to
be
considered
with
each
new
case
we
bring.
If
we
rush
into
litigation
without
a
strong
foundation
for
our
case
and
lose,
we
could
end
up
setting
a
negative
precedent
that
harms
wild
horses
and
burros
for
generations
to
come.
That’s
why
we
choose
our
battles
wisely
to
ensure
the
best
possible
outcome
for
our
wild
herds.
It’s
important
to
note
that
we
evaluate
every
roundup
proposal
possible
during
the
public
comment
period
for
litigation,
before
a
helicopter
ever
takes
off.
If
we
are
able
to
sue,
we
do.

Jack, it’s vital that we fight back against the false narratives being pushed by the livestock industry and the federal government. Please forward this email to your friends and family so that we can get the truth out about our wild herds and end these myths once and for all!

Thank you,

American Wild Horse Conservation

P.S. Your support is the key to protecting wild horses and burros from unjust roundups and giving them the freedom they deserve. Every dollar helps us challenge false narratives, fight for them in court, and advocate for humane management solutions. If you can, please consider making a donation today to help us fight for the freedom of wild horses and burros on our public lands. [[link removed]]



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American Wild Horse Campaign
P.O. Box 1733
Davis, CA 95617
United States