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| Photo copyright Pam Nickoles |
It's not too late to do your part. You don’t have to be a United States resident to help! Of course, the best thing you could do is adopt a wild Mustang, but that option may not be open to you. The next best way to help is by spreading the word, and one way you can do that is by copying text from this website and sharing it with friends and family. If you can tell even just one friend to visit and read this blog, and have that friend tell even just one more, and that one tell another and so on, pretty soon the world will know. Also, tell friends and relatives in real life about the plight of the Mustangs. Don’t wait until their song fades away and is no more.
We, the People, demand a change in the inhumane treatment of our free-roaming horses.
Ways YOU can help:
- SPREAD THE WORD!
- Contact a U.S. government official and request non-sterilizing FERTILITY CONTROL such as PZP.(In 1971, the Wild Horse and Burro Act was passed because officials were getting more mail about Mustangs than any other topic)
- Contact a U.S. government official and request non-sterilizing FERTILITY CONTROL such as PZP.(In 1971, the Wild Horse and Burro Act was passed because officials were getting more mail about Mustangs than any other topic)
- Do not contribute to the problem of non-native animals destorying wildlife habitats. Keep your pets and livestock contained.
- Adopt a Mustang.
- Buy land and reserve it for
Mustangs.
- Donate to Mustang charities
and rescues (The Cloud Foundation and the ASPCA give many places you can donate).
- Ask that friends and relatives
donate to Mustang rescues.
- Contact the BLM to
protest roundups and to promote non-sterilizing fertility controls such as PZP (an example of a letter sent to the BLM is at the end of this page).
-Protest upcoming roundups and demand proper management techniques.
-Protest upcoming roundups and demand proper management techniques.
- Raise
awareness about the inhumane, inefficient, and expensive nature of roundups and that there are more humane and less expensive options available.
- Avoid big, corporate-name beef products and choose lesser-known, privately-owned beef.
- Avoid big, corporate-name beef products and choose lesser-known, privately-owned beef.
- Post Mustang banners on Facebook, Myspace, Tumbler, Pintrist, and other websites.
- Bring up the subject with
friends and family.
- Make Mustang posters for your
school or business.
- Pin Mustang flyers on your
church’s prayer board.
- Hand out Mustang flyers and
posters at fairs. Be sure to include lots of information to answer any questions and myths readers may come up with. Feel free to use text from this blog.
- Write articles for newspapers.
- Write about Mustang roundups
for school assignments.
- Study up on the roundups and stay up-to-date.
- Buy Breyer's America's Wild Mustangs sets. For every set bought, Breyer donates to Mustang charities: https://www.breyerhorses.com/wild-mustangs
Save the Mustangs banners for free use...
I have made all of these banners. Image credits are already provided on the images if the source(s) of the images is required.
- Study up on the roundups and stay up-to-date.
- Buy Breyer's America's Wild Mustangs sets. For every set bought, Breyer donates to Mustang charities: https://www.breyerhorses.com/wild-mustangs
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| YEA! (Youths' Equine Alliance) gives a seminar on wild Mustangs to help inform the public. |
Save the Mustangs banners for free use...
I have made all of these banners. Image credits are already provided on the images if the source(s) of the images is required.
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| Save the Mustangs: The Facts |
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| Save the Mustangs banner |
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| Save the Mustangs: America's Horse |
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| Save the Mustangs: Let Wild Horses Run Free |
Fertility control promotion banner featuring a pinto Mustang
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| "Don't Just Feel Their Pain" banner |
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| Save The Mustangs banner: Cloud Wild Stallion of the Rockies |
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| Unmask the Truth banner |
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| Fertility control promotion banner featuring sparring stallions |
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| Transparent banner: "Who? When?" |
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| Save the Mustangs: fantasy theme |
Fertility control promotion banner featuring a herd of Mustangs
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| Save the Mustangs: Change the Roundup Policies |
Example of a letter sent to the BLM
This is a letter that I wrote and sent to the BLM in protest of the Adobe Town and Salt Wells roundup that the BLM planned to perform in August 2013. The roundup was delayed, but instead it was rescheduled for the dead of winter in November-December. However, this is an example of a letter.
Dear Sir or Madam,
As an American citizen I am greatly concerned about the upcoming BLM Mustang gather proposed for the Wyoming herds this August. The Adobe Town & Salt Wells herds are famous and people travel to see those horses in their natural habitat. A large percentage of Wyoming’s remaining Mustangs live in those two herds. I and many others are asking for the BLM to halt this gather until they have discussed it with a wider range of biologists and can proceed with a better plan.
· Currently, the BLM is planning to remove all the Salt Wells horses on the checkerboard lands (a total of over 580 horses), in order to appease the over-inflated cattle ranching industry. The BLM has claimed that they do not remove Mustangs in order to make room for cattle, and yet this removal plan was initiated by a consent decree between BLM and the powerful Rock Springs Grazing Association. The BLM claims not to remove horses for cattle, but the number of cattle and sheep on public lands in general (around 3 to 4 million) grossly exceeds the number of horses (fewer than 25,000). Wild horses are only allocated 20% of the forage in these particular herds, while welfare livestock get the other 80%. Historically, the BLM listens to the majority of ranchers' complaints, but turns a deaf ear to wild horse advocates' complaints. By removing the Salt Wells horses from the public lands, the BLM will be able to give more grazing rights to ranchers and therefore increase their profit. To the public, it appears that the BLM has been and is lying to us and is indeed removing the Mustangs to make way for cattle. The BLM's own evidence is against them, and the public can no longer trust the BLM's word. Prove us wrong by managing these horses responsibly and not by removing them.
· The Mustangs are not overpopulated and are not starving. In an area larger than the state of Delaware, BLM would allow only 861 - 1,165 Mustangs. This number is incredibly low, and, according to the National Academy of Sciences and many other wildlife biologists (none of which are biased from receiving pay from the BLM), is far below the comfortable grazing limit of the land. This abundance of food and no hunger causes the Mustangs to feel no need to limit their numbers, causing a bloom in the population levels. That is the natural cycle of all wild animals. When there is food, there are more animals. When food is scarce, births become rare. While the number of Mustangs in the wild has been dropping due to removals, Mustang population rates have been growing at around 15 to 20 percent each year, and the roundups, which are not only putting a huge strain on finances and space to house captive Mustangs, are merely removing genetic information from the herds, causing them to inbreed. While many will argue that it would be unkind to allow Nature to take her course, it is cruel and inhumane to manipulate these animals into reproducing only so that their young can be removed to make way for more. A better, kinder, more financially responsible, and more efficient response would be in-the-wild management with the use of fertility drugs, fencing, and ending/restricting predator hunting or possibly releasing existing predators into the wild.
·BLM should protect and preserve the sub-population of rare Curly Wild Horses that exist in Salt Wells. Any other environmental organization would be doing everything in their power to protect a rare animal, particularly one that is found in so few places. It is becoming increasingly evident that the BLM does not give priority to the land and animals in their care, but would rather use whatever means they have to increase their personal profit.
·How does the BLM plan to distinguish horses residing on public land versus private land? Because the land is checkerboard (one mile private, one mile public, etc.) there is no distinction between private and public lands. The plan is not adequately explained in this EA. Mustangs living on land that is free for their use will end up being removed, reducing the already tiny gene pool.
·This plan continues BLM’s “business as usual,” near-sighted management tactics, as it fails to account for the lack of holding space in Rock Springs and Canon City (which is full). The market for Mustangs – even saddle-broken ones – is rock-bottom, and the BLM is running out of room to house them. As they keep bringing in more, they're forced to sell them off to anyone who will buy them.
I won't deny that I'm a horse lover, but I'm a horse lover who understands the issue and is not blinded by money. As an American, I find the data disturbing, and I speak for hundreds of others like me. We would like to believe what the BLM has been telling us, but until we see some change, we can't. Please prove to us that our fears are wrong by caring for our country's Mustangs in the kindest, most affordable way possible.
Thank you for your time!
- Kristen Hall
As an American citizen I am greatly concerned about the upcoming BLM Mustang gather proposed for the Wyoming herds this August. The Adobe Town & Salt Wells herds are famous and people travel to see those horses in their natural habitat. A large percentage of Wyoming’s remaining Mustangs live in those two herds. I and many others are asking for the BLM to halt this gather until they have discussed it with a wider range of biologists and can proceed with a better plan.
· Currently, the BLM is planning to remove all the Salt Wells horses on the checkerboard lands (a total of over 580 horses), in order to appease the over-inflated cattle ranching industry. The BLM has claimed that they do not remove Mustangs in order to make room for cattle, and yet this removal plan was initiated by a consent decree between BLM and the powerful Rock Springs Grazing Association. The BLM claims not to remove horses for cattle, but the number of cattle and sheep on public lands in general (around 3 to 4 million) grossly exceeds the number of horses (fewer than 25,000). Wild horses are only allocated 20% of the forage in these particular herds, while welfare livestock get the other 80%. Historically, the BLM listens to the majority of ranchers' complaints, but turns a deaf ear to wild horse advocates' complaints. By removing the Salt Wells horses from the public lands, the BLM will be able to give more grazing rights to ranchers and therefore increase their profit. To the public, it appears that the BLM has been and is lying to us and is indeed removing the Mustangs to make way for cattle. The BLM's own evidence is against them, and the public can no longer trust the BLM's word. Prove us wrong by managing these horses responsibly and not by removing them.
· The Mustangs are not overpopulated and are not starving. In an area larger than the state of Delaware, BLM would allow only 861 - 1,165 Mustangs. This number is incredibly low, and, according to the National Academy of Sciences and many other wildlife biologists (none of which are biased from receiving pay from the BLM), is far below the comfortable grazing limit of the land. This abundance of food and no hunger causes the Mustangs to feel no need to limit their numbers, causing a bloom in the population levels. That is the natural cycle of all wild animals. When there is food, there are more animals. When food is scarce, births become rare. While the number of Mustangs in the wild has been dropping due to removals, Mustang population rates have been growing at around 15 to 20 percent each year, and the roundups, which are not only putting a huge strain on finances and space to house captive Mustangs, are merely removing genetic information from the herds, causing them to inbreed. While many will argue that it would be unkind to allow Nature to take her course, it is cruel and inhumane to manipulate these animals into reproducing only so that their young can be removed to make way for more. A better, kinder, more financially responsible, and more efficient response would be in-the-wild management with the use of fertility drugs, fencing, and ending/restricting predator hunting or possibly releasing existing predators into the wild.
·BLM has not assessed the rangeland health of 11 out of the 22 grazing allotments in the HMAs in at least a decade. This includes the Rock Springs Allotment, which encompasses the vast majority of Salt Wells. This allotment allows 3,300 cows (equivalent of 16,700 sheep) to graze all year long.
·The EA does not analyze the long-term impacts this removal plan has on the herds. The fact that the only biologists who agree with the BLM are either working for the BLM and receiving pay or are local ranchers who claim that by living on the land they have a firm understanding of how it works is very strong evidence that the BLM is not working on science to back up their claims. Congressionally-mandated wildlife studies, wildlife biologists, the National Academy of Sciences, and independent biologists are all saying the same thing: the BLM has no facts, no scientific standing whatsoever, on the impact they are having on the horses under their authority. Prove us wrong by stepping up and caring for these wild animals in a responsible manner, not by removing them and their future.
·BLM should protect and preserve the sub-population of rare Curly Wild Horses that exist in Salt Wells. Any other environmental organization would be doing everything in their power to protect a rare animal, particularly one that is found in so few places. It is becoming increasingly evident that the BLM does not give priority to the land and animals in their care, but would rather use whatever means they have to increase their personal profit.
·How does the BLM plan to distinguish horses residing on public land versus private land? Because the land is checkerboard (one mile private, one mile public, etc.) there is no distinction between private and public lands. The plan is not adequately explained in this EA. Mustangs living on land that is free for their use will end up being removed, reducing the already tiny gene pool.
·This plan continues BLM’s “business as usual,” near-sighted management tactics, as it fails to account for the lack of holding space in Rock Springs and Canon City (which is full). The market for Mustangs – even saddle-broken ones – is rock-bottom, and the BLM is running out of room to house them. As they keep bringing in more, they're forced to sell them off to anyone who will buy them.
Mustangs that go through their adoption program are fortunate to have a legal tie to the BLM until the BLM releases it. The owner can't sell the Mustang, he must meet certain regulations, and the BLM has the right to check up on the Mustang. This tends to rule out most kill buyers.
Mustangs that go through the sales program, though, get none of these advantages. The horses are given to the highest bidder, and many go for dirt cheap, which makes them hot targets for the meat market. The owner only has to sign a contract promising that he won't sell the Mustang to slaughter. Promises are only as good as the person who makes them. The first Mustang costs $125 to adopt. After that they only cost $25. If you spent $25 to get the horse, you get a dollar for each pound of meat from the horse, and the horse weighs 600–1,000 lbs., you have a considerable profit.
Mustangs that go through the sales program, though, get none of these advantages. The horses are given to the highest bidder, and many go for dirt cheap, which makes them hot targets for the meat market. The owner only has to sign a contract promising that he won't sell the Mustang to slaughter. Promises are only as good as the person who makes them. The first Mustang costs $125 to adopt. After that they only cost $25. If you spent $25 to get the horse, you get a dollar for each pound of meat from the horse, and the horse weighs 600–1,000 lbs., you have a considerable profit.
Recently the BLM has started a policy where one person cannot buy or adopt more than four Mustangs within a six-month period. It will be interesting to see how long and which facilities hold to this new policy. The down side of this policy is that the BLM still brings in as many horses as before, but now they can’t get rid of them as quickly. Where will these extra horses go? The Salt Wells herds have a very dim future.
· The removal of over 580 wild horses, especially all Salt Wells horses living in the checkerboard lands, would be devastating to the long-term survival of these herds. Mustangs do wander, but not nation-wide. With the majority of the horses removed, there will be no way to mix their genetic information with other horses. They will inbreed, destroying the breed and the horses' health, and causing future adoption rates to be even lower.
·BLM dismisses sound, responsible, on-the-range management tools and opts for the most destructive, invasive, costly, and inhumane method of management. In-the-wild management would save millions of tax-dollars. BLM’s wild horse and burro budget was increased by 50% in 2001, then by another third in 2005, to fund a massive removal campaign. It costs as much as 3,000 of American tax-dollars to remove and process a single wild horse for adoption. Last year alone, the cost for keeping the captive Mustangs alive was around $29 million. The total cost (including helicopter fees) was $80 million. A 2004 USGS study found that in-the-wild use of fertility drug measures alone would save 7.7 million tax-dollars annually.
·This EA is not does not back up its accusations that wild horses are the main cause of rangeland damage with any scientific evidence and requires a rewrite to adequately explain how BLM plans on managing these two wild horse herds. The main cause of degradation of public lands is livestock use, not Mustangs. Cows graze within a mile of water, often standing in it until the water is so soiled it’s unusable for some time, while wild horses are highly mobile, grazing from five to ten miles from water, at higher elevations, on steeper slopes, and in more rugged terrain. Horses and burros also have solid hooves which don’t tear apart the earth nearly as much as a cow’s cloven hoof. A congressionally-mandated study by the National Academy of Sciences found that wild horse forage use remains a small fraction of cattle forage use on public ranges. Private livestock outnumber wild horses at least 50 to 1 on most public lands. (4 million cattle and sheep > 25,000 Mustangs.)
I won't deny that I'm a horse lover, but I'm a horse lover who understands the issue and is not blinded by money. As an American, I find the data disturbing, and I speak for hundreds of others like me. We would like to believe what the BLM has been telling us, but until we see some change, we can't. Please prove to us that our fears are wrong by caring for our country's Mustangs in the kindest, most affordable way possible.
Thank you for your time!
- Kristen Hall
I had no idea about all this. Thank you Kristen for opening my eyes to this so I can spread the knowledge of this idiocy. There is too much suffering in this world for another case of it to go ignored.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could adopt a wild horse but I can't. I live in a town. But thank you so much for telling us what they are doing to these beautiful,graceful animals. Anonymous is right. This is too much suffering.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting!
ReplyDeleteI can't adopt any horses now, either, but maybe someday we'll be able to. If you have the money, you may be able to board a horse somewhere near you.
But even if you can't adopt any horses, there are many other ways you can help! Spreading the word is possibly the biggest way. If enough people know, a few of them may have contacts in high places who can actually bring some changes. Also, you can get on the Cloud Foundation's e-mailing list. They give updates on upcoming and present roundups as well as other actions that the BLM's Horse and Burro Program does.
How can a horse lover in Canada help?
ReplyDeleteHey, Mikathecat!
ReplyDeleteMustangs live in both the U.S. and Canada, so you could present the fact that the BLM is removing herds which wander off American soil and therefore aren't strictly "American". Mustang herds that live on the borders between Canada and the U.S. can and do often wander between the two countries.
You could also spread the word (the U.S. government listens to requests and comments from outside the country), you could donate to Mustang charities such as the Cloud Foundation, and most of all just learn as much as you can about Mustang roundups so you can effectively argue and spread the word.
Thanks for helping!
Would you mind if I made some banners based around this and hung them at school, at church, and some around town? I really want to make a difference because these majestic horses deserve their freedom just as much as any person in the world.
ReplyDeleteSure, that would be great! Spreading the word is a very good way to help. Feel free to use any of the banners I have above.
DeleteThank you for helping!
We agree with you and the other commenters about this, and we will try our best to help!
ReplyDelete