Letter to the President on BLM Horse Management
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
We, the members and supporters of Friends of Animals, located in every state and in several countries, firmly oppose the Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to round up and remove yet more of free-roaming wild horses and burros from U.S. public lands in a scheme to place the horses in holding sites, sterilize them, and privatize them, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. There are few sustainable or genetically viable herds left, and they must be respected: not sterilized, not privatized.
At the beginning of the 20th century, 2 million mustangs roamed free.(1) Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar tells reporters, “We have a huge problem — out-of-control populations of wild horses and burros on our public lands.”(2) But the reporters also note that 37,000 free-roaming horses and burros remain on public lands. (The actual number varies depending on the estimate being cited, and might be far less than that.) The round-up policy itself is the huge problem, as it has resulted in the accumulation of tens of thousands of horses by the BLM and the question of what to do with them.
At the same time these small communities of free-living horses and burros are under attack, ranchers graze several million cows and other domesticated animals on public lands. Animal agribusiness is notorious for its heavy use of fuel and water, a driving force behind environmental damage, and a leading generator of greenhouse gases. The blame for the degraded, overgrazed condition of western public lands lies with cattle ranching, not free-roaming horses and burros.
The U.S. government’s willingness to serve the interests of agribusiness by leasing it nearly all public lands with any forage potential compromises the well-being of wild horses on the very rangelands the government is charged with protecting.
This destructive cycle of roundups, privatization and sterilization must stop. There is ample public land for free-living equids: over 19 million acres are legally designated for their use. Federal plans to spend nearly $100 million in tax dollars to create “preserves” is thus as wasteful as it is disrespectful to these equid communities.
Also as wasteful as it is disrespectful is the proposal to aggressively manage herds remaining on rangeland through sterilization and control of reproduction.
Wild free-roaming horses and burros should be entitled to genuine and full protection of the law. We assert that the only way to truly protect free-living horses on the pockets of lands that constitute their habitat is to empower them to remain free.
The time has come for the BLM to do the job of protecting and respecting wild horses and burros, instead of continuing to compromise this duty for the benefit of animal agribusiness.
Sincerely,
Priscilla Feral
President
Friends of Animals
(1) See Deanne Stillman, “Wild Horses Aren’t Free” - Los Angeles Times (2 Jun. 2008).
(2) Lyndsey Layton and Juliet Eilperin, “Salazar Presents Ambitious Plan to Manage Wild Horses” - Washington Post (8 Oct. 2009).
Post your comment
Comment Guidelines: We welcome your expressions of opinion on this subject. Please avoid false commentary about individuals or groups. Facts must be verified by the person posting. Off-topic comments, and comments inappropriate for a readership of all ages, may be deleted. E-mail addresses will never be published. Only comments with valid e-mail address will be published.
17 Comments
On November 6, 2009, Melissa Wilander wrote:
Please save these innocent truly wild mammals from such a terrible fate
On November 6, 2009, Barbara Elwell wrote:
I don’t understand why this country is doing their best to destroy all of our magestic animals. It is wrong to destroy all the animals that get in the ranchers way. You can certainly tell whose side Mr. Salazar is on. It seems that he has his palm out to be greased. SHAME!
On November 6, 2009, Patricia Ridley wrote:
The need to protect our wildlife of the West is greater than ever. All are a part of our heritage and these animals are a striking symbol of that heritage. Let the horses and burros live their lives as they always have … free. The West is big enough to accommodate the remaining populations. And the waste of $100 million can be put to much better use, particularly in today’s economy. We need to focus on pressing infrastructure problems … our roads and bridges for example … and this money should go towards issues that need urgent attention and funds.
On November 6, 2009, Robert Thomson wrote:
Please do the right thing to help retain the viability of our wild horses.
On November 6, 2009, Sondra Rutherford wrote:
Please put an end to the needless destruction of our horses who are a symbol of our wonderful heritage.
On November 6, 2009, S Somerville Franz wrote:
To me this is not only terribly wrong and an unjustifiable use of our (mine and yours) Tax money, but cruel to the utmost of the US gov’t. These horses don’t cause nearly the damage Agribusiness does! Who is overseeing this lack of transparency? We want all the facts from professionals, not politicians.
Leave the horses and work with humane groups who know what they are talking about concerning this issue.
On November 6, 2009, Eileen Rohde wrote:
Please stop this plan. I am firmly opposed to the whole idea.
Can we please save something for our grandchildren to see?
On November 6, 2009, Sherry Gerszberg wrote:
G-d put all creatures down here on earth to be free, loved, & respected! It is our duty as humans to care for all G-d’s creatures before there is nothing left here on earth and it will all come back to bite us! What goes around come around and everyone will get theirs! G-d sees everything and nothing gets lost. Stop abusing the horses and all creatures and take care of them before too late! Everything born and brought down here on earth has the right to be here and we must take care of all of it! Being higher on the food chain gives the humane race absolutely no right to abuse or kill what was put down here. There is a reason for everything even a blade of grass!!!! Watch out because you can’t run from G-d! Make the right decisions and protect all life as it says in the ten commandments “Thou Shall Not Kill” and that is for EVERYONE!!!!!! RESPECT all life and protect it before you come back as one!!!!
On November 6, 2009, John R wrote:
Please help us to save these beautiful animals. They are
one of the most beautiful creatures in this country.
On November 7, 2009, suzanne o'meara wrote:
please plan to help the horses in a more 100% truly guaranteed way , & do not sterilize at all . please allow the horses to have more land in the west & pray for rainfall there , ; & also sometimes let some horses go for visits to the east -but only once their western habitat sanctuary is really secure & going well.
On November 7, 2009, Kimberly S Lewis wrote:
Please help these animals. These are living creatures, there has to be a way that we can establish a sustainable existence for these animals and to co-habitat with them. The birds, spiders, ants, etc are able to co-habitat. If a lot of people could, I’m sure they would try to make they couldn’t exist as well. We should stop being so arrogant this planet doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to all life. We are way out of line.
On November 9, 2009, GARY TURNER wrote:
…we might as well have voted Sarah Palin into the white house! Obama made a big mistake by appointing someone like Salazar to be our Secretary of the Interior. We need to get rid of Ken Salazar ASAP!
On November 17, 2009, Joni Moretti wrote:
Please help save these precious animals that were put on this earth to make all creatures appreciate them. All animals rely on our voices and I ask that you speak up for them and save them!
On November 18, 2009, graham wilde wrote:
What’s going on with animals in paddocks sheep cattle etc.? Don’t see much shade for them and do they have access to water? The weather seems to be getting hotter year by year. It’s cruel having these animals stand out all day everyday in extreme heat without shade.
FoA comments:
End the exploitation of animals — whether it be for food, clothing or entertainment — and these cruelties will disappear at the same time.
On November 18, 2009, Colleen O'Brien wrote:
What the BLM is doing to our national heritage (wild burros and horses) is outrageous. . . taking away the very lands that were granted to them by a 1971 act of congress (Public Law 92-195)which stated that these “wild, free-roaming herds are declared symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West”; furthermore, “they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people”. Seems as though the BlLM has misused the Wild Horse and Burro Program for years! The BLM has not protected our wild herds, but has given away the very lands that were originally granted by our government for the wild herds… . .Shameful, Despicable, and Unforgivable as I see it.
On November 19, 2009, Patricia Lawrence wrote:
Wild horses are fast going the way of the wolf and buffalo. Current figures put wild horses at 32,000 in captivity and as low as 15,000 in the wild.
The BLM plans to capture 9,000. For what? Where are they going to put them?
President Obama, this situation demands your immediate attention and intervention.
On November 19, 2009, carrol abel wrote:
United animal welfare and wild horse advocates have delivered a petition to the White House requesting an immediate moratorium on wild horse roundups and a congressional investigation. Original signatures include over 100 organizations. Join us in our efforts to save the wild horses before it’s too late.
For a copy of the petition and to add your organization, contact:
news@thecloudfoundation.org
or
john@equinewelfarealliance.org