- United States
- Ohio
- Letter
Stop the Bureau of Land Management's mass roundup of wild horses and burros. These animals are being chased by helicopters, torn from their family groups, and warehoused in holding facilities — over 60,000 are currently in captivity, some with no prospect of release. A New York Times investigation found that horses classified as "unadoptable" and sold by the BLM are ending up in Canadian slaughter plants, despite federal law prohibiting exactly that.
The answer to herd management is expanded fertility control and habitat management, not endless removals that funnel animals toward slaughter. The administration's FY2027 budget proposal cuts the Wild Horse and Burro Program from $142 million to $106.8 million and drops longstanding congressional language protecting horses from being killed or sold for slaughter. That omission must be restored. Redirect resources toward humane, science-based fertility control programs and stop the roundups.