January 3, 2005 Press Release

Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates Announces Action Plan to Halt
the Slaughter of Thousands of Wild Horses

Carson City, NV- On January 2 and 3, 2005, an umbrella coalition representing thousands of wild horse advocates from across the country met in an emergency conference to save America’s wild horses and burros, the “last living symbols of the Old West,” as declared by Congress in 1971.

For the last two days, the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates came together to take a stand on behalf of America’s rapidly disappearing wild horse and burro populations and to stop the impending slaughter of thousands of wild horses.

This emergency meeting was called in response to the 11th hour rider that was surreptitiously attached to the 2005 federal spending bill just before the Thanksgiving holiday by Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), a friend of the ranching industry. This amendment unravels 34 years of federal protection for wild horses and burros, as mandated by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. As a result, wild horses, our American icon, will now be trucked to slaughterhouses and end up on dinner plates in France.

Wild horses connect to the hearts of all American people, crossing all political, cultural, and social lines. In response to receiving the greatest amount of mail in its history, second only to the Viet Nam War, the 1971 Act was passed unanimously in Congress.

This rider has stolen the voices of the tens of millions of Americans who wrote to demand passage of this Act. We are here to rally all Americans, so that once again our voices can be heard.

FACTS:

• In 1971, the Act stated that wild horses were fast disappearing from the American scene

• Since 1971, BLM has not complied with the Act protecting wild horses and burros on public lands

• Today, there are fewer wild horses and burros on public lands than in 1971

• BLM has created a myth that there is an overpopulation of wild horses and burros

• BLM’s term “unadoptable” is a myth

• Because of these myths, BLM has created a quagmire of wild horses in long-term holding pastures who rightfully belong back on the range

• A stealth rider to the recent federal spending act dismantled the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act

• This was done without the knowledge of the American public

• A majority of the members of Congress were unaware that this last-minute rider was attached to the federal Appropriations Bill

THEREFORE, the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates has developed the following measures:

• We have elicited a group of attorneys to focus on the new Burns legislation and have developed a multi-prong response.

• A plan is underway to stop the slaughter of thousands of wild horses

• This Alliance will continue to meet and increase in size with the groundswell of support of the American public until we know that our wild horses and burros are protected both on and off Public Lands

• A key goal of this Alliance is to bring out THE REAL TRUTH to the public