PLEASE Help Save Threatened Wild Horses and Burros!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In 1971, Congress unanimously passed a bi-partisan piece of legislation known as the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act.  UNANIMOUSLY!  How often does that happen?  Now, under the new budget, those horses are threatened again.  Despite promises to return government to The People, OUR government is preempting our wishes.  Hundreds of thousands of people have voiced their opinion that these horses and burros on public lands deserve federal protection.  The feds haven't done a very good job, but turning their care over to states could be disastrous.  Please help!  Please e-mail or call your legislators, the legislators designated in the post below, and the White House.  Remind them that the United States is a representative democracy and that they represent US!

The post below is from the American Wild Horse Campaign (https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org):

I'm sorry to have to give you some devastating news. In the wee hours of Monday morning, Congress released a 1,600+ page spending bill for 2017. Buried on page 804 is Section 116, which allows the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to strip wild horses and burros of federal protection and “immediately” transfer them to state and local governments for use as "work animals."

But with no definition of work animal, and no limit to the number of horses and burros that can be transferred, this language could provide a back door route to killing thousands of these national legacy animals. Although Congress added language prohibiting commercial slaughter and putting some restrictions on "euthanasia," signalling its intent to prevent the killing of healthy horses. However, ambiguities and loopholes in the language leave it open to abuse. Especially at risk are the older mustangs and burros, now protected under federal law. Under the language these majestic, elder animals could be killed simply due to "advanced age," a term that is undefined.

We can’t let this stand...Congress should not be allowed to undermine the will of the American people and a unanimously-passed Act of Congress - the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act - through a last-minute spending bill. 

We have just hours to make our voices heard... Please click below NOW to call and send a message to key appropriators asking them to strip this devastating provision that could result in the killing of thousands – and potentially tens of thousands -- of America’s cherished wild horses and burros.

If you do one thing for wild horses and burros, please do this now!

HOURS LEFT TO STOP CONGRESS FROM AUTHORIZING BACKDOOR KILLING OF WILD HORSES & BURROS

Over the weekend, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees restored language to the 2017 Omnibus spending bill that opens the back door to killing potentially thousands of wild horses and burros. The language amends the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act by stripping them of their federal protections and transferring them to state and local governments ostensibly for use as “work animals.”

With no limit to the numbers transferred and no definition of “work animal,” the language provides a vehicle for delivering thousands, and potentially tens of thousands of wild horses and burros, into the hands of government agencies that actively push for mass roundups and slaughter of these national icons. The Section 116 language can be found on page 804 of this link. 

Congress did include prohibitions on commercial slaughter and some restrictions on “euthanasia,” signalling their intent to prevent the destruction of healthy wild horses and burros. However, the restrictions are not enforceable, there is no penalty for violating them, and the many ambiguities and loopholes leave the language open to abuse.  Especially troubling is a provision to allow the killing of “advanced age” animals, a term that is undefined and could result in the destruction of thousands of healthy middle- to older-aged horses and burros.

While defeating this language at this late stage is going to be difficult, the spending bill only funds the government for the next five months. So taking a strong stand now will set the stage for fixing this problem when Section 116 expires on September 30, 2017. 

What You Must Do NOW!

1. Please immediately call these numbers and voice your objections to the committees that approved this devastating last-minute addition to the spending bill. If you don't reach them this afternoon, please try again in the morning!

** Please remember: the best way to help the horses is to be polite! **

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Chair, Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee

DC office: (202) 224-6665

AK office: (907) 271-3735 

Sen. Tom Udall, Ranking Member, Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee

DC office:(202) 224-6621

NM office:(505) 346-6791

Rep. Ken Calvert, Chair, House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee

DC office: (202) 225-1986 

CA office: (951) 277-0042

Rep. Betty McCollum, Ranking Member, House Interior Appropriations Committee

DC office: (202) 225-6631

MN office: (651) 224-9191

Here’s what you need to say: “I am very upset that Congress has included language in Section 116 of the Omnibus spending bill that will strip up to 50,000 wild horses and burros of federal protections that were passed unanimously by Congress and have been in place for nearly 50 years. Unfortunately, restrictions put in place to prevent the killing of healthy horses and burros are not sufficient to protect these animals, and thousands that currently enjoy federal protection could be killed, or worse, enter the slaughter pipeline.  I urge your office to remove this destructive language from the Omnibus, and if unable, then it must be removed when this spending bill expires later this year.”