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Stop the Execution Order for Wild Horses and Burros

Stop the Execution Order for Wild Horses and Burros

Wild horses and burros are facing the greatest peril since the mid twentieth century, when hundreds of thousands were run down or shot from helicopters and made into pet food. The government is now making moves to gut legal protections intended to stop mass wild horse killings so they can kill wild equines and push them to the brink of extinction. We can't let this happen!

The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act gives wild horses and burros the right to live freely on public lands, but they now occupy only a small fraction, while cows and sheep are grazed by ranchers on the vast majority. The Bureau of Land Management has removed wild equines from 22 million acres historically designated for their use and continues the relentless roundups that are dangerous for horses and expensive for taxpayers. This failed policy causes population spikes and leads to more suffering.

The majority of Americans oppose equine slaughter and want wild horses and burros to be protected, not eradicated.

In July, the House Appropriations Committee flouted  the will of the people under the guise of cost-saving and "population control." It approved an amendment by Representative Chris Stewart of Utah that authorizes "euthanizing" healthy wild horses and burros, unlimited selling of those held captive including sending them to slaughterhouses, and lethally removing "excess" wild horses on the range.

In essence, the House version of the 2018 budget bill for the Department of Interior calls for government-sponsored extinction of wild horses and burros.

Lawmakers who approved the mass horse execution are doing the bidding of the ranchers, extractive industry executives, and trophy hunters who want to use more and more of our public lands for their private gain. This rich, greedy lobby put its muscle and money into persuading House members to choose eradication and slaughter.

Supporters of In Defense of Animals and allied advocate organizations have spoken up, but we are in an uphill fight. In a few days, the Senate Appropriations Committee will decide whether or not America's wild horses and burros will fall victims to this despicable plan. We can make a difference with bold, timely action!

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1) If your senator is on the Appropriations Committee, please call his/her office. If your state is not represented on the committee, call one of more of the key senators starred. State your name, telephone number and organization you're affiliated with, if any. Be courteous and respectful.

You may wish to say:

Wild horses and burros are living memorials to our history and love of freedom. They do not deserve to pay with their lives for government mismanagement. Americans do not want to go back to the days of mass extermination.

Please reject the House-passed Stewart amendment language. I ask you to maintain the Congressional ban on killing or euthanizing healthy wild horses and burros and on unlimited sales of captive animals. We want solutions, not slaughter!

Senator

Phone

(CHAIR) Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)  

 202-224-5054  

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)

 202-224-5744  

* Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)      

 202-224-6665

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

202-224-4843

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 

 202-224-3841

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

 202-224-4041

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)

 202-224-5042

* Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

202-224-3041

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HW)

 202-224-3934

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

 202-224-2152

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS)

 202-224-6521

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

 202-224-2541

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)

 202-224-4623

* Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

 202-224-2523

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) 

 202-224-4654

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)

 202-224-5721

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)

 202-224-2644

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)

 202-224-2651

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

 202-224-2841

* (RANKING) Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)

202-224-6621

Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)

 202-224-2551

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK)

 202-224-5754

* Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

 202-224-3753

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) 

 202-224-4642

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

 202-224-5972

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

 202-224-4944

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

202-224-0238

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

 202-224-2621

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

202-224-5653

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

 202-224-6472

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)

 202-224-3954

 

2. Submit our letter, by filling out the form on the right-hand side of this page, adding your personal touch. By clicking, your comments will be sent to all members of the Committee.

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