Online Protest With Jim Brown Underway Opposing Bureau of Land Management Removal of North Lander Wild Horses
Hello Badger old friend. I have watched you for nineteen years. Now we meet on this windy ridge on a lovey May evening to say goodbye.
Members of the Save America’s Native Equine Campaign have organized a one click action online protest opposing the North Lander wild horse removals.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, June 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The wild and free-roaming horses of Wyoming’s North Lander complex are said to be some of country’s truly wild horses still living in their native habitat. They live without human intervention or genetic interference. These remotely located wild horses serve as a symbol of resilience and a reminder of the importance of preserving the natural world.
People across the country have been educated about them and their family bands by Jim Brown. He is known throughout the States and internationally as the man who champions Wyoming wild horses. His wild horse photography brings people close to a world many will never experience firsthand. The scheduled removal of these truly wild horses is a tragic loss for the country and generations to come.
It’s also a personal loss for Brown. “I’ve spent several days in North Lander saying goodbye to many old friends. I found myself sitting at water holes, remembering past times. No more memories will be made. My history there will be erased by those willing and able to buy America's public lands. I can see into the future. Someday, I’m sitting at these very water holes with my grandson. ‘You see that dust blowing on the Wyoming plains?’ I will say. I remember wild horses running through that dust. There were all colors with their tails and manes blowing in the wild. A site that made you watch in awe. Wish you could have seen them, honey.”
Cheryl Turner, founder of the 5900 Club shares these insights into herd dynamics. “Horses are social animals and live in family units called bands or herds. They seek companionship and establish social order within these units to ensure the safety of their family. Aggressive helicopter roundups abruptly fracture and forever break down the entire family structure of wild equines.
“If there is ever a threat to the herd, the lead and lieutenant stallions work together strategically. The lead stallion gathers the band to move them away from danger. The lieutenant stays behind to face the threat. Witnesses have seen lieutenant stallions bravely turn around and confront the helicopter while the lead stallion moves the band to a safe location.”
“Thor, a 14-year-old McCullough peaks stallion, lost most of his family, 39 herd mates, in a recent herd gather of the McCullough Peaks HMA in March 2024. Another stallion killed Thor in a brutal fight several days after the gather in April while he was trying to regain a small band. We can all understand the devastating impact of the loss of family members. Loss of family devastates the herd dynamics. This online petition shows our support to stop the Northlander HMA roundup starting July 1st, so these losses do not continue to occur.”
In a few weeks, authorities will remove many of the North Lander horses from their homelands. With less than thirty days left for these horses to live free and safe in their natural state, the online protest organizers seek to draw attention to the horses. They want to make sure that the wild equine will not be taken away silently and unnoticed by the public.
The North Lander complex encompasses over 375,000 acres. The Bureau of Land Management’s published plan is to roundup 2806 horses. It states 2766 horses will be permanently removed. The few horses returned to the range, 40, will undergo population control procedures. The official BLM planning document states they will use the following methods:
• Geld/vasectomize a high percentage (up to 95% or more) of captured stallions returning to the range.
• Use flexible Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) for wild horses on open (not pregnant) mares returning to the range.
• Use GonaCon-Equine vaccine on all mares returning to the range including mares receiving an IUD.
• Implement a 60:40 male:female sex ratio.
These methods are controversial. Many consider field application medically unsafe.
Life in the wild is not always easy for the wild horses, but they live free the way nature created them. In 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the Free Roaming Wild Horses and Burros Act, ensuring their protection. The bill passed with unanimous support in both the House and the Senate. Since that time, the Wild Horse and Burro Program has become a controversial and costly taxpayer funded program because of the removal of wild equine from lands previously set aside for them by Congress.
The Save America’s Native Equine Campaign (SANE Campaign) asked Brown two questions when preparing the online event. They were “if you could speak with anyone, who would it be and what would you say to them?”
Brown said, “Wild horses and the people who care about them need help from someone who is not part of the D.C. swamp. Someone who can’t be bought. Bill Gates, Elon Musk. I would explain I believe there is a lack of truth and transparency involved in this program that benefits public land use industries. I would talk about how people trying to help the horses and burros with data and science based facts get run over by spin machines.”
Large industries and special interest groups that use public lands for oil, gas and mineral extraction and livestock grazing support the removal of wild equine.
The public can express their disapproval of the Department of Interior’s policy of removing wild horses and burros from public lands in this online protest. An Action link is provided. Velma Bronn Johnston, known to many as Wild Horse Annie, changed the course of history for wild herds without having the benefit of social media. Organized citizens working together can help change the conversation about wild horse and burro removals again. Managing wild herds on the range is a more fiscally responsible option for the use of taxpayer funds. In the words of Jim Brown, “Keep Them Free”.
The public is invited to take action with this simple one-click action link.
https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/promo/5vi
This online protest will remain active during and after the North Lander removals to give citizens a way to object to the official policy of wild horse and burro roundups.
American Equine Awareness and 5900 Club provided this news piece.
North Lander captions and photos provided by Jim Brown.
5900 Club and American Equine Awareness Partnership Project
Save America’s Native Equine Campaign
+1 770-870-7589
email us here
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