Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act

When one thinks of a mustang they think of a majestic creature running free. Mane and tail blowing in the wind, these animals evoke a heart-pounding emotion. These animals represent a vital part of our American Heritage.

On December 15, 1971 the law was passed designed to protect them, the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (PL 92-195). The American public thought that they had protected this piece of our heritage and then thought no more about it. On January 6, 2003 rescue organizations across the country received notice that the State of Nevada was rounding up a group of horses, their fate was to be sent to slaughter if the groups did not act. The Nevada 980 Project was born. The Project was named for the estimated horses that were involved. The public wanted to know how and why these animals faced this fate.

Under the 1971 Act, Mustangs and Burros were protected as long as they remained in Herd Management Areas (HMA). If they strayed too far from the HMAs or if escaped or stray horses mixed with the herds, they lost all protection. They are then eligible to be rounded up and sold for slaughter or auctioned at a public auction where brokers for the slaughter houses could buy them instead of being adopted into loving homes. When the State of Nevada contacted the rescues they were attempting to do the right thing by allowing the groups to place the animals and to avoid the brokers. They also brought attention to the problem with the way the law is written. While, at the time of this writing, these horses will be safe; the next group may not be so lucky. These horses that the state rounds up are considered nuisances by property owners or are a threat to their own safety and the publics by roaming the highways. This petition seeks not to allow this to continue, but to provide for a safe and effective way to place these animals in homes and to prevent their destruction. ALL free-roaming horses should be protected under the same law that protects those that remain in the HMAs. Since most of the HMAs are in states that have open range laws, laws that require owners to fence OUT the animals rather than to confine them, the majority of animals collected are mustangs or burros. The law should be expanded to cover them when they roam to find food or water.

The rescues are willing to help place these animals and to monitor them to assure their health and safety. If the law could be expanded to include these animals the government would not bear the entire burden of these practices. Currently adopters through BLM pay a fee and the animals are tested and transported and held for long periods, then the BLM is required to provide the monitoring for these animals. The rescues could be used to help find homes for these animals and to help monitoring them. This would alleviate some of the costs to the government and provide better monitoring of the horses and burros that are adopted by the American public.

By signing this petition, you are asking the government to pass a law that will protect ALL WILD HORSES. Please write your state and federal agencies to discuss your opinions on this matter and to save a life. These majestic creatures are a part of our heritage and it is our job to protect them.