Saving Wild Mustangs and Burros

It is not an exaggeration to say that the current federal administration is effectively engaging in a form of genocide on our public lands by eradicating wild mustangs and burros to make space for increased cattle grazing, mining, and recreational activities. In 2026 alone, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to remove over 14,000 of these animals from public lands in the West. Many of them are likely to be shipped to slaughter in Mexico due to a loophole in the BLM's policy—known as Sale Authority.

The government awards multi-million-dollar contracts each year to businesses for "gathering" horses and burros, which involves chasing them over long distances using low-flying helicopters. These herds—families of stallions, mares, and foals that have lived together for decades—are literally run to exhaustion, often in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, before being trapped for processing. Tragically, some animals die during this process, which the government often downplays to present a more palatable narrative to the media.

President Richard Nixon protected mustangs by signing the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act into law on December 18, 1971. The landmark legislation protected these animals from capture, branding, harassment, or death, declaring them "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West". In his signing statement, President Nixon famously remarked that wild horses "merit man's protection... as a matter of ecological right".

In fact, wild mustangs and burros play an important role in our ecosystems, including:

• Vegetation Management: These animals graze on grasses and shrubs, helping to control plant growth. This grazing prevents overgrowth that can lead to wildfires and promotes a diverse plant community.

• Seed Dispersal: As they move across large areas, mustangs and burros spread seeds through their manure. This natural seed dispersal supports plant regeneration and biodiversity.

• Soil Health: Their hooves break up the soil surface, which can improve water infiltration and reduce erosion. This action helps maintain healthy soil structures necessary for plant life.

• Wildlife Habitat: By shaping the vegetation, these animals indirectly support other wildlife species that depend on open spaces and diverse plant life for food and shelter.

Regardless of their ecological importance, they are being systematically removed altogether or left at levels too low to be genetically sustainable. In other words, they'll die off, and populations will be zeroed out. In someone's world, that's a cleaner way to eradicate mustangs and burros from their homes.

Habitat loss due to expansion of agriculture, development, and mining, along with competition for resources, including livestock grazing and human activities, creates unbalanced competition for water and forage, leading to resource scarcity. To summarize: money talks, and cattlemen and mining lobbyists have the upper hand, especially under our current administration.

Protecting wild mustangs and burros benefits more than just these animals. Healthy populations indicate well-managed ecosystems that support a wide range of plants and animals. These ecosystems provide clean air and water, recreational opportunities, and cultural value.

By saving wild mustangs and burros, we also preserve a living connection to our natural heritage and the history of the American West. Their presence enriches landscapes and inspires people to value and protect wild places.

From living freely on open ranges to being held in pens or, worse, shipped to slaughter, these animals deserve better. We need to speak out against the BLM's eradication practices and demand public outrage to put an end to them—especially during an election year. Whether or not people outside the states where these roundups occur care about the well-being of these mustangs and burros is crucial. Unfortunately, too few in other states know anything about these roundups, or BLM spokespersons present "alternative facts" to the media. Out of sight, out of mind, it's an easy story to spin.

Over $100 million is budgeted to care for more than 60,000 previously wild mustangs in long-term holding pens, many of which are subcontracted to private landowners where public inspections are not possible. If you could see the condition of these horses rescued by legitimate sanctuaries, you would be shocked. It's obvious these horses, burros, and young foals born in the pens are not receiving adequate food, shelter, or medical care. The people involved in these operations seem indifferent to their welfare. Afterall, any care provided cuts into their profits.

Since it has been reported that money appropriated for our national parks has been redirected to pay for Trump's vanity projects in Washington, D.C. (ballroom, arc of Trump, etc.), I'd bet that $100 million is prime picking to be rerouted as well.

Where is the outrage? It should keep every caring person awake at night and demand change.

Contact your representative to pass this legislation!

The SAFE Act (Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act, H.R. 1661 and S. 775) is bipartisan federal legislation introduced in Congress to permanently ban the slaughter of horses and other equines for human consumption in the United States, as well as to prohibit exporting live horses abroad for slaughter.