Last Updated on September 2, 2023 by Teri Rehkopf
Native species American wild horses have been the source of income for many so-called wild horse nonprofits who have accomplished very little over the past 30 years.
The situation on the ground with wild horses is intolerable and is the indisputable evidence that supports the foregoing statement, and anyone who argues it’s an ‘unfair statement’, is not acknowledging facts and being objective.
The Orgs that have been around for decades have gotten FAT off the plight of wild horses, paying themselves huge salaries, and now American wild horses are circling the drain.
Acknowledging what hasn’t worked is the first step in moving towards finding success in ANY project/process.
We already have over 68,000 genetically molested (sterilized) wild horses stored in off-range government holding facilities where they barely survive until they die, having had no offspring to continue their genetic lines, costing taxpayers over $250 million/year.
Soon, as roundups continue, that horrifying number will increase. And as bad as that confinement is, other wild horses are heading to a gruesome death via slaughter.
Make no mistake, the BLM will reduce free-roaming wild horse herds down to a national total of around 20,000 horses (total in America), and making matters WORSE, is that those approx. 20,000 horses will be segmented into herds of 100 horses or less, which guarantees inbreeding and genetic devolution (genetic failure).
The BLM’s own Wild Horse and Burro Management Handbook says (page 22) that maintaining genetic diversity is important, and in order to do that, herd size (AML) must be between 150-200 horses in a herd on the LOW end; more is better.
And that number (150-200) only applies if a ‘stud book’ is maintained, which the BLM does not use. Shockingly, many Herd Management Areas have AMLs below 100 horses, some below 50!
But wait, it even gets worse!
Those tiny genetically substandard herds (AMLs of 100 horses or less) will also be treated with sterilizing chemicals like PZP & GonaCon using the nice-sounding terminology ‘Fertility Control’. Nonprofits like American Wild Horse Campaign are helping the BLM eliminate genetically vibrant herds of wild horses via their promotion of the highly unnatural sterilization of wild horses using PZP, and using a trick from the BLM’s own playbook by calling their genetic molestation of wild horses ‘Fertility Control’. The BLM plays the same game calling their draconian roundups ‘gathers’.
These agencies and even some so-called wild horse nonprofit advocacy groups are guilty of profiteering off wild horses, and/or are willfully ignorant of the damaging effects of PZP and GonaCon.
Failure Metrics:
- *Over $100 million in donation dollars have been spent over the past decades – to no avail
- *Millions of letters and emails have been sent to politicians and the BLM & USFS – to no avail
- *Petitions with over 200,000 signatures have been sent to Congress and the White House, to no avail
- *Singers, movie stars, and other celebrities by the score have paraded & pleaded, to no avail
- *Dozens of documentaries have been made and shown – to no avail
- *Fake solutions (‘Fertility Control via ‘PZP’) promoted by profiting nonprofits have NOT stopped roundups
- *New nonprofit Orgs with the same tried and failed ideas come and go – to no avail
- *No shortage of good-hearted people trying to help, but sadly – to no avail.
Most advocates fail to understand these realities:
- *There are finite water and forage resources on public lands.
- *Commercial herbivores (cattle, sheep, deer, elk) all have massive economic support (hunting and consumer demands for livestock products)
- *A sterilized horse still requires water and forage, and therefore is competing with the expanding livestock grazing industry.
- *It’s a FACT that using ‘Fertility Control’, aka ‘PZP’ and GonaCon, doesn’t stop roundups for this simple reason. It doesn’t change resource consumption. A sterilized horse still eats and drinks the same amount.
- *Ending the life cycles of wild horses with Fertility Control interferes with the natural balance and their genetics.
So why waste tens of millions in taxpayer dollars sterilizing wild horses?
Fertility Control is a FAKE SOLUTION that financially benefits the promoters of PZP and harms the sustainable conservation of American wild horses by failing to preserve their genetic vigor. Added to that are the extraction industries who don’t want any native species issues holding back their public land uses. It’s not JUST the livestock industry that we are dealing with; it’s the huge corporations that are supporting and monetizing the ranchers and extraction industries: Monsanto, Bayer, John Deere, Cargill, Black Rock, and many more!
These mega-corps control what politicians say and do, or don’t say or do. Their massive campaign contributions (to both parties) have them owning politicians. And in turn, politicians give the marching orders to the BLM and USFS.
End result: wild horses are quickly nearing genetic extinction, and sadly, some Orgs and people don’t even understand why, and what the implications of genetic extinction are.
The combination of low AMLs (genetically inadequate herd sizes), combined with ignorant people and Orgs shooting wild horses with genetic poisons like PZP and GonaCon and calling it ‘Fertility Control’ (same word trick the BLM uses calling roundups ‘gathers’), have reduced the numbers of genetically intact wild horses to an alarming low number.
if you really want to SAVE American wild horses, you can accomplish that by learning about and supporting Wild Horse Fire Brigade.
Wild Horse Fire Brigade has already rewilded over 75 wild horses into its local herd pilot program. These mustangs were in the kill-auctions marked for death and headed to the pet-food factory in Mexico!
Wild Horse Fire Brigade is working in cooperation with a team of devoted advocates who understand the foregoing and who are helping our Org as boots on the ground at the kill auctions. This is just the beginning; our plan is scalable and can rewild tens of thousands of wild horses, as well as relocate wild horses that are at risk for being rounded up and separated from their families and genetically molested.
Watch these heart-warming videos of some wild horses getting back what was stolen from them: their freedom! They, and dozens others, are now living naturally, wild, and free in a beautiful wilderness area with a balanced ecosystem, where there is no competition with livestock and extraction industries.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds_pQw_A2yk
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzSAGWgnG0o
Wild Horse Fire Brigade has a real board of directors, and a diverse team of highly experienced people on our Advisory Board. Wild Horse Fire Brigade is nationally recognized for its proven, out-of-the-box solution that has already saved an entire herd of wild horses, has helped to stop a catastrophic wildfire!
Wild Horse Fire Brigade is a California registered 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit organization. Contributions to WHFB are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. WHFBs tax identification number is 26-4567698.
You can donate online via PayPal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=E5WT67QR5H6X8.
Please visit www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org for more information.