You have a voice. Now is the time to use it.

The Blue Wing Complex, located in Pershing County, was once home to hundreds of wild horses and burros. But recent roundups have decimated herds, and our teams can no longer find a single burro in Porter Springs, a historic burro habitat now dominated by cattle.

The impacts of roundups are felt far after the helicopters land. A 2023 FOIA, filed by AWHC, revealed that 31 of 45 burros rounded up from this area died from hyperlipidemia in a Utah holding facility. Others bled to death during gelding procedures. Burros are hardy but highly sensitive animals and this mismanagement is costing lives.

To make matters worse, during last year’s roundup, a government contractor caught on camera punching and kicking a collapsed wild horse. Despite the violence, the agency rated the roundup “excellent” and reassigned the abuser without penalty.

This is unacceptable.

We urge the BLM to take the following actions in the final plan:

• Flip the model: Prioritize humane, proven fertility control over roundups.

• End helicopter cruelty: Phase out helicopter roundups within 5 years and immediately require cameras on all helicopters and wranglers to ensure accountability during the phase out.

• Acknowledge ecological benefits: Recognize the important role wild horses and burros play in promoting biodiversity, reducing fire risk, and supporting healthy habitats.

• Reassess holding strategy: Evaluate the cost and welfare risks of warehousing more wild horses and burros in off-range facilities.

• Modernize management standards: Update Appropriate Management Levels (AMLs) to reflect current range science.

• Re-evaluate land use: Re-designate eligible Herd Areas as Herd Management Areas and return wild equids to the range.

 Your comment can influence this plan, submit your comment before the deadline of June 4th, 2025!

Don’t let more animals suffer under an outdated and inhumane system. Demand a future where wild horses and burros remain free, wild, and on the range where they belong.