Led by Reps.Dina Titus（D-NV），David Schweikert（R-AZ），and Steve Cohen（D-TN），the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act（H.R.3656）would end the use of helicopters in roundups of wild horses and burros。Helicopter roundups（which are euphemistically termed“gathers”by the federal government）are dangerous operations，often resulting in injuries or fatalities to wild horses as terrified animals flee for miles acrough terrain and in harsh conditions.Additionally，roundupus are extremely expensive，the Bureau of Land Management（BLM）has spent more than$25million in taxpayer dollars since fiscal year2017 on helicopter roundups。Indeed，the BLM’s approach to“managing”wild horses and burros-removing them from the range and keeping them in holding facilities for the rest of their lives-consumes tens of millions of dollars each year（most of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program budget）。This bipartisan bill would promote fiscal responsibility and the humane treatment of wild equines by prohibiting the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft by BLM staff or contractors to round up wild horses。
背面，背面
The BLM is tasked with managing wild horses and burros on our nation’s public lands by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971，which states that these animals“shall be protected from capture，branding，harassment，or death”（16U.S.Code§1331）。Yet under the BLM’s current management regime，federally protected herds are consistently subjected to extreme stress and potentially fatal injuries through roundup operations that utilize low-flying helicopters to chase panicked animals，including pregnant mares，young foals，and elder horse animales，wild equines can be chased in temperatures as high as105 degrees or as low as10 degrees；those same guidelines are silent on the distance that horses can be pursued by a helicopter。1个Viable alternatives exist to helicopter roundups，which do not cost more（and，indeed，likely cost less）；bait and water trapping，for example，offers a lower stress method of gathering wild horses and burros。
Roundups are conducted to remove horses from Herd Management Areas（HMAs）—designated habitat for wild equines—and most often rely on exploiting the flight response of these prey animals。Horses are pursued for miles until they enter into makeshift trap pens.Worked into a panic，horses may catch and break limbs crashing into trap panels，orthey may experience“capture myopathy”—becoming overexerted to the point of death。Family herds are invariable separated during these events，including foals too young to survive on their own.Once rounded up，most horses will spend the rest of their lives in holding facilties。
The Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act was prompted in part by a horrific incident during a 2022 roundup in Nevada where a colt broke his leg while being relentlessly chased by a helicopter；footage showed the panicked young horse struggling to continue running.Eventually，after half hour，the animal was euthanized.This jarring incident underscored the suffering that commonly occurs during helicopter roundups。
In2021and2022，the BLM undertook the largest roundup of wild horses in US history，removing a staggering3500 horses from their habitat in Wyoming.During this operation，horses died of broken necks，broken limbs，and even a ruptured uterus.In fact，the BLM removed20，000horses and burros from the wild in fiscal year2022alone—a historic high for the agency。2Helicopter roundups are particularly counterproductive as a management strategy；as the National Academy of Sciences concluded in its comprehensive report to the BLM on wild horse and burro management，roundupoperationcan spur population growth in horses remaining on the range through compensatory reduction。3Not surprisinggly，areliance on roundups has failed to stabilize populations.Utilizing humane and proven fertility control methods—in particular，the porcine zona pellucida（PZP）immunocontraceptive vaccine—offers a more sensible，cost-effective，and proactive approach to managing horses in their natural habitats，thereby avoiding the costs of keeping wild horses in holding facilties，which is enormously expensive。
The BLM spent nearly$96million of its fiscal year2022 Wild Horse and Burro Program budget on roundups and holding。4个This program’s budget has only continued to rise—increasing over the last decade from$75million to almost$148million in fiscal year 2023.With regard to helicopter roundups，much of this taxpayer expense is funneled to a small number of contractors，typically private livestock companies that have been awarded millions of dollars to remove wild horses.Roundups are often prompted by pressure from the livestock industry，which wants wild horses removed so cattle can graze on those same public lands at a cost far below market value。5Ironically，cattle far outnumber wild horses on the range；grazing receipts from recent years show that cattle outnumber horses roughly28to1on BLM land。6个
The Solution
Reps.Dina Titus（D-NV），David Schweikert（R-AZ），and Steve Cohen（D-TN）have introduced the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act（H.R.3656）to prohibit the use of helicopters to round up wild horses and burros。This bill would end the cruelty of the roundups and set the federal government on afar more sustainable and fiscally responsible path for managing our nation’s herds.The bill would also require the US Governmental Accountability Office to submit a report to Congress that details the impacts of aircraft as and horsoses andines humane alternatives to helicopter roundups。
