In an effort to curb the U.S. government’s barbaric roundup of America’s remaining wild horses, 15 protesters occupied the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wyoming office and temporarily blocked the entrance to a nearby holding pen where the horses are held captive.

Activists block entrance to horse holding pen

Over a dozen law enforcement officials followed the activists throughout the day, but they did not intervene in an apparent effort to minimize media coverage which would call additional attention to the government roundups. Police were on hand, however, in case the protesters attempted to liberate the horses from the holding pen.

Holding Pen (photo: Elyse Gardner)

The protesters – all women – drove up to six hours from neighboring states to participate in the acts of civil disobedience. When the activists entered the BLM offices, staff members in the lobby “scurried away,” according to Edita Birnkrant, Friends of Animals’ Campaigns Director who organized the protest. As expected, BLM representatives refused to meet with the activists, who used a megaphone to chant, “Stop the roundup. Stop the pain. BLM is to blame.”

The protest made front page news in the local paper.

The Rocket Miner newspaper

Only 1,900 wild horses remain in Wyoming. During the current roundup period, BLM is capturing and removing 800 of them on behalf of powerful cattle ranchers who want the public lands to themselves for grazing. The BLM intends to continue the roundups until the herds reach an “appropriate management level.”

Please ask U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to list North American wild horses on public lands as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This designation represents their best hope for the survival.

With the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) chasing and trapping horses on public lands and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refusing to intervene, activists with Friends of Animals (FOA) will, on Monday, engage in civil disobedience to disrupt, protest and raise awareness of the government’s reckless roundup of America’s wild horses. The direct action will take place at a location in Rock Springs, Wyoming being disclosed only the media.

Edita Birnkrant, Friends of Animals

During the most recent roundup in Wyoming, the BLM kidnapped 179 horses, tearing apart families and killing three horses in the process. The government is clearing the land of horses on behalf of cattle ranchers, who covet the public land for grazing.

In addition to engaging in civil disobedience, FOA plans to sue the government for its failure to list the quickly vanishing horses as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a designation that represents the best hope for their survival. Wild horses have already been exterminated in six states.

People who care about animals are especially sympathetic towards those who are abused and killed in the name of sport or entertainment. So, on the rare occasion when we see a tormented animal fighting back, it’s hard not to rejoice.

Our insatiable appetite for meat is killing America’s remaining wild horses, but passionate advocacy groups from around the country are moving mountains to protect those who remain.

For decades, the U.S. government’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been rounding up America’s horses because they graze on public land coveted by powerful cattle ranchers. The BLM uses “rangeland health” to justify the roundups, but the 30,000 some odd horses who remain pose no threat to the land compared to the millions of cows and sheep who graze on it.

photo: Catoor Livestock image

From freedom to captivity (photo: Elyse Gardner)

America was built on the backs of horses. They are a national treasure, and we must do everything in our power to protect the few who remain. Please take action today.

The British hunter who trampled a protester with his horse her has been arrested. According to the Hunt Saboteur’s Association, the victim had seven broken ribs and a possible collapsed lung. The “master” of the hunt, Mike Felton, said, “We deeply regret any accident or incident that happens to anyone who is hurt.” Clearly, his remorse about “anyone” being hurt is reserved for humans – not for the foxes who are torn to pieces by hounds during their illegal hunt.

Photo: Mail Online

Hunting with hounds was outlawed in the U.K. in 2005, but it carries on due to lack of enforcement. As a result, activists continue to sabotage the hunt to protect the animals, often wearing masks to hide their identities from the notoriously violent hunters. Please thank and support these activists who risk their safety and freedom to protect wild animals from their killers.