Wild Horse & Burro Rescue & Sanctuary Mission

ALERT: Thousands of wild horses’ and burros’ lives and the future of America’s free-roaming wild horses and burros are under immediate threat of destruction.   

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have accelerated their violent roundups and their intended removal of the last wild horses and burros from America’s public lands.

Time is Running Out

At the turn of the 20th century there were over 2 million wild horses and burros on America's public lands. However, according to the BLM’s own 2020-2021 estimate, the actual number of wild horses and burros on the open range has drastically declined by more than 96%.  Truth be known, this drastic decline was caused by The BLM, which is the same government agency that is charged by Congress to protect America’s wild horses and burros. In fact, according to the BLM’s most recent submitted report to Congress, BLM 2020 WHB Report, the BLM fully intends to severely diminish their natural presence in the wild to less than 98%.

As revealed by the BLM 2020 WHB Report, the BLM is complicit in their methodical plan of genocidal intent to wipe out the last 1.3% of America’s precious wild horses and burros through escalated violent roundups and permanent sterilization. (It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happens when you sterilize the last 1.3% of any population.)

It’s a modern day “Trail of Tears” for America’s horses and burros which are being zeroed out from their native lands. We as native people honor this sacred relative; horses are as much a part of the land as we are; their future is our future.

Need-to-Know facts about the use PZP on free-roaming wild horses and burros

The off-label use of pesticides (aka PZP) is widely accepted for use by wild horse advocates to suppress fertility in captive Mustangs in nonbreeding environments such as sanctuaries and preserves. However, the repeated use of these chemicals on equines in the wild could spell total disaster for wild equines due to the long-term adverse effects. As such, PZP (aka Spayvac) has come under fire by a growing number of concerned advocates. Evidence sited by critics shows the use of Spayvac and Gonacon on wild free roaming horses has been found to sterilize the mares and suppress their natural hormonal behaviors. Their fitness is altered, as is their ability to survive in the wild.

PZP is a pesticide-sterilant that was registered without toxicity-testing. It tricks the immune system into producing antibodies that cause ovarian dystrophy, autoimmune oophoritis, ovarian cysts, and premature ovarian failure. It causes out-of-season births, where foaling occurs nearly year-round rather than in the Spring. After just 3 consecutive treatments, return to fertility could take up to 8 years, if ever, and the if the first dose is given before puberty it can trigger sterility.

Some wild horse advocates are pushing for implementation of PZP fertility control to move away from BLM's cruel and costly helicopter roundups. However, the use of PZP on naturally living free roaming wild horses and burros may very well result in unintended consequences. Another words, if the last of America’s free-roaming wild horses and burros are repeatedly treated with PZP, their existence in the wild will be over.

About the Navajo Horses Rescue and Recovery Mission
This project serves to fill the essential needs for up to 20 rescued horses and burros in need for 1 year, and advocates for the protection and preservation horses and burros on Native and public lands.

The Wild For Life Foundation (WFLF) has been at the forefront of bringing the un-whitewashed truth to the public on the issue of horse slaughter and the protection of wild horses and burros in the wild.  In 2013, WFLF brought international attention to how the USDA and Forest Services threaten tribal leaders with the cancellation of grazing permits if they fail to remove wild horses from public lands. (Learn more)

When the dots are connected – the horses, the ranchers, the BLM, the USDA, FWS, Forestry, and the BIA, it’s clear that the central force driving the round ups is the BLM, a government agency under the Department of Interior. And with a look into how the BLM was set up and how they are governed... the records reflect that the BLM’s administrators are primarily ranchers governing from separate offices in each state which enables them to control the policies in which they are regulated.

Wild horse removals on the Navajo Nation were reportedly halted in 2020. Roughly 3000 equines were reportedly removed in 2018. 1500 were reportedly removed in 2019, and the last number reported as removed in 2020 was 600.

With a focus on the prevention of cruelty as the primary goal, WFLF strongly urges a strong and united voice for the protection of wild horses and burros from roundups, slaughter, and extinction. Supporting conservation measures that benefit the environment without harming our horses and burros is one sure way that people can make a compelling difference.

America’s wild horses and burros need you to act on their behalf; to help protect them from roundups, slaughter, and extinction, before it’s too late!

Please join us by making a difference and share this update with your friends. Your support matters and can help save lives today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

The Wild for Life Foundation’s (WFLF) Navajo Horse Rescue and Recovery Mission (NHRRM) is a lifesaving program which provides rescue and sanctuary services for wild horses and burros that have been saved from roundups, slaughter, and other forms of cruelty.