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Write
To Save The Wild Horses!
You can
write to your legislators to request that they support reinstating
protection for wild horses, and ensure that the management practices
are looked in to. In 1971, more people wrote to Congress
about wild horse protection than any other issue in US History
except for the Vietnam War. The herds were dwindling then-- and
sadly today wild equine numbers are half of what they were in '71.
Let them know that Americans still care about their wild horses
and don't want them being slaughtered and eaten, or herds culled
to levels too low to ensure long-term survival. Take a few minutes
to call, write, and email.
Go to CONGRESS.ORG to find your
legislators.
Tips:
Senators
should be asked to support S. 576, and representatives H.R. 297.
Additionally, ask your Rep. to support H.R. 503 if you are against
domestic horse slaughter.
Remember to EMAIL AND MAIL, because each letter
sent is counted as the opinion of 10 people! However, emails will
be received faster. Also fax & call.
Keep your letters nice-- don't insult, be polite, state facts, and
explain how you feel about the situation, and what you want them
to do about it.
Click
here to read facts & statistics to include in your letter.
People
to contact:
You'll find
a list at AWHP's
TAKE ACTION page.
Send
copies of your letters to the American
Wild Horse Protection Campaign, so they can forward them on
to legislators.
Sample
Letters:
Personal
letters will have the best effect, but here are 2 letters I've written
as an example to help you get started. There are more at AWHP's
TAKE ACTION page.
I use the example of Oatman, AZ. for how horses could provide income
to western states. I also like to point out that these are unique
horses, and once gone, will be gone forever. Without horses, our
country would not be what it is today, and the wild horses that
roam free are descendants of the horses that built our country.
Include some statistics and facts to back up your opinions. Also,
be sure to request a response.
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Dear ---:
“Look back
at our struggle for freedom,
trace our present day's strength to its source;
And you'll find that man's pathway to glory
is strewn with the bones of a horse.”
My name is -- and I am writing to request that you actively
support [put H.R. 297 and/or H.R. 503, OR S. 576] because
I believe that allowing America's wild horses and burros to
be slaughtered and eaten by foreigners is wrong. I also am
distressed by the fact that our horses are being mismanaged,
and I fear for their long-term survival.
Since 1971, when
the 'Wild Free-Roaming Horse And Burro Act' was passed unanimously
due to public outcry, the herds have been cut in half! The
Act was supposed to protect the endangered herds, but it has
failed miserably. Six states have lost their entire wild equine
populations.
The BLM is planning
to cut 70% of the herd areas down even farther, to numbers
too small to ensure that they will survive (minimum 200 head).
I was shocked when
I found out that 70% of the grazing resources on public lands
is done by livestock, which costs $130 million annually! Less
than 5% is grazed by wild equines. Private cattle outnumber
wild horses at least 100 to 1 on public lands-- yet they account
for less than 3% of the national beef supply! I don’
These horses could
be used as a source of income for Western states. People would
love to see the last of the real American mustangs in their
natural habitat, if they knew about them. For example, the
town of Oatman, Arizona thrives on its small wild burro population.
People come from all over the world just to see and photograph
the dozen wild burros that roam there.
I urge you to actively
support:
- A freeze on wild horse sales by the Bureau of Land Management
to allow for humane alternatives to be effectively considered
- Efforts to reinstate federal protection for our beloved
wild herds
- A moratorium on round-ups until actual numbers of wild horses
on public lands have been independently assessed
- A Congressional investigation into current wild horse management
practices and the undue influence of private cattle interests
over public land management
-A new plan that will allow for in-the-wild management instead
of roundups that leave tens of thousands of horses in holding
pens
I respectfully request a response from you addressing these
issues and stating what your intended action plan would be.
Thank you,
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| Dear:
--
I am writing to urge you to actively support:
- [put H.R. 297 and/or H.R. 503, OR S. 576]
which would protect our wild equines
- A freeze on wild horse sales by the Bureau of Land Management
to allow for humane alternatives to be effectively considered
- Efforts to reinstate federal protection for our beloved
wild herds
- A moratorium on round-ups until actual numbers of wild horses
on public lands have been independently assessed
- A Congressional investigation into current wild horse management
practices and the undue influence of private cattle interests
over public land management
-A new plan that will allow for in-the-wild management, to
reduce roundups that leave tens of thousands of horses in
holding pens
I feel outraged that the 1971 “Wild Free-Roaming Horse
and Burro Act” was sneakily amended by Senator Burns
to allow, against the public’s wishes, the slaughter
of thousands of wild horses.
I am very distressed that wild herds have dropped 50% since
‘71 when the Act was put in place to protect them, and
98% since the 1900’s.
I find it amazing that 70% of our land’s public resources
are grazed by livestock that cost over $130 million annually,
while wild horses keep being rounded up, even though they
account for less than 5% of the grazing on our lands. Private
cattle outnumber wild horses 100 to 1 on my public land--
and horses keep being removed. The BLM plans to reduce numbers
in 70% of the herd areas to levels too small to sustain genetic
diversity-- meaning our wild horses, descendants of the equines
that built our great country-- could be lost forever.
Oatman, Arizona is a tiny town that is famous
for their wild burros (it only exists because of them). People
come from all over the world to see and photograph the animals.
I believe that if we were to advertise our wild horses as
a tourist destination, people would come from all over to
see the real American mustangs roaming in their natural habitat.
Our wild equines are symbols of America’s freedom, and
the spirit of the West. Do not allow them to end up on foreign
dinner plates. I demand that you do all in your power to ensure
that our herds are properly managed and protected.
I respectfully request a response from you addressing these
issues and stating what your intended action plan would be.
Thank you,
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