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DATE: January 26, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALLIANCE OF WILD HORSE ADVOCATES URGES AMERICANS TO SUPPORT BILL REVERSING SLAUGHTER OF WILD HORSES AND BURROSReno, NV - The Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates, a nationwide organization comprised of wild horse groups with thousands of members, called upon citizens across the land to write their legislators immediately to support Bill H.R. 297 which reverses the death by slaughterhouse sentence aimed at thousands of America's wild horses and burros rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management and now languishing in federal holding facilities around the country. Legislation introduced Tuesday by Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) would stop the impending sale and slaughter of thousands of wild free-roaming horses and burros which have been removed from public lands in mass numbers to clear the range for cattle. The removal policy has escalated ferociously under the Bush administration and has been largely ignored by the mainstream media. Rahall is the ranking Democrat on the House Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over wild horse policy on federal lands. "The future of our country's wild horses and burros is in the hands of our elected leaders in Congress. Americans everywhere must let them know they support this bill. It puts the language back into the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act as it once was and gives protection back to the wild horses and burros," said Karen Sussman, chairperson of the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates. "Wild horses and burros are the great symbol of our country and represent the freedom we so cherish. They must be protected from slaughter forever. This bill is the answer to our prayers," said Sussman. Protections were stripped away less than three months ago when Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) inserted a stealth rider into a federal appropriations bill that authorized sending thousands of wild horses and burros to slaughter. This was done quietly and quickly, without public comment or knowledge, in order to circumvent 34 years of federal protection for wild horses and burros. The Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates, comprised of over 40 wild horse and burro advocacy groups from dozens of states, formed in December to stop the slaughter and let the American people know about the government's current policy towards wild horses and burros. "We commend Senator Rahall for introducing this bill. He has taken an important step in the history of our country because, if this law is not changed, America could lose its wild horses forever. We will not allow our wild horses to be slaughtered so they can be served for dinner in France, or anywhere," said Willis Lamm, Logistics Coordinator for the Alliance. The 1971 Act was passed unanimously by Congress, thanks to the efforts of one intrepid Nevada woman, Wild Horse Annie, who worked for years to secure federal protection for wild horses and burros. The Act was signed into law by Richard Nixon, after winning support from millions of men, women and children nationwide. At that time, it received the most amount of mail in congressional history, second only to the Vietnam War. The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act decreed that horses and burros on our public lands are "living symbols of the historic and pioneer West." In a press release issued Tuesday, Rahall said, "The current slaughter policy does not acknowledge the fact that humane alternatives exist and federal agencies have the authority to carry out such actions such as adoption, sterilization, relocation, and placement with qualified individuals and organizations. To suggest that an acceptable solution to a federal agency's management dilemma is commercial slaughter is an irresponsible approach to our public lands and the wildlife that roam them." Under the guise of "managing" these living symbols of the American West, the Bureau of Land Management is now permitted to allow the slaughter of animals that they had been legally obligated to protect.
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