Citizens to march in Rock Springs to protest BLM's wild horse roundups

On Monday, July 22, concerned citizens and activists will gather at the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility and march down the road to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Office to protest the ongoing wild horse roundups and the substantial taxpayer dollars being spent on these removal operations, often with government-contracted helicopters, and each ending with deaths and injuries to the animals. 

The protest will call for an immediate halt to these practices, advocating for Wild Horses to be respected as a Keystone Species who contribute an important ecological role to public lands across the American West.

“These removals are barbaric, with needless deaths and injuries to the animals and are based on the false premise that wild horses damage the land. The BLM is clearing out the horses, yet they never pull back the livestock and mining permits that they lease public lands for a pittance,” said Jackie Oliveri, one of the event organizers.

This protest comes on the heels of the Northlander Roundup that as of July 13, has taken the freedom of 1,924 horses, with 10 deaths, and 3 of those deaths were foals.

Protesters will meet to assemble at 11 a.m. at the Viewing Kiosk overlooking the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility and step off at noon to march up the road about 1/4 mile to the Rock Springs Bureau of Land Management Field Office located at 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, WY 82901-3447.

There will be opportunities to interview organizers, participants, and experts on the issue of wild horse roundups and public spending.

For further information, please contact: 

 — Gail Bumsted, a co-founder of Advocates for Wild Equines (AWE) 717-320 -8035; nofurgb@gmail.com