Roundup Season Begins (Buffalo Hills)

By Laura Leigh on June 27, 2022

Helicopter roundup season begins again July 1. Buffalo Hill HMA will be the first hit on a schedule that targets 8072 for permanent removal through the end of the fiscal year (October 1). This number does not include any intended to be released with fertility control, just those intended to be permanently removed. This number does not include any additional emergency operations the agency may add to the schedule.

The Buffalo Hill HMA is an area that encompasses approximately 131,861 acres. The HMA sits off the Southeast corner of the Twin Peaks HMA that will be hit later this month in an operation expected to last into mid-September.

BLM plans to capture 383 wild horses and release 30 mares back into the HMA after treating them with a hormonal fertility control vaccine, GonaCon. (more info HERE)

This area has no underlying Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) that defines safe operating times for capture. July is actual foaling season in much of West for wild horses.

Our team will be on the ground continuing our battle for humane treatment. When we began that battle there was no Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy (CAWP) at all, no internal assessments the public could access. Only through relentless litigation were we able to gain a policy the agency now includes in NEPA and contracts. Both the policy and assessment process are flawed. Our work continues to push back against inadequate measures to ensure the safety of wild horses and burros.

The fight to protect our wild ones begins long before a chopper flies. WHE carries multiple active cases, like the most recent filing with our partner WildLands Defense, against inadequate protections and fair allocations of resources.

You can also check out our recent case to protect wild horses at Jackson Mountain from mass removal and sterilization HERE.

CLICK HERE: You can take action today to help halt the choppers by supporting HR 6635.