Paint burros captured by BLM. We do not know if one of these burros is the one that died on the semi-truck during shipment to the off-limits to viewing facility in Fallon.

On July 13, BLM reported two more heat related deaths:

“5-year-old, Gray jenny died due to Colic. 2-year-old, Pinto jenny found deceased on truck upon arrival at Indian Lakes Off-Range Corrals.”

On July 9, BLM reported another apparent heat related death:

“15-year-old, Gray jenny found deceased on trailer upon arrival at temporary holding.”

From July 8 until July 13, eight burros have died and two wild horses have died. The reasons for euthanasia range from acute broken legs to things like having club foot or arthritis. 

One of the rarest deaths BLM reports during roundups is a dead horse or burro during transport. With Heat Indexes climbing year-after-year, we expect this type of death to become more common.

Heat Index in gold. Temperature in red.

The area of the roundup north of Lovelock, NV, has not left the heat index warning zone for more than a few hours each day since this roundup began. The heat bubble is expected to finally break today lowering temperatures out of record breaking highs, but not out of health warning zones.

BLM refused to suspend this operation or at least postpone until record breaking temperatures subsided and began as scheduled on July 8.

“We cannot imagine the suffering these burros went through as they became disoriented, lost control of body functions and died. All because BLM simply refuses to set heat limits that coincide with current veterinary standards. Death and illness from heat stress continues for months and horses and burros sent into holding facilities will continue to suffer. This was entirely preventable. That BLM chose to move forward is shameful.” ~ Wild Horse Education volunteer animal welfare team.

At Porter Spring after the operation on 7/13, the cows were seen continuing to lounge in the area with no burros at the waters.

BLM has said they are done with the burro portion of the roundup but are back in this area again. BLM has reported they removed 360 Wild Burros (186 Jacks, 152 Jennies, and 22 Foals) so far. In the entire 2.2 million acre complex, BLM said they will leave around 100 burros. We will be requesting a post-roundup flyover and that BLM release the raw data (Many other states are using infrared to do their census data that does not require BLM to use additions added through an inaccurate computer model not even designed to address burros at all. We will be requesting BLM NV start using infrared like other states.)

BLM has never shown that removal of wild horses and burros reaches any assertion of “Thriving Natural Ecological Balance.” At Blue Wing, the water hole burros frequented is still being pounded by domestic livestock.

The only burro near Porter Springs as we checked today

Burros are not horses. Burros are actually more susceptible to capture stress and illness and death, not less as BLM asserts.

At the last roundup in this are 45 burros died, the majority from a capture related illness called “hyperlipemia” once they arrived at the holding facility hidden from public view.

Danger from heat does not end with capture, it extends into facilities that offer no shade or shelter. On top of capture stress, the stress and impacts from the heat continue after capture (more HERE).

We are anxiously awaiting for a court ruling at Blue Wing. The case filed during the last roundup in 2022 has been fully briefed and we hope the courts afford some protection to the horses and burros that are being short-changed on the range and callously treated during capture. wBLM has, once again, engaged in hiding all handling of wild horses and burros from staging observation over 2 miles away and behind hills, not allowing any visits into the holding corrals and shipping animals to off-limits facilities.

You can see the cumulative team updates HERE from North Lander in Wyoming.

You can see team updates from Blue Wing in Nevada, HERE.

Please make a call. Our wild ones desperately need an enforceable welfare policy that is crafted with transparency, public participation and complies with current welfare standards for equines.

The phone number for Congress is: (202) 224-3121. You should put it in your speed dial. Call the number tell the operator who your representative is (or where you live if you do not know) and you will be connected to an aide in the office. Ask to register your concerns and request. Ask that an amendment to the funding bill for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program be crafted to simply create a line item for funding for “Rulemaking to create an enforceable welfare policy.”

Thank you for keeping WHE on the frontline in the fight to protect and preserve our treasured wild ones!