Our work at WHE is focused on wild horses and burros under the jurisdictions outlined under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. As our welfare teams are out focused on helicopter roundups under the FY 2025 schedule that have focused on wild horses, we wanted to spotlight burros.

Litigation:

We have filed litigation for the largest burro herds left in the U.S. at Big Sandy, Alamo, and Lake Havasu (also known as the Three Rivers Complex) in Arizona. This area represents a population of burros that could be a showcase for a genetically viable and thriving population and is instead being targeted for mass removal and experimentation using the hormonal substance GonaCon (without ever crating an HMAP and disclosing how BLM arrived at the numbers they set on the range and fails to address serious safety issues). BLM has recently put the first leg of this ten-year gather plan on the schedule and will target over 1100 burros for removal and experimentation through a bait trap operation where the public will be entirely excluded from monitoring. We are fighting this plan from “A to Z.”

We recently won a court ruling that demonstrates that BLM illegally withheld management planning at Blue Wing Complex in NV. This massive complex includes over 2 million acres and contains as many acres removed for horse and burro use as it has “actively managed.” The burros in this complex contain extremely rare genetics (on a worldwide scale) and our team is preparing to continue litigation to ensure any management plan contains a distinct plan that protects these unique burros for generations to come.

Investigations:

Our ongoing investigation into death rates of burros during capture and in holding has begun to reveal a shocking reality. We gave you a glimpse as we released statistics received from our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) team where the death rate of burros had risen to 13.8% in just the first 6 weeks post capture in one BLM “off-limits to the public” facility.

The following piece is submitted by WHE burro specialist Laurie Ford as she analyzes new FOIAs.

Based on the BLM’s experience with past gather operations, impacts to individual animals may occur as a result of handling stress associated with the gathering, processing, and transportation of animals. This statement is used by BLM in various forms in operating procedures and assessments. But BLM does no actual assessment.

This statement acknowledges the connection between stress and gathers that they are, indeed, related. It is an admission that gather operations “have a strong effect on” individual animals and can “bring on” or “cause to happen”  both illness and death. Yet, the BLM refuses to consider capture stress as a manner of death – the determination of how the injury or disease leads to death – or include the numbers when discussing gather-related mortality. They prefer to use the terms “unexpected, unknown or simply undiagnosed.”

For a long time, the BLM has been fully aware that gathers, and concurrent gather related events, increase stress levels in burros (even more than in horses).

Because burro physiology makes them more prone to fatty liver and subsequent multi organ failure the threat of capture stress to their health is even greater. Additionally, stress increases Cortisol, which manages the body’s metabolism and further contributes to the development of hyperlipidemia – the largest killer of female burros.

Hyperlipidemia – a severe and deadly metabolic disorder – is triggered by stress and amplified by transport, management and environment changes, separation anxiety, dietary insufficiency, pregnancy and pain. The resulting excessive mobilization of fat into the bloodstream can happen quickly and lead to organ failure and death in less than 10 days. Pregnant jennies are at the most risk – especially those in late pregnancy due to the high energy demands.

During, and shortly afterwards, 10% of the adult burros from the 2024 Blue Wing roundup died including 15.64% of the jennies captured. In almost 12% the manner of death was listed as “acute or unexpected” and the cause identified as Hyperlipidemia.

13.11% of the jennies sent to Indian Lakes, and 10.46% of those sent to Axtell, had Hyperlipidemia listed as the cause of death.

5.46% of jacks captured during the roundup also died. 4 of the 6 jacks that were sent to Indian Lakes died – 66.66%.

Necropsies that have been provided with FOIA requests reveal healthy, pregnant jennies who had recently suffered from reduced food intake or other stressors.

After capture, stressed burros often refuse to eat, or consume only minimal amounts of, the unnatural diet provided – often high protein alfalfa mixes that should not be fed to burros.  When they fail to eat enough the burro’s body responds by using its excessive fat stores to provide energy to the body and brain.  Pregnant or lactating jennies are most likely to develop hyperlipidemia due to high energy demands.

Gather-related mortality averages MUST include those deaths that are directly related to the stress induced by the entirety of the gather operation and the impacts to individual animals that may occur as a result of handling stress associated with the gathering, processing, and transportation of animals.

BLM will state that gather related deaths are 1-2% of the totals and claim that most deaths are due to pre-existing conditions.

But BLM fails to recognize forms of capture myopathy (like Hyperlipidemia) as a “gather related death.” These are clearly roundup related as the roundup is the triggering factor that would not exist if capture had not occurred. 

If BLM can remove themselves from their overly emotional response to attempts by advocates to gain an understanding in the agency that all our wild ones, but particularly burros, need BLM to address the fact that capture myopathy is a medical fact and these deaths are roundup related… maybe they can begin to fix the issue?

They need to start by recognizing these are roundup related deaths and include in statistics.

The average death rate from trap through the first six months is 12% for wild horses or 1 in 9.

After Blue Wing, 13.11% of the jennies sent to Indian Lakes, and 10.46% of those sent to Axtell, had Hyperlipidemia listed as the cause of death.

After the 2022 Sinbad roundup 20.89% of jennies died after capture. That number translates as more than 1 in 5 died. 

The serious danger presented by capturing burros (through any method) is part of what we are addressing in court. If BLM would create management plans to better distribute burros throughout their ranges through range improvement like water (and simply create a driving loop for tourists to keep burros from going to roads for handouts) we could keep burros on the range. The number of animals that die on the range is so minimal BLM does not account for deaths when they calculate population growth rates. Death during and after capture has become the number 1 killer of wild horses and burros in our country.

We need to do better as a nation then perpetuating the mistakes of the past.

Our wild horses and burros need some protection as we move forward into the next round from broad threats that are coming that place them and their habitat in grave danger.

We need Congress to take action NOW. We need YOUR help.

Click HERE to send your letter directly to your representatives

End of year funding is critical to keep our team in the field reporting to you and all of the other work we do like investigations and litigation. Without your support, none of our work is possible. Thank you!

WHE has a 10K match challenge through Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Help us raise the funds to unlock this critical match!

Several of you have asked if WHE has a calendar. We have three designs, one brand new for 2025, that you can choose from in our Zazzle storefront HERE. They are now 25% off with code: BLKFRIDEAL08 All sale proceeds support our work.