Survival of Wild Horses & Burros Threatened
Equestrian News Release
Current Legislation allows Sale for Slaughter
SHINGLETOWN, Calif., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine nearly 40,000 wild horses and burros roaming free on public lands throughout the U.S., as they have for hundreds of years. Now imagine thousands of these wild horses and burros being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for adoption, only to face a death sentence at a slaughterhouse. That's exactly what will happen if current legislation stands.
On December 8, 2004 President George W. Bush signed the 4,000-page 2005 spending bill, which ended 33 years of Federal protection for America's wild horses and burros. Spending bill and wild horses? What's the connection? Unbeknownst to the vast majority of U.S. citizens and most likely his colleagues on Capitol Hill, Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana) inserted into this spending bill a provision (Section 142) that removed from the Wild Free- Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 protective measures that would have prevented the wild horses and burros from being sold for slaughter. Protection of America's wild horses and burros was intended to be assured with the passage of the 1971 Act.
"How can a budget spending bill be allowed to literally gut a Federal law without full public disclosure and thoughtful debate," questions Dianne Nelson, Founder, Wild Horse Sanctuary. "Such a travesty must be challenged by the American people," declared Nelson.
Fortunately, there are members of Congress that have the wisdom to right a wrong. On January 15, U.S. Representatives Nick J. Rahall (D-West Virginia) and Ed Whitfield (D-Kentucky) introduced legislation (H.R. 297) that will restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild free- roaming horses and burros.
If passed, H.R. 297 will:
-- Prohibit sales of BLM wild horses and burros for purposes of rendering
into any commercial products (translation -- the horses and burros
cannot be sold for slaughter).
-- Repeal the section in Senator Burns' provision that exempts the older
animals and "three strikes" animals (horses and burros that have been
offered unsuccessfully for adoption at least three times) from the
protection of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
-- Repeal the language eliminating criminal penalties for using wild
horses and burros for unlawful commercial purposes.
"There is still a long way to go to enact H.R. 297 and a national public outcry is needed," said Dianne Nelson. "The Wild Horse Sanctuary urges you to contact your Congressman to support H.R. 297 and also to contact your Senator in opposition to the sale of wild horses and burros for slaughter," she added.
To locate your Congressman or Senator, refer to the "Government Officials" page in your telephone directory or visit http://www.house.gov or http://www.senate.gov.
For a more detailed report about America's wild horses and burros, visit the Wild Horse Sanctuary Website at http://www.WildHorseSanctuary.org and click on "Death Sentence for Wild Horses."
The non-profit Wild Horse Sanctuary has served as a haven for America's wild horses and burros since 1978. Located near Shingletown, 40 miles southeast of Redding, these disappearing symbols of the American West can roam free and live out their natural lives.
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