You Can Stop the Slaughter of America's Wild Horses

To the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus: Reps. Dina Titus, Juan Ciscomani, David Schweikert, and Steve Cohen

A loophole in federal law allows the Bureau of Land Management to sell wild horses and burros, stripping them of federal protection once sold and leaving little oversight of where they end up. Despite policies against slaughter, weak tracking means many still end up in kill channels. We at Rewilding America Now, along with other advocate organizations, are calling for a government audit of the BLM’s sale program to ensure accountability and stronger protections for wild horses and burros. We urge you to support this effort by signing our petition, contacting your lawmakers, spreading awareness, and supporting advocacy groups.
Please read the petition below for more information and details.
Thank you for your support.
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Manda Kalimian
Locust Valley, New York

To: To the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus: Reps. Dina Titus, Juan Ciscomani, David Schweikert, and Steve Cohen
From: [Your Name]

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, urge you to lead a bipartisan effort calling for a formal Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit of the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Sale Program.

BLM is increasingly relying on “Sale Authority” and “sales without limitation” to move federally protected wild horses and burros out of government warehouses, even though these sales can quickly strip away federal oversight once animals leave BLM control. Advocates and rescuers continue to find recently sold, branded BLM horses and burros in kill pens and at kill auctions, often tied to repeat, high‑volume buyers, despite congressional prohibitions on slaughter.

Past scandals, such as the 2012 Tom Davis case involving ~1,700 BLM horses sent into the slaughter pipeline, show that paper safeguards and “no slaughter” language alone are not enough. More recently, BLM stepped in to reclaim wild horses that surfaced at the New Holland auction in Pennsylvania, proving the agency can act when it chooses to—but it has not taken similar action in many other documented cases.

A GAO audit is urgently needed to determine whether BLM’s Sale Program is:
1. Undermining Congress’s no‑slaughter protections by relying on sales that predictably put wild horses and burros at risk of ending up in the slaughter pipeline.
2. Failing to properly screen and monitor buyers, repossess animals at risk, and bar bad actors from future purchases.
3. Misleading Congress and the public by combining “adoptions and sales” in its reporting without clearly tracking what happens to animals after title passes.

We respectfully ask the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus to:

1. Lead a bipartisan letter urging the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittees to request a GAO audit of BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Sale Program.
2. Make clear that this is both a humane treatment and good‑governance issue, ensuring that BLM is not using sales as a backdoor to slaughter.
3. Use caucus oversight tools—press releases, briefings, and hearing questions—to highlight the link between BLM’s ramped‑up removals, increased reliance on sales, and the ongoing risk that wild horses and burros are being funneled into the slaughter pipeline.

America’s wild horses and burros are supposed to be protected by law—not quietly sold into danger. We urge you to act now to ensure that their management is humane, transparent, and consistent with congressional intent.
Signed,
Rewilding America Now