Ep #51: Comment Against the Zeroing Out of Wyoming’s Checkerboard Herds
April 21, 2025BLM Kills Cloud’s Grandson in the Pryor Mountains, Exposing the Threat to All Wild Horses
Yesterday a friend told me that anew staff member of Billings Bureau of Land Management shot and killed Echo, Cloud’s grandson. The reasons given were that he was too thin and did not run away because he was too lethargic.
Horses coming out of winter are normally on the thin side, and the grass is just starting to come up in the Pryors. As far as not running away, the horses in this herd are more habituated to humans than any other wild horse herd. He had no reason to fear the staff member’s approach. Having a poor body condition and not running when seeing humans is normal for wild horses in early spring.
The BLM used a policy directive to justify killing Echo: PIM2021-007 Euthanasia of Wild Horses and Burros Related to Acts of Mercy, Health or Safety
In the past, decisions regarding euthanasia on the Pryors were made in conjunction with the BLM, The Cloud Foundation and the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center. However this time the decision was made unilaterally by the BLM and without any input from a veterinarian or someone experienced with wild horses. Instead a range specialist new to the area was given the go ahead from the Billings Field Office.
What does this mean for our wild horses generally? It means that the BLM can continue to kill wild horses on the range citing this policy. Wild horses are protected under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, but this flies in the face of the Act.
Already in Project 2025 on pages 528-529 it calls for the killing of wild horses in holding facilities. The next step is killing them on the range, without oversight. This must not be allowed to happen.
What can you do? First of all be vigilant. I encourage people who know inside information, like former or current BLM staff to be a whistleblower for our wild horses and let someone know who can do something to stop this from happening. You can contact PEER or The Cloud Foundation or American Wild Horse Conservation.
This is important – start calling. Be polite and civil, but do not back down.
Billings BLM Office
- 406-896-5013
- 406-896-5000
- 406-896-5223
Call your Representatives:
Find your House Representative Here
Call your senators:
Find your senators here
Call the White House
- 202-456-7041
- 202-456-1111
When you call, give your name and town. Say:
Killing America’s wild horses is unacceptable and unconscionable and that PIM 2021-007 should not be used to kill our wild horses in secret in order to lower herd numbers.
When calling, if you get voicemail, leave a message.
From our friends at the Cloud Foundation: “Let’s make sure Echo did not die in vain. Let’s stand for him—and for all the wild horses who have no voice.
LIGHT UP THE PHONE LINES.
- ASK FOR ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR HERDS
- DEFEND OUR WILD HORSES
- ENCOURAGE THEM TO KILL THIS POLICY BEFORE IT’S USED TO KILL ANY MORE WILD HORSES OR BURROS.”
1 Comment
It’s been clear from the information regarding P.2025 that this is the goal of the livestock lobby and this lobby has the ears of too many politicians already, much less this current administration.
The email from Ginger was very hard to read this morning – it makes clear what the mindset of the BLM has become – not that this hasnt been made clear by these horrendous roundups & the mortality rate of Wild Horses and Burros during and after the roundups.
Thanks Carol – this must be put in the PUBLIC’s view. Not just politicians.
We must keep commenting and calling and making our opinions and feelings known!