Ep #51: Comment Against the Zeroing Out of Wyoming’s Checkerboard Herds
April 21, 2025
Ep #52: What Project 2025 Means for Wild Horses: Interview with Debbie Coffey
May 5, 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 as has been the case in the past. Instead a range specialist new to the area was given the go ahead from the Billings Field Office. I do not claim to be a veterinarian and I do contend one definitely should have been consulted.
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.”
9 Comments
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!
This is so horrific and it is solely based on the money involved with the big ranchers. I am afraid in 2 years there will be no wild horses in America.
Thank you. Carol and yes I called the Billings Office yesterday! I have also sent my Senators and Representatives a letter to first let them know of this horrid killing and asked them to speak out against it and to help ensure protection now. For OUR wild horses. I am ready. To do more! Thank you again. Melissa California
This killing was so unnecessary! The process put in place by BLM was not followed resulting in a serious breakdown in judgment. This cannot be sanctioned and measures must be taken to ensure it does not going forward I am appalled by this event and it does nothing to ensure the welfare of our horses in the future. And yes these horses belong to all of us.
BLM should be abolished. They make these blanket decisions that are governed by greed and not logic.
Does anyone have copies of BLM records regarding the shooting? I’m working on a story about wild horses and would like to have those records. If no one has any, I’ll file a FOIA. Thanks. AHM
You can ask the Cloud Foundation.
I cried so long and hard when I was sure of the results of the presidential election last November. I knew Project 2025 would be implemented resulting in the complete eradication of our precious wild horses and burros. The rich don’t want to pay taxes and won’t allow anyone nor anything get in the way of their insatiable need for more wealth and power. Therefore, I think we should leave no stone unturned to stop primarily big international corporations from stealing and destroying everything we own and value, especially our wonderful wild horses and burros!
I have followed the plight of Our wild horses for years and the outright killing (murder) Of Echo of the Infamous CLOUD Herd has brought me to a place that I was praying would Not happen – Our Own government is Outright killing Our wild horses. We must Not allow Echo’s killing be in vain. Our moment Is now, to be Loud and UnWavering that this killing was murder of a Protected wild horse. Congress must get involved and more Importantly ACT, to Ensure that this Act of killing was murder, plain and simply put. This employee Must be held Accountable by being terminated as a BLM employee. And, most Importantly the BLM Must put out of a statement of remorse and most importantly, Accountability. Without this, it Will happen again. Beautiful, innocent, wild horse Echo and His untimely and absolute brutal Killing, must bring Change to finally protect Our beloved wild horses.