Since 2018, the U.S. Forest Service has unleashed a prolonged assault on the federally-protected wild horses living peacefully in the Devil's Garden Wild Horse Territory in the Modoc National Forest in a remote corner of northeast California. The goal of the roundups: to cull the wild horse population down to low levels so that the public lands these national treasures call home can be used for commercial cattle grazing.

Over the last three years, the Forest Service has conducted two brutal helicopter roundups to remove over 1,400 wild horses from the forest, and a third capture operation is underway, with plans to remove 500 more mustangs from the Devil's Garden herd.

Initially, the Forest Service planned to sell captured Devil's Garden horses for slaughter, but the deadly plan was blocked amidst an intense AWHC grassroots, legal and legislative campaign. The Service then began selling captured mustangs for $1 and transporting trailer loads full for free -- all in the total absence of procedures to ensure proper placement and safe transport of these federally-protected animals.

The results have been predictable and tragic. Just in the past 3 months:

• 4 Devil's Garden mustangs escaped and remain at large in Pennsylvania after escaping shortly after they were off-loaded in a shipment of 14 wild horses to private individuals. The Forest Service refuses to assist with their recapture, claiming it has no further responsibility for the horses after their sale.
• 8 Devil's Garden horses died from salmonella infection and a ninth horse died from colic (possibly related to salmonella), after being shipped from California to Florida for a privately-organized competition intended to show that older mustangs can be trained.
• 14 mare/foal pairs also en route to Florida were called back to California for examination and quarantine after potential salmonella exposure before being reshipped to Florida. The foals -- described as “coming 5 months old colts Devils Garden mustang foals” -- are now being sold on Facebook for $450 a piece. It's unclear what the plan is for the mothers of those babies.
• 19 horses, including several foals, were delivered to a private couple in remote northern Colorado, without a site visit, with serious questions regarding adequacy of fencing, forage and shelter; lack of winter access to the property for hay delivery; and ability to provide adequate veterinary and farrier care as well as monitoring of the horses.

Help us demand an immediate halt to the roundup, sale and transportation of Devil's Garden wild horses at minimum until the Forest Service implements clear procedures to ensure the welfare of the federally protected wild horses in its care.