An American Wild Horse Campaign investigation -- confirmed by a New York Times expose' -- has uncovered fraud abuse and slaughter in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP). The program pays individuals $1,000 to adopt a wild, unhandled horse or burro.
As AWHC predicted when the program was launched in 2019, the initiative has been a disaster for these animals. In fact, the AIP has become a taxpayer-subsidized slaughter program in direct contravention of the Congressional prohibition on the sale of federally-protected wild horses and burros for slaughter. Adopters are collecting their incentive payments then "flipping" their horses and burros to kill pens. Thousands of wild horses and burros continue to be at risk.
This program is a predictable result of the BLM's inhumane and costly mass roundup program and the agency's efforts to empty holding pens to make room for the tens of thousands of horses and burros targeted for removal over the next five years.
We must demand an end to this program immediately.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Call 202-224-3121 and ask to be directed to your member of Congress.
You can say, “Hi, My name is [NAME] calling from [TOWN] and I am calling to ask Rep. [name] to immediately call for a halt to the Bureau of Land Management's Adoption Incentive Program and investgation into the program that has resulted in hundreds of federally protected wild horses and burros being sold into the slaughter pipeline. This was just confirmed by the New York Times. Thank you.”
Send a message to your Congress member by filling out the form below.