The Pryor Mountain Horses Need Your Voice !

Photo Credit: Erin Phillips

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I Strongly Oppose The Pryor Mountain Roundup

Dear Billings Field Office, and BLM

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I write to you today in strong opposition to the roundup of the Pryor Mountain Horses.  Please kindly read below, and stand with wild horses before they are lost to history.

These proud animals are the last remaining wild horse herd in all of Montana, with the previous other six herds having been zeroed out.  These horses represent the historic nature of the great state, and further, they are beloved around the world, driving tourism.  If anything, they should be embraced as something unique and deeply special.

The proposition to lower their AML to 90 horses would spell disaster for the herd, and would be unsustainable for genetic diversity.  If this moves forward, the Pryor horses could ultimately be wiped out which would be a travesty to such a jewel of Montana.  The Pryor Horses have never been reduced to such a low number before, and this AML does not factor in what an appropriate management level would be if the Sorenson Expansion and the Demijohn Flats were added to the range.  Both of these locations were prior homes of wild horses, and an excellent option for future populations.

If action must be taken due to environmental concerns, I request that it be done incrementally to minimize the negative impact on the herd.  If the removal is proportioned over a 5 to 10 year period, it would not only lessen the negative impact of the herd, but allow for continual observation and study of herd dynamics and sustainability.  Furthermore, advocacy groups will be able to properly place the removed horses into good homes if fewer are removed at once.

Additionally -- the proposal of managing the Pryor Herd - and/or any other herd - as a metapopulation, should be abandoned immediately.

Every herd, and every HMA has unique characteristics, requirements, and genetic necessities to maintain health in the wild, and an umbrella policy treating them as one group is unfeasible, at best.

The National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) recommendation is that BLM be responsive to public sentiment, and I urge you to adhere to this guideline.  Myself, the public, the citizens of Montana, and wild horse enthusiasts all over the world truly love this herd - and the proposal as it stands, has the potential to destroy them entirely.

Please consider my statement, and the statement of others like me, and reconsider this plan of action before the Pryor Mountain Horses are lost forever.  For the public, and for our children and theirs; please stand with wild horses.

Sincerely, [Your information here]