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Photo of Grey Mare taken at Return to Freedom's San Luis Obispo, Calif., satellite sanctuary by Ondrea Hidley.

Oppose BLM's pursuit of sterilization!

The Bureau of Land Management has requested $15 million for Fiscal Year 2025 to pursue sterilization without being clear about how, when and what methods it might use. Please join us in calling on lawmakers to oppose surgeries on wild mares and burro jennies that are dangerous, unproven, costly and unnecessary.

We are particularly concerned about the BLM’s past pursuit of surgical methods like ovariectomy via colpotomy, the surgical removal of both ovaries through incision in the vaginal canal. The procedure has been noted to be generally painful with a high frequency of perioperative complications—some of which can be life-threatening. Furthermore, care requirements typically followed to lower such complication rates, such as tying the mare for several days post-procedure to prevent eventration through the incision, will not be feasible in free-ranging, wild mares. As such, fatality rates may be higher than what has been observed in domestic mares.

Ovariectomy via colpotomy can result in serious complications specific to pregnant mares. Effects of ovary removal on a pregnancy at 90-120 days are unpredictable and can include the reabsorption or abortion of the foal. Performing the procedure on mares late in gestation can be challenging due to lack of access to the ovaries. As many mares and jennies are gathered from Herd Management Areas (HMAs) are pregnant when captured, it makes little sense for the BLM to pursue a tool that is inhumane and impractical in these on-range circumstances.

Instead of allowing the agency to possibly pour taxpayer money into an inhumane, high-risk, inviable, and unsupported procedure likely to be opposed in court, Congress should demand that the BLM focus on immediate implementation of safe, proven and humane fertility control.

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All members of House and Senate

Subject: Oppose BLM's pursuit of inhumane, costly wild horse sterilization surgeries

Message:

Please call on the Bureau of Land Management to end its continued pursuit of surgical sterilization methods like ovariectomy via colpotomy on federally protected wild mares and burro jennies. Such surgeries are dangerous, unproven and costly.

They are also unnecessary given the availability of safe, proven and humane fertility control vaccines with a proven track record of slowing wild horse population growth. Fertility control has strong public and broad stakeholder support.

Attempts to perform sterilization surgeries will continue to be met with strong opposition by the public and lawsuits from advocates that will only delay efforts to move toward humane, sustainable and fiscally responsible management of wild herds on our public lands.

The BLM has requested $15 million for sterilization for Fiscal Year 2025. Congress should reject this set-aside. It should instead fund fertility control and demand that the BLM immediately scale up its use at every opportunity.

Please support funding for implementing a large-scale fertility control program using current technologies, not the continued misuse of resources to pursue sterilization.

Oppose BLM's pursuit of sterilization!

Thank you for supporting America's wild horses and burros!