Wild Horse Coalition Files New Lawsuit to Stop BLM’s Unlawful Eradication of Iconic Wyoming Herds aalberg Wed, 09/10/2025 - 17:13 photo by Elizabeth Boehm/Danita Delimont September 10, 2025 Cheyenne, Wyo.—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), along with renowned photographers and conservation advocates, today filed another lawsuit in federal court to stop the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from carrying out its plan to permanently remove three historic wild horse herds in Wyoming's Checkerboard region: the Salt Wells Creek herd, the Great Divide Basin herd, and the Rock Springs portion of the Adobe Town herd. Ultimately, AWI and AWHC seek to prevent the permanent eradication of more than 3,000 federally protected wild horses from Wyoming’s public lands.The lawsuit, which was filed in the US District Court for the District of Wyoming, is necessitated by the BLM’s announcement that it will begin roundups to eliminate these herds on October 13, in defiance of a federal appellate court ruling that found the land use plan amendments authorizing the BLM’s eradication plan to be unlawful and arbitrary.In planning documents, the BLM repeatedly acknowledged that areas under consideration for its eradication plan contained adequate forage, water, space, and other resources to sustain wild horse herds and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance—a central mandate of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. In July 2025, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of AWI, AWHC, and other plaintiffs, holding that the BLM ignored its statutory duty to base decisions on whether these lands could sustain a thriving natural ecological balance. The court characterized the agency’s actions as “arbitrary and capricious.”“The Tenth Circuit made very clear that the Bureau of Land Management cannot use its land management planning process to skirt its obligations under the law—namely to protect wild horses on public lands designated as their habitat,” said Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., equine program director for AWI. “For the agency to now try to move forward with a roundup plan to permanently remove thousands of these federally protected animals—even when the underlying management decision was found to be unlawful—is neither legal nor rational.”“These wild horses are living symbols of our Western heritage, protected by Congress in 1971,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of AWHC. “The BLM’s attempt to wipe them from the wild isn’t just illegal, it’s a direct insult to the rule of law and the American people who cherish these animals.”This marks the eighth legal action AWHC has taken over the last 14 years challenging the BLM’s unlawful actions in Wyoming. Since 2019, AWI has joined AWHC in advocating protection of Wyoming’s wild horses. In 2021, both groups jointly delivered over 70,000 signatures to the Department of the Interior, urging the department to stop the BLM’s plans to remove thousands of wild horses from the Checkerboard.A history of litigation for the Checkerboard horses can be found here. AWI, AWHC, and their co-litigants are represented by the public interest law firm Eubanks & Associates, PLLC. Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128Amelia Perrin, American Wild Horse Conservationamelia@americanwildhorse.org, (919) 619-4913 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit wild horse conservation organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America’s wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.

Titus Reintroduces Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act, Citing New AWI Report That Reveals Feeble Enforcement of Welfare Violations aalberg Wed, 09/10/2025 - 14:45 photo by We Animals September 10, 2025 Washington, DC—Today, US Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) reintroduced the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act to improve conditions for livestock transported across the United States. The bill would require federal officials to develop a process to enforce the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, which prohibits the transport of certain animals for longer than 28 hours without offloading them for food, water, and rest. Importantly, this legislation also would prohibit interstate transport of livestock considered unfit for travel.The bill’s reintroduction with bipartisan support comes on the same day that the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) released an updated report, Farmed Animals in Transport: The Twenty-Eight Hour Law, based on an analysis of 17 years of federal records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The report, which concludes that the law is rarely enforced, documents a pattern of widespread noncompliance, delayed investigations, and minimal consequences.“The worst abuses in farmed animal transport occur when animals are hauled extremely long distances or when they are ill, disabled, or otherwise in such poor condition that they can’t withstand the journey,” said Adrienne Craig, senior policy associate and staff attorney for the AWI’s Farmed Animal Program. “The millions of animals carried on our roads every year should be entitled to protection under our nation’s oldest animal welfare law—the Twenty-Eight Hour Law—but that’s not possible without a clear mechanism for enforcement and cooperation among agencies. We applaud Congresswoman Titus for introducing the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act to prohibit interstate transport of livestock considered unfit for travel (in accordance with internationally recognized fitness standards), and to develop a process for enforcement of violations.”Specifically, AWI’s report found that: From 2006 to 2023, the US Department of Agriculture made only 20 inquiries into possible violations of the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, four of which resulted in official warnings. Only one case was referred to the Department of Justice; federal records indicate no further action was taken.FOIA records suggest that the USDA has been unable to substantiate violations because livestock haulers are not required to keep detailed records of duration, mileage, or stops, and standard industry forms that producers send with the animals do not provide accurate or complete information regarding the journeys.At least three federal departments are associated with the Twenty-Eight Hour Law—the USDA, the DOJ, and the Department of Transportation—yet records indicate confusion over which of these is responsible for monitoring compliance and penalizing violators.In multiple cases involving Canadian transport companies, USDA officials concluded they lacked any authority to act, despite no exemption under the Twenty-Eight Hour Law for foreign entities operating within the United States.Millions of animals are transported interstate each year, yet virtually none of those shipments are monitored for compliance with the Twenty-Eight Hour Law. In a review of over 3,500 certificates of veterinary inspection for cattle leaving Florida in 2023, for instance, AWI identified 173 shipments involving over 30,000 total animals that likely violated the Twenty-Eight Hour Law. These results are alarming given that they represent a single year in Florida, which is not a major animal agriculture state. Transport for slaughter, breeding, and feeding is extremely stressful for livestock. In addition to the vibrations, noise, fumes, and unfamiliar environment, transported animals often experience prolonged food and water deprivation, intense crowding, exposure to extreme heat and cold, and physical strain and injuries from rough handling and having to balance in a moving truck. These stressors also lower an animal’s resistance to infection; consequently, transport stress also contributes to the spread of disease (including zoonotic diseases that can jump to humans) and to meat contamination.Under current US live animal export regulations, animals intended for export to countries other than Canada or Mexico must be evaluated to ensure they are sound, healthy, and fit to travel. These regulations were adopted in 2016, after AWI petitioned the USDA to stop allowing exports of animals who were too young, weak, or sick to travel. Unfortunately, no such requirements exist for farmed animals transported long distances across the United States.The Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act would amend the federal Animal Health Protection Act to mirror fitness criteria governing US live animal exports, and those of the World Organisation for Animal Health—the leading international authority on the health and welfare of animals.Inadequate enforcement of the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, coupled with the continued interstate transport of animals unfit to travel, is contributing to needless animal suffering and endangering the health and safety of millions of animals—and us. Passage of the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act would help ensure that animals who are fit to travel are not deprived of basic necessities along the way and that ill or infirm animals are not subjected to grueling journeys that worsen their condition and exacerbate their risk of contracting dangerous diseases.“For far too long, federal regulations requiring humane treatment of transported farm animals have not been enforced,” Titus said. “The Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act would stop this lax regulation that has resulted in many animals being injured or succumbing to disease during transport.” Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

Titus Reintroduces Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act as New AWI Report Reveals Feeble Enforcement of Welfare Violations aalberg Wed, 09/10/2025 - 14:45 photo by We Animals September 10, 2025 Washington, DC—Today, US Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) reintroduced the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act to improve conditions for livestock transported across the United States. The bill would require federal officials to develop a process to enforce the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, which prohibits the transport of certain animals for longer than 28 hours without offloading them for food, water, and rest. Importantly, this legislation also would prohibit interstate transport of livestock considered unfit for travel.The bill’s reintroduction with bipartisan support comes on the same day that the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) released an updated report, Farmed Animals in Transport: The Twenty-Eight Hour Law, based on an analysis of 17 years of federal records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The report, which concludes that the law is rarely enforced, documents a pattern of widespread noncompliance, delayed investigations, and minimal consequences.“The worst abuses in farmed animal transport occur when animals are hauled extremely long distances or when they are ill, disabled, or otherwise in such poor condition that they can’t withstand the journey,” said Adrienne Craig, senior policy associate and staff attorney for the AWI’s Farmed Animal Program. “The millions of animals carried on our roads every year should be entitled to protection under our nation’s oldest animal welfare law—the Twenty-Eight Hour Law—but that’s not possible without a clear mechanism for enforcement and cooperation among agencies. We applaud Congresswoman Titus for introducing the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act to prohibit interstate transport of livestock considered unfit for travel (in accordance with internationally recognized fitness standards), and to develop a process for enforcement of violations.”Specifically, AWI’s report found that: From 2006 to 2023, the US Department of Agriculture made only 20 inquiries into possible violations of the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, four of which resulted in official warnings. Only one case was referred to the Department of Justice; federal records indicate no further action was taken.FOIA records suggest that the USDA has been unable to substantiate violations because livestock haulers are not required to keep detailed records of duration, mileage, or stops, and standard industry forms that producers send with the animals do not provide accurate or complete information regarding the journeys.At least three federal departments are associated with the Twenty-Eight Hour Law—the USDA, the DOJ, and the Department of Transportation—yet records indicate confusion over which of these is responsible for monitoring compliance and penalizing violators.In multiple cases involving Canadian transport companies, USDA officials concluded they lacked any authority to act, despite no exemption under the Twenty-Eight Hour Law for foreign entities operating within the United States.Millions of animals are transported interstate each year, yet virtually none of those shipments are monitored for compliance with the Twenty-Eight Hour Law. In a review of over 3,500 certificates of veterinary inspection for cattle leaving Florida in 2023, for instance, AWI identified 173 shipments involving over 30,000 total animals that likely violated the Twenty-Eight Hour Law. These results are alarming given that they represent a single year in Florida, which is not a major animal agriculture state. Transport for slaughter, breeding, and feeding is extremely stressful for livestock. In addition to the vibrations, noise, fumes, and unfamiliar environment, transported animals often experience prolonged food and water deprivation, intense crowding, exposure to extreme heat and cold, and physical strain and injuries from rough handling and having to balance in a moving truck. These stressors also lower an animal’s resistance to infection; consequently, transport stress also contributes to the spread of disease (including zoonotic diseases that can jump to humans) and to meat contamination.Under current US live animal export regulations, animals intended for export to countries other than Canada or Mexico must be evaluated to ensure they are sound, healthy, and fit to travel. These regulations were adopted in 2016, after AWI petitioned the USDA to stop allowing exports of animals who were too young, weak, or sick to travel. Unfortunately, no such requirements exist for farmed animals transported long distances across the United States.The Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act would amend the federal Animal Health Protection Act to mirror fitness criteria governing US live animal exports, and those of the World Organisation for Animal Health—the leading international authority on the health and welfare of animals.Inadequate enforcement of the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, coupled with the continued interstate transport of animals unfit to travel, is contributing to needless animal suffering and endangering the health and safety of millions of animals—and us. Passage of the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act would help ensure that animals who are fit to travel are not deprived of basic necessities along the way and that ill or infirm animals are not subjected to grueling journeys that worsen their condition and exacerbate their risk of contracting dangerous diseases.“For far too long, federal regulations requiring humane treatment of transported farm animals have not been enforced,” Titus said. “The Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act would stop this lax regulation that has resulted in many animals being injured or succumbing to disease during transport.” Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

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Sign up by October 3, 2025 to launch your employee donation site in time for the holidays! Give employees a simple, meaningful way to make an impact this holiday season with an America’s Charities Engage donation site — ready to go with everything you need: Contact us to get started at https://impact.charities.org/holidaygiving The post Launch a Turnkey Holiday Giving Campaign appeared first on America's Charities.