Dear Wild Horse Advocates,
We have breaking news today (3/10/05) that Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) has sponsored a Senate companion bill to Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV) to reverse the Burns Amendment to the Wild Horses and Burros Act.
Brief overview:
In December 2004, Senator Burns (R-MT) surreptitiously inserted a rider (142) into the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This rider removed protections for wild horses and burros over the age of ten and those horses not adopted in three tries. At Risk now are 8,400 wild horses. Thanksgiving, the Appropriations Bill passed unanimously and many of the Senators and Representatives never read the nearly 4,000 page document.
The BLM and Burns suggest that there is an overpopulation of wild horses in our ten western states causing the massive capture of wild horses in the past three years (approximately 10,000 per year). All horses over the age of ten are sent directly to BLM sanctuaries where they are turned out on grass and also fed (not feedlots as suggested by Burn's office).
The fact is this — wild horse and burro populations have been cut in half since the 1971 Act was passed to protect them. In 1971 the Act clearly states that wild horses and burros were fast disappearing from the American scene.
New Bills to save wild horses and burros:
H.R. 297 sponsored by Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV)
S. 576 sponsored by Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)
These bills will reverse the Burn's amendment and restore the SAME protections afforded to wild horses and burros prior to the Burn's amendment.
How you can stop the slaughter of more than 8,000 wild horses:
Write, E-mail and Call the following people and thank them for their support.
- Your two Senators and ask that they co-sponsor S. 576
- Your Representative and ask that they co-sponsor H.R. 297
- Representative Nick Rahall — thank him for sponsoring H.R. 297
- Senator Byrd — thank him for sponsoring S. 576
Hand written personal letters (no form letters) have received outstanding support from the Congress people who have received them. They appreciate the extra time taken to write a personal letter to them. Calls are welcomed too. So keep those letters coming in. It is our only hope to save the horses.
Addresses, phone numbers and how you can find your Congress People:
The Honorable Senator Robert Byrd
311 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4801
Phone: 202-224-3954
Fax: 202-228-0002
The Honorable Representative Nick Rahall
2307 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4803
Phone: 202-225-3452
Fax: 202-225-9061
Find your Senators and Representative: www.congress.org
Plug in your zip code. If you need to find a Congressperson outside your zip just click on U.S. Congress located next to the zip code box.
There are 34 co-sponsors for H. R. 297 —for more information go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
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