Apache Sitgreaves Forest to Roundup Remaining Alpine Wild Horses

On December 13th, Salt River Wild Horse Management Group posted a notice by the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest confirming that the remaining Alpine wild horses are set to be captured and sold without limitations to slaughter. The notice signed by Judith Palmer on December 6th, continues to recite the false narrative that the wild horses that have lived in the forest for hundreds of years are “unauthorized livestock” and have been abandoned by their owners. Considering that no one individual owns these horses, it is shocking that the Forest Service would consider them as such and allow them to be sent to auctions leading into the slaughter pipeline.

Advocates and wild horse lovers alike have shown their support for the Alpine wild horse herd this year by writing to their Members of Congress asking them to investigate the mass shootings of more than 40 wild horses within the forest. Not only this, but donations have poured in to bail the wild horses out of unsafe auctions and place them in secure homes and sanctuaries. We at WBF are encouraged to see the support of those who care about the Alpine herd and the protection of Arizona’s magical wild horses.

We urge you to once again, write to your Members of Congress and local Arizona public officials and express the importance of keeping these horses wild. These beautiful creatures have done nothing to deserve this treatment, and should be able to continue their lives as they were born, wild and free. You can read the full notice by the Forest Service, here.

A Still from Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West

Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West Coming to the Utah Film Festival

Our documentary, Wild Beauty, will be screening at the Utah Film Festival this January, and we would love for you to join us! Dates and times have not yet been announced, but you can check our website often, as we will post as soon as details are announced!

Be sure to keep your eye on our social media for announcements of upcoming locations, as Wild Beauty makes its way around the festival circuit! To watch the teaser and find more information on upcoming screenings, visit our website.

More Alpine Wild Horses Up for Auction

Simone Netherlands of Salt River Wild Horse Management Group put out a desperate plea this weekend to save another group of Alpine wild horses potentially facing the slaughter pipeline if not adopted by safe and secure homes. The public auction will be held online via Rail Lazy H Auctions without limitation to slaughter. There are currently seven wild horses from the Alpine herd of the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest up for auction, with bidding closing on Monday, December 12 at 10:00 am Mountain Time.

SRWHMG is currently taking donations in order to bail these horses out and provide them protection in safe homes or sanctuaries where they can be taken care of by loving hands. You can find more information on how to help the captured Alpine wild horses, here. These horses were unnecessarily removed by the U.S. Forest Service this summer due to being deemed as “unauthorized livestock” and because of their management by the Forest Service, are not protected by the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act.

Photo Credit: Kimerlee Curyl

Mares Treated with Fertility Control to be Released Back Into the Calico Complex

After a roundup that stripped approximately 837 wild horses from our public lands, 39 mares will have their freedom returned this coming week. On December 13, members of the public are invited to watch as the mares treated with GonaCon fertility control are released back into the Calico Complex HMA.

While Wild Beauty is encouraged to see that these horses will remain wild, we do maintain that the number of released horses could be much higher. With over 800 horses being removed from the range, these animals will now spend the foreseeable future in overcrowded, unsanitary holding facilities, with many being separated from their closely bonded families. Instead of incarcerating these animals for the rest of their lives, it would be in the best interest of taxpayers and wild horses that more horses be released back into the wild.

Wild Beauty Wins Best Documentary Feature at Academy Award Qualifying Film Festival

WBF is proud to announce that Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West has won “Best Documentary Feature” at the Academy Award qualifying St.Louis Film Festival! This recognition is a major win for wild horses, and we are so proud we have the opportunity to bring this issue to a global audience.

As Wild Beauty continues on the festival circuit, we will continue to update you with new locations and dates as we have them. For those eagerly awaiting the wider release of the film, we look forward to bringing you more information in early 2023. We thank you for standing with wild horses; congratulations team.

Photo Credit: Sahna Foley

Herds of Cattle Found Grazing the Onaqui Herd Management Area

The Onaqui HMA just south of Salt Lake City, Utah recently held an event for volunteers who wished to help clean up the range for the benefit of wild horses in this area. This herd is famous for being curious and personable, with a variety of colors and patterns ranging from bays, grays, and palominos to pintos and roans. Many wild horse advocates jumped on the opportunity to help clean up the home of these beautiful creatures.

Just a week after the cleanup, advocates on the ground in the HMA found not wild horses, but herds of cattle grazing the land freshly tidied up by generous volunteers. This has become a typical and regular occurrence; the BLM allows livestock to overgraze wild horse Herd Management Areas, but then blame horses for that overgrazing as a pretext for conducting more round up operations to remove horses as competition for forage.

Over 300 Onaqui wild horses were rounded up in 2021 with the BLM blaming drought and lack of forage for decreased body condition in horses. During filming for Wild Beauty, WBF was on the ground during the roundup and captured video of wild horses in perfect body condition. Barely one year later, the BLM has authorized hundreds of cows and sheep on land apparently “overgrazed” by the wild horses that are now stripped of their freedom. The blatant discrepancy in BLM narratives and motives needs to be publicized. Our wild horses deserve to remain wild, and the best interest of protected species should be prioritized over the profit of private industries.

Photograph by Erin Phillips

A Still from Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West

Press Continues for Wild Beauty

Last week, the beauty of wild horses was brought to the TV screens of Tampa, Florida. Longtime journalist and advocate, Cynthia Smoot, did a beautiful story on our documentary, Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West as it made its debut at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Director and WBF founder, Ashley Avis, was interviewed by Smoot, speaking on the importance of sharing this documentary to audiences across the United States and abroad.

We thank everyone involved in Wild Beauty’s journey for standing with wild horses. The film continues on the festival circuit through 2023, and will be available to stream next year. Be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and follow our social media channels, as announcements on when you can watch will come as soon as we can share!

You can watch the full interview, here.

Photo Credit: Sandy Sharkey

Removed Alpine Wild Horses Continue to Find Safe Homes

We are extremely glad to report that according to Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, a nonprofit working closely with the Alpine wild horse herd of the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest, a total of 91 horses have found a soft landing.

These horses were unnecessarily rounded up by the Forest Service this summer under the false pretense that the animals were “unauthorized livestock” and their presence was destroying the national forest, despite having resided within the forest for hundreds of years. Now, the removed wild horses are being put up for public sale via online auction. SRWHMG has paid for adoption and transport of 45 Alpine wild horses so far, with the help of generous donors and families willing to give them a safe home outside of the auction pens.

Several weeks ago a well known Alpine stallion, Apache, was adopted by Simone Netherlands of SRWHMG. Since then, she has reported that Apache appears shaken and distraught by the separation of his family. One of the mares he was closest with was found shot to death during the recent massacre that this herd faced in October, and his other mares were unable to be located within the auction. Thankfully, a mare he had been seen interacting with in the wild became available through the online auction and SRWHMG was able to pay her bail and pick her up in hopes of reuniting her with Apache.

We at WBF are happy to see these horses, struck by such tragedy, finding secure homes and safe hands to help them heal.

This Week’s Call to Action

Continue Writing your Members of Congress Urging them to Support H.R. 5203

We want to remind everyone to stand with these wild burros, so if you have not done so already, we encourage you to send a letter to your Members of Congress urging them to support H.R. 5203, also known as “The Ejiao Act”.

The Ejiao industry is threatening our global donkey population, and our American wild burros are being put at risk. Contact your local members of Congress and encourage them to support The Ejiao Act and the protection of donkeys and wild burros.

You can send a letter directly through our Call to Action below. This form will send a pre-written email to your local lawmakers educating them on the importance of shutting down the trade of Ejiao and urging them to support that the bill is passed into law. To make each letter personal, we recommend adding your own comments on the protection of wild burros and donkeys before sending.

Photograph by Jim Brown

A Still from Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West

Ashley Avis Talks Wild Beauty in St. Louis TV Interview

We are proud that our documentary, Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West is continuing to bring about major press for wild horses across the country. WBF founder and director, Ashley Avis, was interviewed by Fox2 St. Louis to talk about the film’s debut at the St. Louis International Film Festival. 

Avis talks about her inspiration behind the documentary and why it is important to shine a spotlight on the plight of wild horses in our country. We hope that this interview, among others, sparks continued conversations about our wild world and inspires others to join the fight to protect the freedom and beauty of our wild horses.

You can watch the full interview, here.

Photo Credit: Hollynn Lee

Remembering Norman

Some sad news came out of the Onaqui range this past week, as the stunning cremello stallion lovingly known as Norman, has passed away. Norman’s truly unique personality is one we will always remember; despite his comical nature, he was undoubtedly a gentleman and patient soul within the Onaqui herd. He was the leader of the famous “Three Amigos,” comprised of Norman, Rudy, and Rowan – all bachelors who were inseparable and a constant source of comic relief out on the range. Rowan was found lame and euthanized days before the 2021 roundup of the Onaqui herd, so with Norman’s passing, we are saddened to think of Rudy without his two buddies. We at WBF pay tribute to Norman this week as we continue to bring awareness to wild horses just like him.

Norman was humanely euthanized after he was found suffering from serious injuries to his front leg. The precise cause of the injury is unknown. We are encouraged that those monitoring the range reported his condition and Bureau of Land Management staff were able to put an end to his suffering in a humane way. Though we are heartbroken by his passing, this is the reality of wild horses living free on the range. They should all have the opportunity to live wild and free until their time on Earth is up, without facing the inhumanities of harsh helicopter roundups.

Like many followers of the Onaqui, we at WBF considered Norman as one of our favorite wild horses to encounter on the range. During the creation of Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West, we were able to capture his stunning life on film. We are incredibly thankful we had this opportunity, and that we are now able to share Norman’s legacy with others through Wild Beauty.

May you forever gallop the wide open sky, Norman, united at last with your compadre, Rowan. You have left hoofprints on our hearts.

It’s #IStandWithWildBurros Week!

While our nation’s wild horses usually take center stage, there is another special wild equine who deserves to share the spotlight; the wild burro!

Small but mighty, the wild burro has thrived in the deserts of the American west for hundreds of years. The species, originating in Africa, was brought to America by the Spanish in the 1500s. Since then, donkeys have helped build our country into what we know it as today. Particularly during the gold rush, these animals were used for transportation across the arid landscape of the American deserts as prospectors and their families flocked west in search of gold.

It is important to note that once a wild burro loses its wild status, it becomes a donkey.

This includes wild burros impacted by government roundups today. Immediately following removal by the BLM, our nation’s wild beauties become mere numbers of the global donkey population. Unfortunately, this can put them at risk of inhumane trade markets, like the Ejiao industry, overseas.

Wild burros and donkeys are incredibly intelligent creatures, and due to this, are often stereotyped as stubborn. However, these animals focus on the safety of themselves and those around them by choosing to walk a fine line between curiosity and concern. They rely on natural instinct to prioritize their responses, leading them simply to not do what they sense could lead to a dangerous outcome. Donkeys are also great protectors, making them the perfect companion for a horse or a herd of livestock. 

Surprisingly, donkeys can tolerate water loss up to 30% of their own body weight; this is compared to the 10% that humans can face before extreme dehydration occurs. Additionally, these animals have a great digestive system that can process the rough vegetation of the desert without complication. Subsequently, wild burros of the American west thrive in their environments, as they were naturally built to survive in these arid landscapes.

Donkeys are truly amazing creatures, and they need our attention more than ever. We at WBF advocate for American wild burros and our global donkey population, and we hope you will too. These incredible animals need our voices to champion for their protection. 

Do you stand with wild burros?

Photo Credit: Mary Hone

Growing Ejiao Market Puts Wild Burros at Risk

Quiet, patient, and gentle — few domestic animals are more charming or have occupied a more practical role in human civilization than the donkey. But did you know millions of donkeys are slaughtered annually to produce a product called ejiao?

The demand for ejiao, a gelatin made from boiled donkey hide, is rapidly increasing in countries like China and Africa. The ejiao market is leading to the decimation of the global donkey population. This inhumane industry puts our wild burros at risk of being rounded up and sold to potential kill buyers looking to make profit overseas. 

Ejiao is used in cosmetic products and for medicinal uses that, despite scientifically unproven, are said to treat dizziness, insomnia, and dry cough. Studies show that gelatins manufactured from ejiao are unnecessary in the production of these products, as ingredients from other sources such as plants, can be used instead.

Last year, congressman Don Beyer of Virginia introduced the Ejiao Act (H.R. 5203) that would prohibit the sale or transport of ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce. This bill would allow the donkey population to heal and take first steps to end the trade of ejiao for good.

This Week’s Call To Action

Write your Members of Congress and Urge them to Support H.R. 5203 aka “The Ejiao Act”

Wild Beauty Takes Home Awards at DOC LA Film Festival

Our most recent screening of Wild Beauty was at the prestigious Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival (DOC LA), organized by the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute. DOC LA showcases stunning examples of documentary filmmaking in both world and American cinema. The festival was held last weekend, with Wild Beauty receiving two major awards. Ashley Avis was awarded Best Director and Kai Krause, for Best Cinematography. We are so proud to see the overwhelming response Wild Beauty is receiving on the film festival circuit; our wild ones deserve this spotlight.

Wild Beauty Producer, Richard Avis, attended the screening of Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West and hosted a Q&A following the film where audience members learned more about the plight of wild horses in our country. There were several wild horse advocates in the audience, and we thank them for attending and supporting Wild Beauty. We believe that initiating conversation about the cause is a great way to work toward solutions. This is why we at WBF urge you to advocate by using #IStandWithWildHorses to tell your stories of wild beauty. 

As Wild Beauty continues to make an impact in cities across the U.S. we would like to thank all of you who have supported this film and our mission to protect America’s wild horses. 

Photo Credit: Carol Walker

This Week’s News on the Alpine Wild Horses

Three weeks have passed since the massacre in the Apache Sitgreaves forest. Volunteers have found 38 horses dead, leaving 12 missing. Simone Netherlands of Salt River Wild Horse Management Group reports that horses from different bands are beginning to regroup and find safety in the surviving herd members after this tragedy.

The reward for information concerning the shooting currently stands at $35,000. We at WBF want to see the individual(s) responsible for this crime brought to justice, and that begins with contacting Arizona officials and expressing concerns. Wild horse advocates fear that these absolutely inhumane actions will continue to occur if we do not speak out and demand further investigation.

On October 26th, the Forest Service issued a press release regarding these events. In the statement, The Forest Service reports that they do not have investigatory jurisdiction over livestock in the state of Arizona. Unfortunately, due to the Forest Service’s false narratives that these horses are feral, despite a history of living wild in the forest for hundreds of years, they are unable to follow through with proper investigation themselves. This is yet another reason that we must fight for the label of “unauthorized livestock” to be removed from wild horses on our public lands. Fortunately, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests have been supporting the investigation. Our wild ones deserve better protection and we can’t reach this unless the Forest Service, the BLM, and the individuals benefiting from private interests are held accountable for their false narratives.

At this time, the Apache County Sheriff has not issued any updates on the investigation. We urge the county sheriff’s office to speak publicly on the massacre against the Alpine wild horses, especially now that a public statement has been made by the Forest Service. The public deserves to be updated on how officials are handling this situation and what developments are being made.

In the meantime, you can continue to express your concerns for the safety of remaining wild horses in this area by contacting the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest Supervisor’s Office below:

Judith Palmer

30 S. Chiricahua Dr.
Springerville, AZ 85938

(928) 333-6280

or by contacting the Public Affairs Officer, Jeffrey Todd at

(928) 333-6263

We at WBF are frustrated with the Forest Service’s lack of commitment to this investigation and we hope to see changes made as we continue to speak out.

Stone Cabin Wild Horse Complex Environmental Assessment Open for Public Comment

This week the BLM began accepting public comment on the environmental assessment proposed for the Stone Cabin Complex outside of Nye, Nevada. You can find the BLM’s full press release here.

 This complex includes the Stone Cabin and Saulsbury Herd Management Areas that are home to approximately 930 wild horses. According to the proposed Environmental Assessment, the BLM plans to reduce the complex to a mere 404 wild horses total living on over 542,000 acres of public land. WBF supports that there is no scientific backing to the BLM’s “Appropriate Management Levels” and most reflect low numbers that favor the desires of special interests, such as livestock grazing.

This Environmental Assessment also proposes the use of fertility control methods such as gelding and IUDs, which are irreversible and potentially damaging to natural herd dynamics. We believe that the only fertility control methods implemented must prove to be reversible, in order to prevent a complete eradication of wild horse populations across our west.

Photograph by Chad Hanson

This Week’s Call To Action

Submit a Public Comment on the Environmental Assessment of the Stone Cabin Complex