August 7th, For Immediate Release
VIDEO: Federally-protected wild horses die in the mud
Bureau of Land Management in Utah was alerted, but did not haul water
SALT LAKE CITY (August 8, 2024)—Hollywood director Ashley Avis and the Wild Beauty Foundation are urgently calling on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to address the crisis in the Muddy Creek Herd Management Area, located 15 miles south of Emery, Utah. This follows the tragic video documentation of a mare dying in a muddy bog while her foals faced abandonment and possible death.
Local photographer Jennifer Howe, who also shared distressing photos on her Facebook, and alerted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the dire situation. Despite her request for emergency water delivery, the agency refused.
“I was witnessing a tragedy unfold right before my eyes and desperately sought help,” said Howe. “When I asked if emergency water could be hauled, the agency official responded with a firm, ‘Absolutely not.”’
Howe observed as the small herd, consisting of a mare and two foals—one presumably adopted by the mare—attempted to brave the sun-hardened ground to drink water from a mire-filled sink on the range. Tragically, the mare broke through the top layer of dried mud and became hopelessly submerged, too weak to free herself. One foal also succumbed to the mud as mother and baby tried to comfort each other in their final moments, as depicted in the disturbing imagery.
“The Bureau possesses both the capabilities and the manpower to deliver water immediately to wild horses in emergencies, especially during severe droughts or when natural water sources dry up,” said Ashley Avis, founder of the Wild Beauty Foundation and director of the Critics Choice nominated documentary, Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West . “It is unconscionable for the agency to allow more federally protected animals to suffer such an agonizing fate. Treating them as disposable nuisances, rather than the highly intelligent, emotional beings they are, speaks to the deeply troubling mindset of the agency. This is a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided.”
The BLM responded, stating they are monitoring the area due to drying ponds and that animals typically migrate to other water sources. They reported having euthanized the mare and rescuing one of the foals, which later was euthanized due to dehydration.
The BLM has previously stated that they will not haul water for wildlife unless preparing for a helicopter roundup, claiming that wildlife must fend for themselves.
“This is not ‘nature taking its course’,” added Howe. “It is the consequence of climate change, an absent Congress and a captive agency which receives taxpayer funds for their salaries and benefits while allowing horses like this little family to die a horrible death and doing nothing to prevent it.”
According to the BLM’s environmental assessment for this herd, the area can sustain only 75 to 125 wild horses. However, the BLM permits 2,853 head of private cattle from eleven grazing allotments to graze in the same region.
”Currently, the agency spends more than 80 percent of its wild horse and burro budget on roundups, removals, and sending horses to holding facilities,” continued Avis. ”We are not asking for the removal of the Muddy Creek wild horses, but rather for our tax dollars to be used fairly and efficiently to provide emergency life-saving measures for these animals, which the agency is mandated to protect from capture, branding, harassment, and death. Our world is changing, and the compassionate American public demands the BLM act in a humane fashion.”
Video and hi-resolution photos available upon request. Photography credit should be applied to Jennifer Howe. Video has been provided anonymously.
The Wild Beauty Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to illuminating key issues wild horses, wolves, and wildlife are facing today — while bringing the natural world and the importance of its protection to people of all ages. Through the power of our unique entertainment platform, WBF is devoted to launching films, educational programs, advocacy campaigns, and protecting animals in need.
