February 20, 2008

• The Animal Welfare Institute has issued an Alert requesting immediate public involvement to speak up for America's horses. The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to vote on a bill that would ban the use of double-decker trailer horses are usually hauled in on their way to slaughter. Click Here to learn more and for contact information and let your voice be herd!
• On February 11th, the Homes For Horses Coalition was launched and is dedicated to ending horse slaughter and other forms of equine abuse through a group of professionals working together to actively promote the welfare and protection of horses and other equines. A great research tool too! Click Here to learn more.
• Writer Richard Marcus of BlogCritics has posted two stories on the plight of America's wild horses and burros. Starting with America's Wild Horses Under Threat and the recently posted, Protected Wild Burros In Danger of Extinction, which also provides an account of the recent killings of 71 burros in Big Bend State Park in Texas. He artfully weaves the Big Bend tragedy in with the plight of America's burros by recognizing Congress DID declare burros a protected species in America but Mr. Marcus has yet to realize the loophole that has allowed so many wild burros to be killed anyway - they are only "protected" under BLMs jurisdication. Click the titles to read each article.
• The Nevada Appeal reports thirty-seven horses have now been released at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, the results of several wild horse advocacy groups pulling together to make the 104,000 acres sanctuary a reality. Click Here to learn more.
• The BLM has posted a "Drought Conditions" page that includes links to the Drought Information Services BLM uses in determining land use issues. An important link for the hard core researcher. Includes sections on livestock grazing, wildlife and projections for wild horse and burro removals due to "emergency conditions" in 2008. Click Here to learn more.