Right now, across Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rounding up wild horses and burros in the middle of foaling season — the most dangerous time of year to do it.

Spring is when mares and jennies give birth. Foals just days old are being chased, captured, and separated from their mothers. Pregnant mares are being run by helicopter and trapped in corrals. The stress alone can kill. According to the American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), extreme stress during roundups can trigger complications during pregnancy, cause deadly capture myopathy in foals — a condition where muscle tissue breaks down from physical and emotional shock — and lead to fatal illnesses in burros.

This isn't a warning about what could happen. It's already happening. As of April 13, at least 13 deaths have been reported across active roundup sites, including at the Caliente Complex, Pancake Complex, Antelope/Triple B Complex, and Bullfrog HMA in Nevada. Eight roundups are currently running simultaneously, with a goal of capturing 14,830 wild horses and burros this year.

These animals deserve better. The law — the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 — requires the BLM to manage wild horses and burros humanely. Running roundups through the heart of foaling season is a failure of that obligation.

We're calling on Acting BLM Director Bill Groffy to immediately suspend all active wild horse and burro roundup operations through June, until foaling season has passed and animals are no longer at peak vulnerability.

Sign this petition and demand the BLM choose a more humane path.