For Immediate Release                                                      Contact: Chris Heyde (703) 836-4300

WILD HORSES WIN VICTORY IN US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WASHINGTON, DC (May 19, 2005) - Today, the US House of Representatives resoundingly reaffirmed what it originally declared in 1971, that America's wild and free-roaming horses and burros must be protected from the cruel and inhumane slaughter industry and commercial exploitation.  In what is undeniably a tremendous victory on behalf of all horses, the House passed an amendment sponsored by Congressmen Nick Rahall (D-WV),  Ed Whitfield (R-KY), John Sweeney (R-NY) and John Spratt (D-SC) that prohibits taxpayer funds from being used to sell or slaughter America's wild horses.

Chris Heyde, policy analyst for the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, said, "We knew the House of Representatives would listen again to the will of the American people and by passing this amendment, Congress has restored our faith in the democratic process."

Late last year, a rider stripping 34 year-old wild horse protections from the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, was snuck through Congress without public awareness or Congressional oversight.  The amendment enacted today stops the Bureau of Land Management from implementing this reprehensible rider.  As the amendment’s sponsors pointed out on the floor of the House of Representatives, such an underhanded method is not how the business of the American people should be conducted.

Heyde further noted that, "Today, our elected representatives listened to the truth about wild horses. They deserve to live free on our public lands.  Despite the enormous amount of misinformation being spread by pro-horse slaughter individuals, the facts remain clear: wild horses are not to blame for rangeland destruction, they are not starving to death and that there are far too few of these national treasures.  We must ensure their future welfare."

With the will of the people being heard in the Halls of Congress, now more than ever the House and Senate must take the next step in ending horse slaughter once and for all.  The American people must without delay make their voices heard in the US Senate which will vote on this bill very soon.

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