В США запланированы массовые облавы на диких лошадей в семи штатах на этой неделе

An advocacy group has highlighted seven locations across the Western United States where they say federal roundups of wild horses could occur this September. As Newsweek reported previously, thousands of wild horses and burros are being rounded up across the American West as federal officials look to curb herd numbers that they say have grown beyond levels the landscape can sustainably support. Welfare organization American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) highlighted several locations across the country in a social media post that it said could see roundups, also referred to as gathers, occur. "America's wild horses need responsible management, but the current system is failing the horses, the land and the American taxpayer," AWHC executive director Patricia Miller told Newsweek. "Helicopter roundups separate family bands and funnel thousands of federally protected animals into a holding system that already confines more than 63,000 horses and burros at a cost exceeding $100 million annually." Where Roundups Could Happen The AWHC said it was watching operations "tentatively planned" involving the following locations: Nut Mountain HMA - 9/1/26 Bitner HMA - 9/1/26 Massacre Lakes - 9/1/26 Challis HMA - 9/9/26 Sand Wash Basin - 9/17/26 Fifteenmile - 9/15/26 Jackson Mountains HMA - 9/20/26 "Another roundup month begins," the group wrote in an Instagram post last week. "September is more than a calendar. It’s a critical window to document what happens, demand accountability, and support humane solutions for wild horses and burros." The federal government’s schedule includes gathers, emergency removals and fertility-control operations across numerous Western states. For example, according to a May 15 Bureau of Land Management schedule, a Wyoming operation, scheduled to begin on or after September 15, would remove approximately 286 animals from the Fifteenmile Herd Management Area. Other operations could see 48 animals removed from the Nut Mountain Herd Management Area, 71 from the Bitner HMA, 32 from Massacre Lakes HMA, and 172 from the Challis HMA, according to the document. A Bureau of Land Management spokesperson told Newsweek Tuesday that its wild horse and burro gather and fertility control schedule had been posted for several months. "These gathers are planned well in advance because they are essential to protecting wild horses from the consequences of overpopulation and seasonal forage shortages," the spokesperson said. "When too many horses are on the range, especially heading into fall and winter, they quickly eat down the remaining forage and can face serious risks of starvation, dehydration, and unsafe movement onto highways or private property. Each scheduled gather is designed to prevent those conditions and sustain healthy herds on healthy rangelands." The spokesperson added that previously scheduled gathers in California for September were on hold due to pending litigation, while two emergency operations were underway in Oregon after wildfires. Why Are Horses Rounded Up? The Bureau of Land Management says gathers are used to protect wild horses and burros as well as the public rangelands supporting them. According to the agency, herds have a lack of predators and can double in size within four to five years, potentially outgrowing available food and water and damaging the land. The agency therefore seeks to keep each herd within an "appropriate management level," which reflects the land’s capacity to support the animals alongside wildlife, livestock and other authorized uses. It says its management measures include removing animals through gathers and, in some locations, using fertility control to slow population growth. Campaigners Say Helicopter Roundups Harmful Wild horse advocacy groups have criticized helicopter roundups, arguing that they harm animals and separate established family groups. Return to Freedom describes helicopter roundups as dangerous, saying horses may be driven long distances over rough terrain before family groups are separated in holding pens. The organization advocates using fertility control instead to reduce population growth while keeping horses on the range. As for AWHC, it says helicopter pursuits can leave horses stressed and exhausted and may cause injuries or deaths. It also argues that roundups separate family groups, place animals in federal holding facilities and impose substantial costs on taxpayers, while supporting fertility control as an alternative approach. Colorado Lawmakers Call for End to Helicopter Roundups Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Representative Joe Neguse urged the Bureau of Land Management to immediately pause upcoming wild horse roundups in the state. In a September 3 letter, they said around 800 horses had been captured in the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area, with six dying during the operations, while a planned roundup in the Sand Wash Basin would reduce that herd by more than 60 percent. Polis and Neguse acknowledged the need to reduce herd sizes to sustainable levels, but called helicopter roundups "inhumane and unnecessary," saying they can cause panic, exhaustion and serious injuries. They asked federal officials to postpone the planned operations, consult more extensively with communities and state and local partners, and provide evidence that helicopters are more effective than other, "more humane" population-control methods. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Alabama Jackson, Dan Gooding and Trevor Davies. Update 9/8/26, 4:53 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and comment from AWHC. Update 9/8/26, 6:18 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Bureau of Land Management.