Animal advocates reveal bloodied horses at controversial helicopter roundup
Wild horses suffering bloody injuries have been documented at a controversial Bureau of Land Management helicopter roundup currently underway in Wyoming by nonprofit animal advocacy group Lady Freethinker, which sent an observer to the Adobe Town Herd Management Area this week to monitor the operation.
“America’s wild horses deserve better than to be rounded up by helicopter, a cruel and terrifying process that is simply inhumane and outdated,” said Lady Freethinker President Nina Jackel. “The tired, bloodied horses seen in our images show once again that this practice must end.”
The roundup began July 15 and will continue through Aug. 15. The scene was captured by an LFT field observer with years of experience documenting helicopter-assisted gathers and the devastating injuries and deaths of wild horses — innocent animals peacefully roaming free with their families before helicopters suddenly descend. The images show horses with bloodied, raw legs after being chased by helicopters across the desert and forced into crowded holding pens.
While the agency claims helicopters are a humane tool for managing wild horse populations, helicopter roundups often lead to brutal injuries and horrific deaths.
Lady Freethinker has documented horses running frantically in extreme heat after being frightened by low-flying helicopters. The chaos can result in broken necks, snapped legs, brain aneurysms or capture myopathy — a stress-induced condition that can prove fatal.
As of July 21, BLM has reported capturing 684 wild horses — including 159 foals — during the first week of operations and intends to remove a total of 1,675 wild horses by the end of this roundup.
In the last seven days, four horses have already died, including
• An 18-year-old mare who broke her neck during trailer transport.
• A bay foal who died in the trap from capture myopathy.
• A 4-year-old mare found deceased in a trailer with an inconclusive necropsy.
• A bay stallion, estimated to be over 10 years old, euthanized due to reportedly pre-existing, permanent blindness in one eye caused by a traumatic injury
A new bipartisan bill introduced in Congress, the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2025, would ban helicopter roundups and require BLM to adopt more humane population management strategies. Wild horse experts from several advocacy groups have called for fertility control via darting as a safe, science-based alternative that allows horses to remain on the range while maintaining ecological balance.
Lady Freethinker is urging the public to speak out and help end these brutal helicopter roundups in favor of more effective and less fatal approaches. A petition to stop cruel helicopter roundups has already collected more than 83,000 signatures.
About Lady Freethinker
Lady Freethinker is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to end animal suffering. LFT gives a voice to those who cannot speak out for themselves, and effects meaningful, lasting change through investigative reporting and other media, citizen petitions, and partnerships with rescuers and activists on the ground worldwide. Together, we are changing the way the world sees and treats animals for the better. Learn more at ladyfreethinker.org.
