"Wild Beauty" Filmmakers Announce Advocacy Website Calling for the End of Cruel and Dangerous Use of Aircraft in Wild Horse Roundups

LOS ANGELES, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The filmmakers behind the powerful documentary "Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West" announced the launch of the advocacy website IStandWithWildHorses.com to bring awareness to the plight of wild horses and stop the cruel and often deadly use of aircraft to pursue and capture wild horses in taxpayer-funded roundups.

As exposed in the groundbreaking documentary, the U.S. government often uses helicopters to terrify wild horses, separate them from their families and force them into captivity. For decades, the Bureau of Land Management, driven by corporations and special-interests to reduce the number of wild horses, has contracted private helicopter companies to pursue these iconic, federally protected animals across vast distances, often causing severe distress, injury and even death for the horses.

If something isn't done soon, wild horses will be lost to our history forever.

"I find it unfathomable that in our modern day, a government agency could possibly consider the use of a low flying helicopter a 'humane' way to treat wild horses," said Ashley Avis, the writer and director of Disney's Black Beauty, and Founder & President of The Wild Beauty Foundation.

In addition to outrage generated by the film, the mistreatment of wild horses is getting attention in Washington. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023, sponsored by Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, along with Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Steve Cohen (D-TN). The bill aims to amend the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 by prohibiting the cruel use of aircraft during the roundups of wild horses.

The "I Stand With Wild Horses" website allows wild horse supporters to advocate for the legislation, with links on the homepage so users can contact their elected representatives directly.

"These are highly intelligent flight animals; and the harrowing experience to me is barbaric. I sincerely hope that the bill will pass, and we will do everything we can to support the efforts of these admirable representatives," Avis says.

The website urges supporters to sign a pledge expressing their support for the protection of wild horses and the improvement of laws for humane management. There are also links to share social media photos and letters with the words "I Stand With Wild Horses" and #IStandWithWildHorses. The petition, letters, and social media posts will be presented to Congress, along with the award-winning documentary "Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West" in Washington D.C. on June 22, 2023.

The new website will be updated on a regular basis and visitors are encouraged to explore how they can Stand With Wild Horses at https://istandwithwildhorses.com.

About "Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West"

"Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West" is a sweeping, immersive journey into the world of wild horses that illuminates both the profound beauty and desperate plight they currently face in the Western United States. Filmmaker Ashley Avis (Disney's BLACK BEAUTY) and crew go on a multi-year expedition to uncover the truth and delve into the corruption befalling wild horses, and why they are being eradicated from Western public lands.

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SOURCE Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West