The Californer - Lawsuit Filed to Stop Roundup of Wild Horses Near Yosemite, CA

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Californer -- Lawsuit Filed to Stop Roundup of Wild Horses Near Yosemite, CA

Sacramento, CA — On August 11, 2025, Plaintiffs Cherie Tobin, Wildlife Photographer; Craig Downer, Wildlife Ecologist; and Carl Mrozek, Wildlife Filmmaker, filed a federal lawsuit to halt the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) roundup that would permanently remove 624 of the 694 wild horses from the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory (MPWHT).

"If allowed to move forward, the roundup would inflict extreme suffering on the wild herd and erase their essential ecological role," said Craig Downer, Wildlife Ecologist.

The filing alleges violations of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, NEPA, and the Administrative Procedure Act for:

Failing to adopt the legally required Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) for nearly four decades.
Mismanaging water, fencing, recreation, and habitat, driving horses off the Territory.
Removing the very wild horses displaced by these failures.

"The agencies have had decades to manage this herd responsibly and legally, yet they have failed to adopt even the most basic plan required by law," said Randall Weiner, Lead Attorney for the plaintiffs. "Now they aim to punish the horses for their own failures."

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Plaintiffs are concerned about the herd's long-standing lack of water within their territory, forcing dangerous highway crossings to reach off-territory sources. Supporters urge solutions such as on-territory water access, solar well construction, or territory expansion to safeguard the herd's future.

Wild horses are a keystone species, supporting biodiversity, wildfire fuel reduction, soil aeration, seed dispersal, and the creation of diverse habitat mosaics. The MPWHT herd is also known for producing rare albino and light-colored horses, drawing photographers, researchers, and eco-tourists from across the country—enhancing the region's cultural and economic value.

Roundups stampede wild horses into traps, often causing broken necks, broken limbs, orphaned foals, and deaths. Afterwards, wild horses are warehoused in crowded, inhumane holding facilities at taxpayer expense for years.

"These wild horses have a place in the Circle of Life, which comprises all beings. I am dedicated to protecting them so they can stay on their land and remain in that Circle," said Cherie Tobin, physician and wildlife photographer.

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Links:

Lawsuit to stop the roundup filed August 11, 2025: https://www.easternsierrawildhorses.com/_files/ugd/a77df7_61ddeb69b4234804a25745c90da2a224.pdf

Mrozek's nature short as seen on CBS Sunday Morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9rBH--XqNk