Wild Horse Protection Act of 1959, also known as the "Wild Horse Annie Act” (Public Law 86-234)

This was the first federal legislation to protect wild horses and burros. The law prohibited the use of a motor vehicle to hunt, for the purpose of capturing or killing, any wild horse, mare, colt, or burro running at large on public lands. This law also prohibited the pollution of watering holes on public lands for the purposes of trapping, killing, wounding, or maiming any of these animals.

A simple law:

18 U.S. Code § 47 - Use of aircraft or motor vehicles to hunt certain wild horses or burros; pollution of watering holes

(a) Whoever uses an aircraft or a motor vehicle to hunt, for the purpose of capturing or killing, any wild unbranded horse, mare, colt, or burro running at large on any of the public land or ranges shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(b) Whoever pollutes or causes the pollution of any watering hole on any of the public land or ranges for the purpose of trapping, killing, wounding, or maiming any of the animals referred to in subsection (a) of this section shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(c) As used in subsection (a) of this section—

(1)The term “aircraft” means any contrivance used for flight in the air; and

(2)The term “motor vehicle” includes an automobile, automobile truck, automobile wagon, motorcycle, or any other self-propelled vehicle designed for running on land.

“Wild Horse Annie” was the nickname of Velma Bronn Johnston. Velma pioneered the work to gain legal protections for our wild horses and burros.

On Monday, July 27, 1959, Velma made her way to Washington D.C. for a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee meeting on whether Congress should limit mechanized pursuit on public lands took place.

In two hours of testimony, Velma told the subcommittee how the horses were roped, injured, abused, slaughtered. How she had documented it all with a camera while her husband watched nearby with a loaded gun as four men tried to rope a herd into a truck for slaughter.

“I turned the camera toward the four men preparing to load the animals, and they piled into their car as though I had pointed a machine gun at them,” she testified. “Heading their vehicle straight toward our automobile, they veered off just inches from our bumper when they were faced by my husband armed with a .38…these men meant business, and so did I.”

”The mustang doesn’t belong just to Nevada. He is a symbol of freedom for all. He is our American heritage, as meaningful to us as the battlefield at Yorktown or the white church at Lexington. Even more so, because he is a living symbol.”

The 1959 law was her first legislative victory. This would not be the last time Velma testified before Congress. A lack of enforcement kept her focused on creating broader legislation and federal jurisdiction. Both came in the passage of the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act.

Excerpt:

VELMA JOHNSTON, a slim, vital, determined woman, stood on the hood of her station wagon with

camera in hand. She was there to photograph a band of captive wild horses illegally corralled in a

camouflaged pen – trapped for the rendering works of a pet food company.

In the front seat sat Velma’s husband, Charles, a .38 revolver on his lap.

Velma gazed toward the crude corral a long time before she snapped her pictures. The mustangs

were milling around in the dry dust, hysterical with fear. Their hoofs and mouths were bleeding from

the abuse received from their capturers. The horses emitted strange tortured cries, but the two rough

men in charge had but one thing on their minds: transporting the animals to the slaughter house.

Their contract stated that the animals “should be breathing” on arrival.

Suddenly the wranglers spotted Velma and her camera. They rushed for their truck and came roaring

down the dirt road toward the Johnstons. Charles leveled his .38 at the truck driver as Velma

scrambled for safety. At the last second, the truck veered and took to the open road.

DESERT MAGAZINE By Beverly Walter

Exhibit created and presented by Wild Horse Education.

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