To my surprise, the presence of wild horses and burros across the western United States is a very controversial topic. There are two sides to the argument, both of which have very interesting points. On one side, you have BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and ecologists arguing the wild horses and burros are a re-introduced species and destructive to the desert ecosystem. On the other side, you have those who believe horses should stay wild and do not need to be monitored. This controversy appears to be another sad ecological problem where animals and ecosystems suffer due to humans.
Return to Freedom is a wild horse conservation organization. To help conserve and protect wild horses, they have created a sanctuary to house the wild horses and burros they adopt from BLM holding facilities. Their stance on the controversy is pro-keeping wild horses roaming the western United States. Their goal is to keep horses and burros wild and find a safe and more ethical way to manage their population.
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As I analyze this website, it is easy to understand whom the audience invoked is. Return to Freedom has created its website to appeal to those on the side of keeping horses wild. To acquire supporters for their sanctuary, their website provides information about what happens to wild horses being taken out of the wild. Their organization provides education about the current situation of overpopulation as deemed by BLM. The educational and advocacy programs offer different opportunities for those interested in the cause. You can join them in watching a roundup carried out by BLM or visit their facility to learn about the centuries-old breeds that make up the wild horse population. With the current turmoil and controversy surrounding this topic, their information and solutions give the website a kairotic element. The Return to Freedom website is available to anyone who has access to a device to connect to the internet. For those wishing to visit their sanctuary, it is located in Lompoc, California.
Return to Freedom offers many opportunities for both wild horses, supporters, and prospective supporters. While many organizations argue about a topic but lack solutions and help, Return to Freedom offers both. They have created a solution for the horses already affected by the roundups stuck in holding facilities while still working towards keeping horses out of those facilities. To further support these animals, they keep them in similar living conditions just as they were in the wild. There are no changes to their daily lives or intrusion by humans (unless necessary). To work towards safely maintaining the wild horse and burro population, they suggest ethical solutions to lawmakers. As they continue towards their goal, they offer great resources for anyone interested in the topic. They work to explain how these animals have become symbols of the United States. Some of the horses that are roaming today are direct decedents of those who lived centuries ago.
Return to Freedom utilizes different strategies to appeal to logos, pathos, and ethos, to achieve the purpose of their website. Logos creates a grounded and logical aspect to the website. A non-profit organization that fights for a cause without offering solutions or resources is just making accusations. Pathos adds emotional elements to inspire or move visitors. When trying to sway someone's opinion, emotion is often added to help assist that opinion in favor of the cause discussed. Ethos adds creditability and respect. This is often used to show that the information provided is factual.
To appeal to logos, Return to Freedom uses different pages to supply resources and information. The navigation bar is located at the top of the site with contrasting colors that pop. On this navigation bar, you can find several pages that offer extensive information about their organization and what they do. As you hover your mouse over navigation tabs, more page options drop-down so visitors can see every page without leaving the one they are on. You can find educational resources, information about
their sanctuary, their vision for wild horses, and much more. This information provided throughout the site gives visitors details to better understand the site's purpose and why it was created.
The website uses many upsetting articles and videos about the current wild horse crisis to appeal to pathos. When you open the site, you are met with a video of happy horses they have rescued galloping through a field. As you continue navigating the site, you will encounter articles about the depleting population of wild horses and burros. There are also videos of horses injuring themselves and even dying during a BLM roundup or after arriving at a holding facility. You can also find information about what happens to the horses that are not
rehomed or adopted. These disturbing and
saddening elements are used on the site not only
to evoke emotion but to inform viewers of the
grueling situations these animals are put
through.
To appeal to ethos, the website explains
how the information on the topic is factual and
from a trustworthy source. Return to Freedom
uses many methods to show visitors that they
are a credible organization. A page is dedicated
to their team and staff to show how everyone is
experienced with wild horses and is equipped with the skills to care for the animals properly. There is an acknowledgment and supporters ' page to further prove to viewers that their organization is credible. By showing the audience that the information and resources provided on the site are trustworthy, they can use this element to prove their argument to visitors.
Return to Freedom has created an excellent website for a great cause. They have done fantastic work to help adopt and rehome the animals stuck in holding facilities. Unfortunately, the hundreds of horses and burros they have rescued have not even made a dent in the number of horses kept in holding facilities.
The argument opposing Return to Freedom's goal is that wild horses and burros are destroying an ecosystem they are not native to. BLM has granted a set population of wild horses to assist the ecosystems where they roam. BLM rounds up the horses that tip the scale and transports them to holding facilities to achieve this. In these holding facilities, horses and burros can be adopted—those who are not adopted face a sad fate and are either euthanized or slaughtered. The system is undeniably dysfunctional and needs improvement, to say the least. Unfortunately, as of late, BLM has not created any new plans on how to fix the issue, and horses are arriving by the thousands in the holding facilities. Hopefully, there will be a program conducive to supporting and maintaining a thriving ecosystem, native wildlife population, and wild horse population in the near future.
While the argument between both parties could go in circles, one thing can be said that both sides can agree on, these animals should not suffer due to the mistake of humans. We as humans have made mistakes very similar to this far too many times. We can't continue to place the blame on animals when we are the ones at fault for their misery. It is heartbreaking to see animals suffer on our account, but problems like these will only continue without solutions and investigation.
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Sources:
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Freedom, Home. "Home - Return To Freedom". Return To Freedom, 2021, https://returntofreedom.org/. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.
"Wild Horses, Wilder Controversy". Adventure, 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/wild-horses-part-one. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.
"The Surprising History Of America's Wild Horses". Livescience.Com, 2008, https://www.livescience.com/9589-surprising-history-america-wild-horses.html. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.
"Wild Horse And Burro Populations Decrease In Past Year - The Wildlife Society". The Wildlife Society, 2021, https://wildlife.org/wild-horse-and-burro-populations-decrease-in-past-year/. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.
"History Of America’S Wild Horses". American Wild Horse Campaign, 2021, https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/history-americas-wild-horses. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.
