Velma Bronn Johnston - Infinite Women

Born: 5 March 1912, United States
Died: 27 June 1877
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Wild Horse Annie, Velma Bronn

Also known as Wild Horse Annie, Velma Bronn Johnston was an American animal welfare advocate who fought to stop the mass killing of mustangs and free-roaming burros. Her work was key to passing legislation to prevent the use of aircraft and land vehicles in inhumanely capturing the animals.

Born in Nevada in 1912, she contracted polio as a child, resulting in disfigurements to her face and body. This would later be weaponized by her opponents to attempt to undermine her. She was also confined in a cast for months, giving her a particular empathy for caged animals. As an adult, Johnson worked as a secretary for an insurance company; she and her husband bought property that they named the “Double Lazy Heart Ranch.”

In 1950, Johnston saw a truck with horses tightly packed in the back, and blood dripping from the back. Following it to a slaughterhouse, she learned these were free-roaming horses taken from private and state lands in the Virginia Range. She lobbied for a bill that made these round-ups illegal on state and private lands, which passed in 1955. Although successful, this did not cover the federal lands that made up 86% of the state. With the support of Nevada’s U.S. Representative Walter S. Baring, the federal Wild Horse Annie Act (P.L. 86-234) passed in 1959, prohibiting the poisoning of water sources to kill or capture the animals in addition to the other restrictions. More than a decade later, her continued efforts – including rallying support from thousands of people – led to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (P.L. 92-195), which passed unanimously passed and was signed into law in 1971. This prohibited the capture, injury, or disturbance of free-roaming horses and burros. She was also able to establish dedicated sanctuaries for the animals, both before and after the passage of the Act.