Even though the Calico Mountain Complex roundups were concluded by the BLM on Friday, February 5th, wild horses who are now being held in the Indian Lakes Road facility near Fallon, Nevada, are continuing to perish at an alarming rate.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
BLM Admits “Gather” Likely Cause Of Foal Losing its Hooves
Horseback Magazine
By Steven Long
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The federal Bureau of Land Management has released a veterinary report to Horseback Magazine that was requested by several individuals and advocacy groups. The report provides sketchy details on the final days of a foal filmed by photo journalist and videographer Laura Leigh during a Nevada “gather” of wild horses.
In the report, BLM veterinarian Richard Sanford wrote that “The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case…” He went on to state that “poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.”
February 6, 2010
History and Report on Sloughed Hoof Colt
An eight month old colt arrived at the Indian Lakes Facility on about 1/20/2010 and was in very poor body condition and had sore feet. It was placed in the sick pen area where treatment could be administered. Over the next ten days, the colt was treated with phenylbutazone (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), penicillin (an antibiotic) and foot bandages (one front foot and both hind feet) on three occasions before it was euthanized on 1/30/2010.
The colt alternately improved and regressed. The colt would be standing while eating and drinking one day and not on the next day. The colt never was able to actually gain weight, improve body condition or show increased energy. Lameness improved with treatment but eventually the colt became too weak to stand. Hoof wall separation occurred on the front foot and one hind foot. The colt was euthanized for humane reasons.
The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case. However, the poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.
Richard Sanford, DVM
NV # 565
The roundup was held in the Calico Mountains. Wild horse advocates claim that horses were stampeded as much as 15 miles before being driven into pens. One horse, dubbed “Freedom” by advocates escaped and was photographed in dramatic still shots
The treatment of horses by BLM has sparked protests from coast to coast. On Sunday, another planned roundup was abruptly postponed by the agency.
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The federal Bureau of Land Management has released a veterinary report to Horseback Magazine that was requested by several individuals and advocacy groups. The report provides sketchy details on the final days of a foal filmed by photo journalist and videographer Laura Leigh during a Nevada “gather” of wild horses.
In the report, BLM veterinarian Richard Sanford wrote that “The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case…” He went on to state that “poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.”
February 6, 2010
History and Report on Sloughed Hoof Colt
An eight month old colt arrived at the Indian Lakes Facility on about 1/20/2010 and was in very poor body condition and had sore feet. It was placed in the sick pen area where treatment could be administered. Over the next ten days, the colt was treated with phenylbutazone (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), penicillin (an antibiotic) and foot bandages (one front foot and both hind feet) on three occasions before it was euthanized on 1/30/2010.
The colt alternately improved and regressed. The colt would be standing while eating and drinking one day and not on the next day. The colt never was able to actually gain weight, improve body condition or show increased energy. Lameness improved with treatment but eventually the colt became too weak to stand. Hoof wall separation occurred on the front foot and one hind foot. The colt was euthanized for humane reasons.
The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case. However, the poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.
Richard Sanford, DVM
NV # 565
The roundup was held in the Calico Mountains. Wild horse advocates claim that horses were stampeded as much as 15 miles before being driven into pens. One horse, dubbed “Freedom” by advocates escaped and was photographed in dramatic still shots
The treatment of horses by BLM has sparked protests from coast to coast. On Sunday, another planned roundup was abruptly postponed by the agency.
Star Studded Wild Horse Documentary Hits Santa Barbara Film Festival
Disappointment Valley... A Modern Day Western
_________________________________
Media Contact:
Makendra Silverman
Tel: 719-351-8187
Anne Novak
Tel: 415.531.8454
For Immediate Release
Star Studded Wild Horse Documentary Hits Santa Barbara Film Festival
New Film Reveals Ruthless Destruction of Wild Horse and Burro Herds on Public Lands
Santa Barbara CA (February 8, 2009)—Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation appears in James Kleinert’s newest film, Disappointment Valley...A Modern Day Western screening now at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This feature-length documentary examines the politics behind the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) controversial policies on public lands and questions the fate of America's wild horses and burros, whose very existence is in jeopardy. Screenings are Monday, February 8th 4:45pm Metro 4, Theatre IV and Thursday, February 11th 6:30pm at Victoria Hall. For more information call 805-963-0023 or visit the festival web site at www.sbiff.org.
The film includes interviews with Jim Baca, (former Director of the Bureau of Land Management under the Clinton Administration), Michael Blake, (Writer, Dances With Wolves and Wild Horse Advocate), Ginger Kathrens (Emmy-Award filmmaker of the Cloud Series), Sheryl Crow, Viggo Mortensen, Daryl Hannah, scientific experts, animal rights activists and environmentalists as well as examines the effects of the 2004 legislation that cleared the way for the removal and slaughter of America’s wild horses.
"We are losing wild horses in the west as a rogue government agency is left unchecked. Our government needs to start listening to the public outcry out or our American mustangs will go the way of the buffalo," states Ginger Kathrens, Emmy-award winning filmmaker and Executive Director, The Cloud Foundation. "The Bureau of Land Management is not just trying to destroy wild horses, they're really challenging the system of democracy in the US and this is a very, very dangerous path they've gone down.
Disappointment Valley is an inspiring reminder to take action to protect America’s wild horses and burros and to preserve our public lands in the West. A 20 minute Q & A after the screenings with Director James Kleinert and Dr. Elliot Katz (Founder, In Defense of Animals to participate in Q & A on Thursday, February 11th).
Disappointment Valley documents the struggle of an animal that has long symbolized freedom, individualism and unbridled passion in America. Kleinert examines the origins and effects of the recent "Burns Bill" which gutted the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 and cleared the way for the removal and slaughter of wild horses in America. Greed and corruption take center stage, exposing deceit within the Department of the Interior. The film also explores the current impacts on western public lands by oil, gas, mining and corporate cattle grazing. The once free-roaming horses now face euthanasia, or worse, being shipped to Mexico for brutal slaughter.
With over ten years of filmmaking and six documentaries, James Kleinert continues to release film projects dealing with American Indian stories as well as environmental and action sports themes from his company, Moving Cloud Productions. His short film, Wild Horse Spirit, was part of the Emmy award winning show Natural Heroes that aired on PBS. Kleinert’s driving force is to empower the human spirit, mind and body in a harmonious nature.
“I hope this film will not only educate viewers about the disturbing, massive removals of our horses but inspire change for the future of these precious animals,” explains James Kleinert.
# # #
For press inquiries please contact Weil Public Relations, 818-341-3646 / 818-378-8995, rachel@weilpr.com
Challenge to Arabian body over slaughter stance
Horsetalk
Its sole purpose is to gather petition signatures that call on the board of the 37,000-member organisation to rescind the motion endorsing equine slaughter. The new group argues the association's position has divided membership, projects a conflicting public image and is a betrayal of the breed.
The 29-member board of the the AHA passed the motion at its May meeting.
"As a breed association, it is the Arabian Horse Association's directive to promote and preserve the Arabian horse," said AHAMS representative Kathleen Gregory.
"A slaughter endorsement by the board of directors is not in keeping with AHA's mission and is a betrayal of the very breed it is supposed to represent."
"It is questionable whether endorsing re-opening slaughterhouses in the US is truly in the best interest of horses.
"That is a personal issue for members to decide for themselves," she said.
"In what way does this action best serve the Arabian breed and the Association?" she asked.
"Their decision to take this position is an ill-considered action that does nothing to inspire support and ongoing commitment, nor does it motivate those who are connected to the organisation.
"Based on the directives of the mission statement, it is not appropriate for the Arabian Horse Association to take any official position on horse slaughter," she said.
"There is no benefit for the organisation, it divides the membership, and projects a conflicting public image of the association.
"The negative response to this motion by the equine community, along with significant unflattering press, is damaging to the organisation and does not serve to promote the Arabian horse."
AHAMS believes the board should rescind the resolution and instead adopt a "neutral" position on horse slaughter.
A group of Arabian Horse Association members are challenging the board's decision to support the re-opening of US slaughter plants.
A group of American Arabian Horse Association members have joined forces to challenge its board's support for re-opening US slaughter facilities.
The group of members and volunteers have formed an organisation called Arabian Horse Association Mission Supporters, or AHAMS.Its sole purpose is to gather petition signatures that call on the board of the 37,000-member organisation to rescind the motion endorsing equine slaughter. The new group argues the association's position has divided membership, projects a conflicting public image and is a betrayal of the breed.
The 29-member board of the the AHA passed the motion at its May meeting.
"As a breed association, it is the Arabian Horse Association's directive to promote and preserve the Arabian horse," said AHAMS representative Kathleen Gregory.
"A slaughter endorsement by the board of directors is not in keeping with AHA's mission and is a betrayal of the very breed it is supposed to represent."
"It is questionable whether endorsing re-opening slaughterhouses in the US is truly in the best interest of horses.
"That is a personal issue for members to decide for themselves," she said.
"To act in the best interest of the horse as a breed organisation is to provide and promote activities involving the Arabian and Half Arabian, which in turn creates interest in, and increases the value and demand for the breed."
Gregory believes the board's resolution went beyond the organisation's mission statement to preserve and promote the Arabian horse."In what way does this action best serve the Arabian breed and the Association?" she asked.
"Their decision to take this position is an ill-considered action that does nothing to inspire support and ongoing commitment, nor does it motivate those who are connected to the organisation.
"Based on the directives of the mission statement, it is not appropriate for the Arabian Horse Association to take any official position on horse slaughter," she said.
"There is no benefit for the organisation, it divides the membership, and projects a conflicting public image of the association.
"The negative response to this motion by the equine community, along with significant unflattering press, is damaging to the organisation and does not serve to promote the Arabian horse."
AHAMS believes the board should rescind the resolution and instead adopt a "neutral" position on horse slaughter.
More information: http://www.ahamsupport.com/ The group's petition is here. Email: ahamsupporters@gmail.com Horse slaughter in the news
Tuesday's Horse News: BLM do as we say not as we do in sheltering wild horses/Roundups the obvious bullet to wild horses?
Tuesday's Horse
For those who plan to adopt a wild horse or burro, you must provide adequate shelter from bad weather, not something the BLM bothered to hold themselves accountable for in their massive helicopter round in the Calico Complex area of northern Nevada conducted in harsh, wintry conditions.
________________________________
Think roundups are the obvious bullet to wild horses? Think again. Armies of barren mares may be coming to a range near you.
“Activitists claim the BLM is also using birth control drugs to make the remaining herds genetically bankrupt and unable to propogate. They claim there will be no wild horses roaming free unless the BLM roundups and activities are stopped.” (Horseback Magazine)
U.S. Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar, says lands acquired by the BLM and/or its partners “would provide excellent opportunities to celebrate the historic significance of wild horses, showcase these animals to the American public, and serve as natural assets that support local tourism and economic activity.”
Further, that “the wild horse herds placed in these preserves would be NON-reproducing. This effort would involve slowing population growth rates of wild horses on Western public rangelands through the AGGRESSIVE use of fertility control, the active management of sex ratios on the range, and perhaps even the introduction of non-reproducing herds in some of the BLM’s existing Herd Management Areas in 10 Western states.” (10/7/09, Sec of Interior’s Plan Letter to Congress)
It remains unclear who BLM “partners” in showcasing “these animals to the American public” are. It is clear, however, who its partner is in making these mares barren, namely HSUS with its contraceptive porcine zona pellucida or PZP. (10/23/06, Memorandum of Understanding)
From what we understood, mares from roundups would be given PZP and returned to the herd areas where they were taken from. Alarming, in that the BLM are notorious for not returning wild horses and burros it gathers to their herd management areas. Darting in sanctuary settings? That would make them non-producing alright.
Records of this and what impact it is having or would have on herd numbers is not readily available. Or is it? If so, sorry, but where is it?
Was it or was it not the original intention of the HSUS PZP birth control plan implemented in partnership with the BLM would negate the need for roundups, thereby bringing an end to them?
Anyway, Wayne Pacelle of HSUS is now crying “foul” of the BLM and its continued massive roundups of wild horses, citing his group’s PZP plan is THE answer.
Alright then, how about the HSUS using its data demonstrating PZP is working on reducing herd numbers to persuade the BLM to stop the roundups? Oh, we see, this is being done in private meetings with the BLM in Washington. Is that right? Just asking.
Looks like that argument would fall on deaf ears anyway.
In a New York Times article from April, 2009:
The Bureau of Land Management has another view. It does use the contraceptive on some 2,200 horses, but says the technique has limits.
This does not sound like it meets the aggressive standard set by Salazar above. Keep reading.
“In its fluid form, it’s only good for a year,” said Tom Gorey, a spokesman for the bureau’s Wild Horse and Burro Program in Washington (speaking about PZP to Jim Robbins). “We only gather the herds every four years, so that’s a problem.”
Wild horses, [Gorey] said, are scattered all over the West, and tracking them down for annual treatment is impossible. “We’re not Assateague Island,” he continued, referring to the small, contained wild horse refuge in Maryland.
What? Given BLM’s dismal track record in documenting anything to do with wild horses and burros, how do they know “it’s only good for a year?”
The “breaking news” the past fews days has been the early termination of the Calico Complex roundup in northern Nevada before it reached the maxed out number of 2,500 and the sidelined roundup of another 500 from the Eagle Mountain Herd Management Area, also in Nevada.
Roundups are an obvious bullet to decimating our wild horses herds. Armies of barren mares a not so obvious one.
Sources:
– http://www.stevenlongwriter.com/, Horseback Magazine
– https://community.hsus.org/campaign/BLM_2008_wildhorses_burros/explanation, HSUS website
– http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/blm_wild_horses_071108.html, HSUS website
– As Wild Horses Breed, a Voice for Contraception, The New York Times
2010 February 8
SHELTER REQUIREMENTSFollowing the cancellation of the Calico roundup, the public are forbidden to view the wild horses now in captivity, who knows under what conditions, we will receive no notice of the deaths, or their cause.
Adopted wild horses and burros must be provided shelter from bad weather. A run-in shed attached to a corral, or a box stall in a barn & attached to a corral are fine – so long as the animal may move freely between the corral and shelter without needing to be handled, and without risk of escape.
Shelter or stall space should be at least 12 X 12 feet per animal. The BLM requirement is that the house have a roof and at least two walls, to protect from strong winds and driving rain or snow. If you are not adopting through BLM, you should still, for humane reasons, provide a shelter that is appropriate for your climate.
________________________________
Roundups the obvious bullet to wild horses?
Jay Kirkpatrick darts wild mares with PZP at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota. Does it wear off in one year, or make them barren? Photograph by Anne Kilpatrick-NYT
OPINIONThink roundups are the obvious bullet to wild horses? Think again. Armies of barren mares may be coming to a range near you.
“Activitists claim the BLM is also using birth control drugs to make the remaining herds genetically bankrupt and unable to propogate. They claim there will be no wild horses roaming free unless the BLM roundups and activities are stopped.” (Horseback Magazine)
U.S. Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar, says lands acquired by the BLM and/or its partners “would provide excellent opportunities to celebrate the historic significance of wild horses, showcase these animals to the American public, and serve as natural assets that support local tourism and economic activity.”
Further, that “the wild horse herds placed in these preserves would be NON-reproducing. This effort would involve slowing population growth rates of wild horses on Western public rangelands through the AGGRESSIVE use of fertility control, the active management of sex ratios on the range, and perhaps even the introduction of non-reproducing herds in some of the BLM’s existing Herd Management Areas in 10 Western states.” (10/7/09, Sec of Interior’s Plan Letter to Congress)
It remains unclear who BLM “partners” in showcasing “these animals to the American public” are. It is clear, however, who its partner is in making these mares barren, namely HSUS with its contraceptive porcine zona pellucida or PZP. (10/23/06, Memorandum of Understanding)
From what we understood, mares from roundups would be given PZP and returned to the herd areas where they were taken from. Alarming, in that the BLM are notorious for not returning wild horses and burros it gathers to their herd management areas. Darting in sanctuary settings? That would make them non-producing alright.
Records of this and what impact it is having or would have on herd numbers is not readily available. Or is it? If so, sorry, but where is it?
Was it or was it not the original intention of the HSUS PZP birth control plan implemented in partnership with the BLM would negate the need for roundups, thereby bringing an end to them?
Anyway, Wayne Pacelle of HSUS is now crying “foul” of the BLM and its continued massive roundups of wild horses, citing his group’s PZP plan is THE answer.
Alright then, how about the HSUS using its data demonstrating PZP is working on reducing herd numbers to persuade the BLM to stop the roundups? Oh, we see, this is being done in private meetings with the BLM in Washington. Is that right? Just asking.
Looks like that argument would fall on deaf ears anyway.
In a New York Times article from April, 2009:
The Bureau of Land Management has another view. It does use the contraceptive on some 2,200 horses, but says the technique has limits.
This does not sound like it meets the aggressive standard set by Salazar above. Keep reading.
“In its fluid form, it’s only good for a year,” said Tom Gorey, a spokesman for the bureau’s Wild Horse and Burro Program in Washington (speaking about PZP to Jim Robbins). “We only gather the herds every four years, so that’s a problem.”
Wild horses, [Gorey] said, are scattered all over the West, and tracking them down for annual treatment is impossible. “We’re not Assateague Island,” he continued, referring to the small, contained wild horse refuge in Maryland.
What? Given BLM’s dismal track record in documenting anything to do with wild horses and burros, how do they know “it’s only good for a year?”
The “breaking news” the past fews days has been the early termination of the Calico Complex roundup in northern Nevada before it reached the maxed out number of 2,500 and the sidelined roundup of another 500 from the Eagle Mountain Herd Management Area, also in Nevada.
Roundups are an obvious bullet to decimating our wild horses herds. Armies of barren mares a not so obvious one.
Sources:
– http://www.stevenlongwriter.com/, Horseback Magazine
– https://community.hsus.org/campaign/BLM_2008_wildhorses_burros/explanation, HSUS website
– http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/blm_wild_horses_071108.html, HSUS website
– As Wild Horses Breed, a Voice for Contraception, The New York Times
New DOI public website for ideas/comments
Open until March 19th! This is the admins plan for Gov. Transparency in action. public feedback time BLM.!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
