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A former wrangler at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's wild horse corrals near Burns was accused Thursday of failing to properly care for more than 20 Kiger mustang horses he owned, including one that died. Read MORE...
Showing posts with label Bureau of Land Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bureau of Land Management. Show all posts
Friday, March 18, 2011
Sunday, December 5, 2010
December 2010 Click the Horseback Cover to Open the Online Magazine December Cover Breaking New Archives * December 2010 (26) * November 2010 (120) * October 2010 (165) * September 2010 (166) * August 2010 (120) * July 2010 (113) * June 2010 (138) * May 2010 (42) EWA Charges BLM Commissionar Stacked the Deck, Has Bogus Office
Horseback Magazine
BLM Delivers another Public Relations Nightmare
Photo by Terry Fitch
CHICAGO, (EWA) – The Bureau of Land Management’s December 3rd Observer’s Report evaluating BLM’s handling of wild horse round-ups has left advocates and independent observers stunned. It is impossible, they say, to reconcile the positive, almost congratulatory findings with the mountain of negative evidence they have collected over the past year.
The disconnect appears to begin with BLM’s appointment of Robin Lohnes to its Wild Horse Advisory Board. Lohnes in turn appointed the “independent observers”.
Lohnes is the executive director of the American Horse Protection Association (AHPA). The AHPA has no website and maintains only a small, unoccupied office on the lower level of a Georgetown hotel. If the organization has been involved in any activity (horse protection or otherwise) since the 1990’s they have managed to conceal it both from Google and from the hotel’s maid who told an EWA investigator that she had never observed anyone in the office.
The report’s observers witnessed a 3 – 4 day period from 3 round-ups conducted during the summer; the Owyhee Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada, the Stinking Waters HMA in Oregon, and the Twin Peaks HMA in California.
Typical of the findings were comments like, “contractor and BLM personnel appeared to be gentle and knowledgeable, horses did not exhibit undue stress or show signs of extreme sweating or duress due to the helicopter portion of the gather…”
It is difficult to reconcile this with independent observations at round-ups like that in the Calico complex. There, the helicopter, that the report claims was no louder than a riding mower, literally ran hooves off of foals. There were at least 39 simultaneous abortions in pregnant mares and a reported death toll of 160. Dozens of videos and hundreds of photographs were released that tell a totally different story than the observer’s report.
Virtually every round-up over the past year has had inexcusable incidents that would have no doubt gone unreported if independent observers were not present to capture the incidents on video and photographs. A recent round-up video documents a stallion that was literally lifted off the ground by a helicopter. In another case, BLM’s “gentle and knowledgeable veterinarian” was captured on video amusing himself by poking a stick at terrorized mustangs packed into a truck.
Suzanne Roy, Director of American Wild Horse Preservation commented “This biased report is an attempt to deflect increased scrutiny on and public opposition to the BLM’s inhumane wild horse roundups. The report’s authors do not have any wild horse handling experience and its conclusions are not credible and lack scientific validity.”
One hand-picked observer is outspoken horse slaughter proponent, Dr. Carolyn Stull from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Stull aggressively opposed Proposition 6 in California, a law that banned the slaughter of horses. She testified that there would be increases in abuse and neglect if the proposition was passed. Not only did her warnings prove false, but horse thefts decreased 39% in the year after the law was enacted (1998), and continued to decline over the years that followed.
The Equine Welfare Alliance and wild horse advocates across the country are calling for an independent commission appointed by Congress to oversee the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Enough tax payer dollars have been wasted on Public Relation firms to change the perception of a rouge government agency that has no intention of changing.
For the BLM to regain any credibility, their claims of being transparent must be backed-up with actions. Allowing truly independent observers at all stages of round-ups and at holding facilities would be a good start.
EWA President John Holland summed up the organization’s position, saying “The BLM needs to understand that this is the age of Wikileaks, cell phone cameras and YouTube. Attempting to hide a smoldering pile of misdeeds with a fanciful report, instead of trying to fix problems, only makes the agency look more dishonest and inept.
Photo by Terry Fitch
CHICAGO, (EWA) – The Bureau of Land Management’s December 3rd Observer’s Report evaluating BLM’s handling of wild horse round-ups has left advocates and independent observers stunned. It is impossible, they say, to reconcile the positive, almost congratulatory findings with the mountain of negative evidence they have collected over the past year.The disconnect appears to begin with BLM’s appointment of Robin Lohnes to its Wild Horse Advisory Board. Lohnes in turn appointed the “independent observers”.
Lohnes is the executive director of the American Horse Protection Association (AHPA). The AHPA has no website and maintains only a small, unoccupied office on the lower level of a Georgetown hotel. If the organization has been involved in any activity (horse protection or otherwise) since the 1990’s they have managed to conceal it both from Google and from the hotel’s maid who told an EWA investigator that she had never observed anyone in the office.
The report’s observers witnessed a 3 – 4 day period from 3 round-ups conducted during the summer; the Owyhee Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada, the Stinking Waters HMA in Oregon, and the Twin Peaks HMA in California.
Typical of the findings were comments like, “contractor and BLM personnel appeared to be gentle and knowledgeable, horses did not exhibit undue stress or show signs of extreme sweating or duress due to the helicopter portion of the gather…”
It is difficult to reconcile this with independent observations at round-ups like that in the Calico complex. There, the helicopter, that the report claims was no louder than a riding mower, literally ran hooves off of foals. There were at least 39 simultaneous abortions in pregnant mares and a reported death toll of 160. Dozens of videos and hundreds of photographs were released that tell a totally different story than the observer’s report.
Virtually every round-up over the past year has had inexcusable incidents that would have no doubt gone unreported if independent observers were not present to capture the incidents on video and photographs. A recent round-up video documents a stallion that was literally lifted off the ground by a helicopter. In another case, BLM’s “gentle and knowledgeable veterinarian” was captured on video amusing himself by poking a stick at terrorized mustangs packed into a truck.
Suzanne Roy, Director of American Wild Horse Preservation commented “This biased report is an attempt to deflect increased scrutiny on and public opposition to the BLM’s inhumane wild horse roundups. The report’s authors do not have any wild horse handling experience and its conclusions are not credible and lack scientific validity.”
One hand-picked observer is outspoken horse slaughter proponent, Dr. Carolyn Stull from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Stull aggressively opposed Proposition 6 in California, a law that banned the slaughter of horses. She testified that there would be increases in abuse and neglect if the proposition was passed. Not only did her warnings prove false, but horse thefts decreased 39% in the year after the law was enacted (1998), and continued to decline over the years that followed.
The Equine Welfare Alliance and wild horse advocates across the country are calling for an independent commission appointed by Congress to oversee the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Enough tax payer dollars have been wasted on Public Relation firms to change the perception of a rouge government agency that has no intention of changing.
For the BLM to regain any credibility, their claims of being transparent must be backed-up with actions. Allowing truly independent observers at all stages of round-ups and at holding facilities would be a good start.
EWA President John Holland summed up the organization’s position, saying “The BLM needs to understand that this is the age of Wikileaks, cell phone cameras and YouTube. Attempting to hide a smoldering pile of misdeeds with a fanciful report, instead of trying to fix problems, only makes the agency look more dishonest and inept.
Friday, December 3, 2010
BLM Chief Gives Reasons for Attending Slaughterfest 2011
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Contacts: Tom Gorey , 202-912-7420
The Department of Interior and the BLM have already removed from the discussion table any consideration of the euthanasia of healthy wild horses and the unlimited sale of older horses, even though these legal authorities exist under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended. Having taken the position that slaughter is not a viable or acceptable management option, I will focus my remarks on the present and future course of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, which the BLM is committed to putting on a sustainable track, as called for by the Government Accountability Office in a report issued in October 2008. I am also open to discussing new management approaches, and have already had talks with Madeleine Pickens regarding a possible wild horse ecosanctuary.
I recently met with wild horse advocates in Sacramento, California, including representatives of the Humane Society of the United States and the Cloud Foundation. I have demonstrated a willingness to discuss the BLM’s management of wild horses and burros with any organization interested in ensuring the health and welfare of wild horses and burros, both on and off the range. Some of these organizations take conflicting positions on what is the best way to manage wild horses and burros, but that is to be expected and welcomed in a nation known for free and open dialogue on controversial issues.
Unaltered BLM Press Release – LIVE LINK
Release Date: 12/03/10Contacts: Tom Gorey , 202-912-7420
Statement of BLM Director Bob Abbey on “Summit of the Horse”
BLM's Abbey attempts to defend appearance at Horse Slaughter Convention
I recently met with wild horse advocates in Sacramento, California, including representatives of the Humane Society of the United States and the Cloud Foundation. I have demonstrated a willingness to discuss the BLM’s management of wild horses and burros with any organization interested in ensuring the health and welfare of wild horses and burros, both on and off the range. Some of these organizations take conflicting positions on what is the best way to manage wild horses and burros, but that is to be expected and welcomed in a nation known for free and open dialogue on controversial issues.
The BLM manages more land – more than 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
–BLM–
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
BLM Director Bob Abbey Endorses Vegas Summit by Accepting Invitation to Speak
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Story by Steven Long ~ editor/publisher of Horseback Magazine
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The director of the federal Bureau of Land Management has endorsed a pro-slaughter rally by “tentatively” accepting an invitation to speak at the “Summit of the Horse.” The Las Vegas event is sponsored by the radical pro-horse-slaughter group United Horsemen, a Cheyenne, Wyoming organization headed by GOP State Rep. Sue Wallis.
Other BLM personnel advertised to attend are Dr. Boyd Spratling, a member of the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, Dave Cattoor, the BLM lead helicopter contractor, Larry Johnson, a former advisory board member, and Dean Bolstead a management specialist with the Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The BLM chief Washington spokesman, Tom Gorey told Horseback Magazine that Abbey, an Obama appointee, would speak.
“I can confirm that BLM Director Bob Abbey has tentatively accepted an invitation to speak at the horse summit,” Gorey said. “I would note that the Department of Interior and the BLM have already removed from the discussion table any consideration of the euthanasia of healthy wild horses and the unlimited sale of older horses, even though these legal authorities exist under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended.”
By using the term “unlimited sale,” Gorey is acknowledging that the agency has prohibited the sale of captured wild horses to “killer buyers” who haunt the nation’s horse auction houses and buy cheap horses, and sometimes family pets, then sell them in Canada and Mexico for slaughter. But by accepting the invitation, Abbey has at the very least given the slaughter of wild horses the agency imprimatur of acceptance by an agency which only two years ago was considering euthanasia of the herds by the tens of thousands according to a report leaked to the Associated Press and reported.
“The Director’s remarks will therefore be limited to the present and future course of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, which the BLM is committed to putting on a sustainable track, as called for by the Government Accountability Office in a report issued in October 2008,” Gorey said. “The Director is also open to discussing the wild horse eco-sanctuary proposal of Madeleine Pickens and similar proposals,” he told the magazine.
Gorey didn’t explain why Abbey would discuss the eco-sanctuary proposal of the Texas billionaire and her husband with Wallis and others in attendance who primarily want to develop a market for horse meat and rid BLM lands of horses to open up new grazing leases.
Gorey could not confirm any of the other BLM personnel and former personnel would be attending, including Bolstead who he said was out of the office Wednesday afternoon when the story broke.
United Horsemen came into being shortly after the election of Sue Wallis to the Wyoming legislature. It has had scant success in putting together a viable program until recently when the Summit was announced. Earlier, the group announced several BLM officials had confirmed they would be attending. Upon contacting the agency, none of the officials had accepted an invitation. The current set of officials the group is claiming will attend were not among the original names made public. None of those names are currently listed as speakers.
The slaughter of American horses for human consumption is illegal in the United States. Studies have shown that it is unlikely that a viable market for domestic horsemeat will ever again develop, either here or abroad, because of the toxicity of American horses which are frequently given high doses dangerous chemicals in drugs such as phenylbutazone and horse wormers. The European Union has banned the import of American horsemeat containing such toxic substances that are dangerous to humans. Yesterday the Senate passed a law, already enacted by the House, giving the Food and Drug Administration vastly increased power over the nation’s food supply. It is extremely dubious that untainted horsemeat in sufficient numbrs would ever past FDA inspections. President Obama is expected to sign the the new legislation into law.
Asked if FDA authority over food, including horse meat, would have any impact on plans for a horse slaughter plant Summit official Dave Duquette would not comment.
As a public service to our readers, Horseback is reprinting the entire progam of the event which was provided to the magazine by Duquette.
Story by Steven Long ~ editor/publisher of Horseback Magazine
“Thumbs Up” on Wild Horse Slaughter from Obama’s Bob Abbey
BLM King Pin supports slaughtering native wild horses for human consumption
Other BLM personnel advertised to attend are Dr. Boyd Spratling, a member of the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, Dave Cattoor, the BLM lead helicopter contractor, Larry Johnson, a former advisory board member, and Dean Bolstead a management specialist with the Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The BLM chief Washington spokesman, Tom Gorey told Horseback Magazine that Abbey, an Obama appointee, would speak.
“I can confirm that BLM Director Bob Abbey has tentatively accepted an invitation to speak at the horse summit,” Gorey said. “I would note that the Department of Interior and the BLM have already removed from the discussion table any consideration of the euthanasia of healthy wild horses and the unlimited sale of older horses, even though these legal authorities exist under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended.”
By using the term “unlimited sale,” Gorey is acknowledging that the agency has prohibited the sale of captured wild horses to “killer buyers” who haunt the nation’s horse auction houses and buy cheap horses, and sometimes family pets, then sell them in Canada and Mexico for slaughter. But by accepting the invitation, Abbey has at the very least given the slaughter of wild horses the agency imprimatur of acceptance by an agency which only two years ago was considering euthanasia of the herds by the tens of thousands according to a report leaked to the Associated Press and reported.
“The Director’s remarks will therefore be limited to the present and future course of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, which the BLM is committed to putting on a sustainable track, as called for by the Government Accountability Office in a report issued in October 2008,” Gorey said. “The Director is also open to discussing the wild horse eco-sanctuary proposal of Madeleine Pickens and similar proposals,” he told the magazine.
Gorey didn’t explain why Abbey would discuss the eco-sanctuary proposal of the Texas billionaire and her husband with Wallis and others in attendance who primarily want to develop a market for horse meat and rid BLM lands of horses to open up new grazing leases.
Gorey could not confirm any of the other BLM personnel and former personnel would be attending, including Bolstead who he said was out of the office Wednesday afternoon when the story broke.
United Horsemen came into being shortly after the election of Sue Wallis to the Wyoming legislature. It has had scant success in putting together a viable program until recently when the Summit was announced. Earlier, the group announced several BLM officials had confirmed they would be attending. Upon contacting the agency, none of the officials had accepted an invitation. The current set of officials the group is claiming will attend were not among the original names made public. None of those names are currently listed as speakers.
The slaughter of American horses for human consumption is illegal in the United States. Studies have shown that it is unlikely that a viable market for domestic horsemeat will ever again develop, either here or abroad, because of the toxicity of American horses which are frequently given high doses dangerous chemicals in drugs such as phenylbutazone and horse wormers. The European Union has banned the import of American horsemeat containing such toxic substances that are dangerous to humans. Yesterday the Senate passed a law, already enacted by the House, giving the Food and Drug Administration vastly increased power over the nation’s food supply. It is extremely dubious that untainted horsemeat in sufficient numbrs would ever past FDA inspections. President Obama is expected to sign the the new legislation into law.
Asked if FDA authority over food, including horse meat, would have any impact on plans for a horse slaughter plant Summit official Dave Duquette would not comment.
As a public service to our readers, Horseback is reprinting the entire progam of the event which was provided to the magazine by Duquette.
Click (HERE) to Visit Horseback Magazine
Monday, November 15, 2010
China Re-Introduces Wild Horses While US BLM Stampedes National Icons into Oblivion
Straight from the Horse's Heart
(The News as We See It) by R.T. Fitch, Author and Director of the HfH Advisory Council
While the United States of American strips its public lands of native wild horses China and Australia have launched into a joint effort to re-introduce wild Prezwalski’s horse herds back into their native lands in Mongolia.
American wild horses and burros are headed down the same road that the Prezwalski’s horse traveled as they were once considered extinct in the wild. The Prezwalski’s horse had been native to Asia, primarily China and Mongolia with the last wild horse being spotted in China in 1966. The horse is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky and has never been domesticated, hence it is considered to be the world’s true wild horse.
Back in 1985 while the U.S. federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was stampeding, capturing and killing American wild horses China had initiated the Prezwalski’s Horse Reintroduction Project with the creation of the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Center. In 1994 China partnered with the Taronga Western Plains Zoo from Australia and introduced several of their Prezewalski horses into the Hustai National Park in Mongolia. Since the initial introduction 10 other groups of Prezewalski have been released into the park. In the U.S. 40,000+ wild horses languish in long term holding facilities waiting to die with only an estimated 20,000+ left free on their millions of acres of congressionally designated land.
In Mongolia, the Hustai National Park is rich in diversity boasting of over 664 different species of insects, birds, fish and mammals with the re-introduced Prezwalski’s horse being a number one draw while in the U.S. the largest wild horse audiences are taxpaying U.S. citizens gathering at illegal BLM roundups to protest the violence and death rained down upon the American icon by Ken Salazar’s BLM.
Recently, Taronga Western Plains Zookeeper Todd Jenkinson visited the Hustai National Park to check up on the released wild horses as part of the cooperative effort and reported:
“We were documenting where the horses were stopping and grazing and their favorite grazing areas,” he said.
“We have biologists studying the areas that the animals spend time grazing in, and the long term viability of that grazing.
“Its early days of those surveys but we think about 500 horses might be a good amount in the park.”
The Hustai National Park is approx. 125,000 acres in size while America’s Twin Peaks area is comprised of 798,000 acres on which the BLM, after a recent bloody round up of almost 2,000 horses, left only 265 wild horses to live free as they were intended to by Congressional mandate. By BLM standards that’s 3,000 acres per horse while the Chinese and Australians conservatively figure 250 acres per horse.
Our BLM’s poor math, junk science and anti-horse propaganda is further put to the test by the benevolent scientists from the Hustai Park and Taronga Zoo through the assertion that the Prezwalski’s wild horses reproduce by only a 7% annual growth rate while the BLM clings to an impossible figure of 20% with herds doubling every four (4) years, figures that even the novice know are totally unattainable and out of scope.
Thanks to the cooperation and compassion of both the Chinese and Australians the Prezwalski’s horse is now longer considered to be extinct in the wild and has been moved to the ‘critically’ endangered list while the wild horses of America are being pushed to the brink with the BLM planning to attack and remove 9,000 more wild horses and burros from their rightful homes over the winter of 2010-2011.
It’s unfortunate that as Americans we cannot echo the comments from across the Pacific:
“The Mongolians are very passionate about their horse…they’re very protective of the species,” Todd said.
“It’s a feel good story and a motivating one not to give up on wildlife.”
(The News as We See It) by R.T. Fitch, Author and Director of the HfH Advisory Council
Prezwalski’s Horses Deemed International Cooperative Success
While the United States of American strips its public lands of native wild horses China and Australia have launched into a joint effort to re-introduce wild Prezwalski’s horse herds back into their native lands in Mongolia.American wild horses and burros are headed down the same road that the Prezwalski’s horse traveled as they were once considered extinct in the wild. The Prezwalski’s horse had been native to Asia, primarily China and Mongolia with the last wild horse being spotted in China in 1966. The horse is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky and has never been domesticated, hence it is considered to be the world’s true wild horse.
Back in 1985 while the U.S. federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was stampeding, capturing and killing American wild horses China had initiated the Prezwalski’s Horse Reintroduction Project with the creation of the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Center. In 1994 China partnered with the Taronga Western Plains Zoo from Australia and introduced several of their Prezewalski horses into the Hustai National Park in Mongolia. Since the initial introduction 10 other groups of Prezewalski have been released into the park. In the U.S. 40,000+ wild horses languish in long term holding facilities waiting to die with only an estimated 20,000+ left free on their millions of acres of congressionally designated land.In Mongolia, the Hustai National Park is rich in diversity boasting of over 664 different species of insects, birds, fish and mammals with the re-introduced Prezwalski’s horse being a number one draw while in the U.S. the largest wild horse audiences are taxpaying U.S. citizens gathering at illegal BLM roundups to protest the violence and death rained down upon the American icon by Ken Salazar’s BLM.
Recently, Taronga Western Plains Zookeeper Todd Jenkinson visited the Hustai National Park to check up on the released wild horses as part of the cooperative effort and reported:
“We were documenting where the horses were stopping and grazing and their favorite grazing areas,” he said.“We have biologists studying the areas that the animals spend time grazing in, and the long term viability of that grazing.
“Its early days of those surveys but we think about 500 horses might be a good amount in the park.”
The Hustai National Park is approx. 125,000 acres in size while America’s Twin Peaks area is comprised of 798,000 acres on which the BLM, after a recent bloody round up of almost 2,000 horses, left only 265 wild horses to live free as they were intended to by Congressional mandate. By BLM standards that’s 3,000 acres per horse while the Chinese and Australians conservatively figure 250 acres per horse.
Our BLM’s poor math, junk science and anti-horse propaganda is further put to the test by the benevolent scientists from the Hustai Park and Taronga Zoo through the assertion that the Prezwalski’s wild horses reproduce by only a 7% annual growth rate while the BLM clings to an impossible figure of 20% with herds doubling every four (4) years, figures that even the novice know are totally unattainable and out of scope.
Thanks to the cooperation and compassion of both the Chinese and Australians the Prezwalski’s horse is now longer considered to be extinct in the wild and has been moved to the ‘critically’ endangered list while the wild horses of America are being pushed to the brink with the BLM planning to attack and remove 9,000 more wild horses and burros from their rightful homes over the winter of 2010-2011.
It’s unfortunate that as Americans we cannot echo the comments from across the Pacific:
“The Mongolians are very passionate about their horse…they’re very protective of the species,” Todd said.
“It’s a feel good story and a motivating one not to give up on wildlife.”
Thursday, November 11, 2010
BLM Roundup in Oregon Claims Lives of 9 Wild Horses in First Week
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
Another Stallion Dies After Breaking Neck
Nine mustangs have died in the first week of the Bureau of Land Management roundup in the Warm Springs Herd Management Area (HMA), southwest of Burns, Oregon. The helicopter stampede and capture operation aims to capture 100 percent of the estimated 361 wild horses living in the HMA and permanently remove 265 horses, leaving just 96 mustangs on the 475,000-acre range.
Among the victims of this roundup: a stallion who broke his neck and died after charging the fence. The November 6 tragedy occurred one month to the day after the death of the stallion we call Braveheart in the BLM’s Silver King, NV roundup.
Animal Rescue Unit investigator Brogan Horton observed the roundup and wrote this report on the death of the stallion advocates now call Blue Moon.
“The stallion, later to be honored with the name, ‘Blue Moon,’ was with his mare and filly, running down the hill with the helicopter hot on their tails. The helicopter intensely chased the family into the corral and took off. . . .
The wranglers brought out crops and sticks with bags on the end. The stallion stood before his mare and filly, against the wranglers as they whipped the bags and crops in front of them, causing a frantic panic in the pen that lasted five minutes. The family kept going for that one corner panel where there were no wranglers, throwing their bodies at the panel, trying to go over it, under it, or through it. The mare finally got chased into the separation corral, leaving the filly and stallion, who were frantically throwing themselves at the panels, searching for freedom.
The beautiful blue roan stallion gave one final attempt at going through the fence, throwing himself head first into the unpadded steel bars, while the whips and bags cracked behind him.
Out of fear, the stallion broke his neck trying to escape the intense pressure that was applied to him. He fell back, nearly missing the traumatized filly, who just witnessed the entire event.
He staggered to the left, sat on the fence, and finally fell on his side, kicking out and desperately trying to lift his head as the wranglers snapped a crop at the filly, causing her to jump over her father’s shuddering body.
At this point, the wranglers decided it was more important to cover the corral with jute to block our view, than attend to the dying mustang. Our cameras were able to capture the entire tragedy in great detail. Their next move was to pull the trailer in front of the struggling stallion, further inhibiting our view. The contractors attempted to bring more horses into the trap, though the dying Blue Moon was still in the capture pen.
We were then approached by a wrangler on horseback telling us they were done, followed by the BLM employee telling us to pack up. From the moment of impact until we all cleared out–30 minutes or more–the stallion lay there absolutely terrified, dying in agony and fear.”
The Warm Springs roundup is being conducted by “Sun J Livestock,” a new BLM contract wrangler company from Utah. As of November 9, they had captured 246 horses and the roundup is scheduled to continue until all of the estimated 361 Warm Springs horses are brought in off the range.
Another Stallion Dies After Breaking Neck
Nine mustangs have died in the first week of the Bureau of Land Management roundup in the Warm Springs Herd Management Area (HMA), southwest of Burns, Oregon. The helicopter stampede and capture operation aims to capture 100 percent of the estimated 361 wild horses living in the HMA and permanently remove 265 horses, leaving just 96 mustangs on the 475,000-acre range.
Among the victims of this roundup: a stallion who broke his neck and died after charging the fence. The November 6 tragedy occurred one month to the day after the death of the stallion we call Braveheart in the BLM’s Silver King, NV roundup.
Animal Rescue Unit investigator Brogan Horton observed the roundup and wrote this report on the death of the stallion advocates now call Blue Moon.
“The stallion, later to be honored with the name, ‘Blue Moon,’ was with his mare and filly, running down the hill with the helicopter hot on their tails. The helicopter intensely chased the family into the corral and took off. . . .
Photo by Leslie Peeples, Presented by Animal Rescue Unit
Photo by Leslie Peeples, Presented by Animal Rescue Unit
Out of fear, the stallion broke his neck trying to escape the intense pressure that was applied to him. He fell back, nearly missing the traumatized filly, who just witnessed the entire event.
Photo by Leslie Peeples, Presented by Animal Rescue Unit
Photo by Leslie Peeples, Presented by Animal Rescue Unit
We were then approached by a wrangler on horseback telling us they were done, followed by the BLM employee telling us to pack up. From the moment of impact until we all cleared out–30 minutes or more–the stallion lay there absolutely terrified, dying in agony and fear.”
The Warm Springs roundup is being conducted by “Sun J Livestock,” a new BLM contract wrangler company from Utah. As of November 9, they had captured 246 horses and the roundup is scheduled to continue until all of the estimated 361 Warm Springs horses are brought in off the range.
BLM Official Attempts to Tighten the Secrecy Lid Further, Fitch Receives Threat From BLM Email Address
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Story by Steven Long ~ Editor/Publisher of “Horseback Magazine“
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – Horseback Magazine’s persistent queries into the practices and lack of transparency at the federal Bureau of Land Management is getting under the skin of at least one highly placed official.
Don Glenn, the chief of the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Program fired off a note to BLM’s top Washington spokesman Tom Gorey after the magazine asked for Glenn’s salary information. The magazine also asked twice if Glenn will be attending a Las Vegas conference presented by the obscure pro-slaughter group, United Horsemen. Gorey says no BLM official plans to attend.
But Glen may have other plans from the tone of his note.
“Why do we need to do Longs (sic) research for him. He can look up the federal salary chart as well as we can. He claimes (sic) to be an investigative
journalist. Also Why should we tell him if we are going to this conference? We do not need to talk to him except under FOIA,” Glenn wrote.
FOIA is shorthand for the 1966 federal Freedom of Information Act. It was enacted and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to require federal agencies be transparent in their dealing with the public. Horseback has filed several FOIA requests with the bureau.
The BLM has come under increased scrutiny because of the lack of transparency of Glenn’s Wild Horse and Burro program in which scores of horses have died after being stampeded by a roaring helicopter sometimes flying within feet of the animals. The program has also violated FAA rules by closing off airspace above its “gathers” and used a veterinarian unlicensed to practice in Nevada during a recent roundup. Horseback first broke all of these stories.
In an unrelated matter, author and sometime Horseback Magazine contributor R.T. Fitch revealed that his blog, “Straight From the Horse’s Heart” received a threatening email signed “Animal Abuser” from an address in the Brighton, Colorado office of the BLM.
Horseback forwarded the note to Gorey at Fitch’s request asking that an investigation be launched into the incident by the federal Department of Homeland Security or the FBI. Gorey responded that he will pass the correspondence along to appropriate authorities.
Story by Steven Long ~ Editor/Publisher of “Horseback Magazine“
BLM‘s Image Continues to Tank
Author/Equine Advocate R.T. Fitch ~ photo by Steven Long
Don Glenn, the chief of the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Program fired off a note to BLM’s top Washington spokesman Tom Gorey after the magazine asked for Glenn’s salary information. The magazine also asked twice if Glenn will be attending a Las Vegas conference presented by the obscure pro-slaughter group, United Horsemen. Gorey says no BLM official plans to attend.
But Glen may have other plans from the tone of his note.
“Why do we need to do Longs (sic) research for him. He can look up the federal salary chart as well as we can. He claimes (sic) to be an investigative
journalist. Also Why should we tell him if we are going to this conference? We do not need to talk to him except under FOIA,” Glenn wrote.
FOIA is shorthand for the 1966 federal Freedom of Information Act. It was enacted and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to require federal agencies be transparent in their dealing with the public. Horseback has filed several FOIA requests with the bureau.
The BLM has come under increased scrutiny because of the lack of transparency of Glenn’s Wild Horse and Burro program in which scores of horses have died after being stampeded by a roaring helicopter sometimes flying within feet of the animals. The program has also violated FAA rules by closing off airspace above its “gathers” and used a veterinarian unlicensed to practice in Nevada during a recent roundup. Horseback first broke all of these stories.
In an unrelated matter, author and sometime Horseback Magazine contributor R.T. Fitch revealed that his blog, “Straight From the Horse’s Heart” received a threatening email signed “Animal Abuser” from an address in the Brighton, Colorado office of the BLM.
Horseback forwarded the note to Gorey at Fitch’s request asking that an investigation be launched into the incident by the federal Department of Homeland Security or the FBI. Gorey responded that he will pass the correspondence along to appropriate authorities.
Ginger Kathrens: Keepin the West Wild
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Story by Erin Udell of the Rocky Mountain Collegian
In 1994, Emmy-award winning filmmaker Ginger Kathrens embarked on a scouting trip with her sister to northern Wyoming, where she researched wild horse behavior for a documentary project.
With limited horse experience, Kathrens expected to see the wild creatures grazing in fields all day long, but was surprised to find out about their elusive nature.
“All we saw were butts and dust,” Kathrens said.
It was at the base of a red butte at dawn, while the sun peeked through the Pryor Mountains, that she first saw him — a strong black stallion she named Raven.
“He ran away, but it was certainly a mystical experience,” Kathrens said. “In that moment, something happened to me. I fell in love with that horse.”
She ended up finding Raven and his family, eventually gaining their trust and meeting a young white colt in the herd she named Cloud, a horse she has followed and documented over the past 16 years.
“They really opened their world to me in time,” Kathrens said. “I never thought that I was going to do a film about one wild horse, but that’s what started to happen.”
About 135 CSU students, Fort Collins residents and members of the agricultural community packed into a small lecture hall yesterday evening to hear Kathrens tell her and Cloud’s story through her public television series, “Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies.”
Kathrens’ filmmaking career led her to Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America and South America before she began her focus on wild horses and their behavior.
“It took a long time to merge what I did with what I really loved,” Kathrens said.
But in time, she found her true calling — researching, filming and educating people about the nature of horses.
“We have everything to learn from the wild horse and their society,” Kathrens said. “I hope that I can inform others about my journey and my discoveries. I think there will be something they can learn from that.”
A cause that is dear to Kathrens’ heart is the preservation of wild horses on public lands. The Cloud Foundation, a non-profit organization of which Kathrens is the founder and executive director of, aims to prevent the extinction of Cloud’s herd through education and public involvement.
“We used to have 2-to-3 million horses in the wild,” Kathrens said. “Now we have fewer than 20,000.”
The Mountain Riders Horse Club, which sponsored Kathrens’ presentation, found her story both compelling and important to the agricultural community.
“She’s got nice thoughts, she’s very knowledgeable and she has a story to tell,” said Chuck Peterson, the Equine Teaching and Research Center facility manager. “The wild horse is an emotionally charged interest and she does a great job of telling it.”
Katy Lippolis, a sophomore equine science major and member of the Mountain Riders Horse Club, attended the presentation to learn more about horse issues and behavior.
“I’ve heard so many great things about her,” Lippolis said. “I’m glad that I came. Being a horse lover, it’s cool to see where they came from and their history.”
As for Kathrens, after her 16 years of wild horse research, she continues to grow and learn from her experiences in the field.
“Unlike some people, I can just sit for hours watching wildlife,” Kathrens said. “I really enjoy those quiet calming moments when I’m just waiting for something to happen.”
Story by Erin Udell of the Rocky Mountain Collegian
Profile of Filmmaker’s 16 year Journey with “Cloud“
Ginger Kathrens ~ photo by R.T. Fitch
With limited horse experience, Kathrens expected to see the wild creatures grazing in fields all day long, but was surprised to find out about their elusive nature.
“All we saw were butts and dust,” Kathrens said.
It was at the base of a red butte at dawn, while the sun peeked through the Pryor Mountains, that she first saw him — a strong black stallion she named Raven.
“He ran away, but it was certainly a mystical experience,” Kathrens said. “In that moment, something happened to me. I fell in love with that horse.”
She ended up finding Raven and his family, eventually gaining their trust and meeting a young white colt in the herd she named Cloud, a horse she has followed and documented over the past 16 years.
“They really opened their world to me in time,” Kathrens said. “I never thought that I was going to do a film about one wild horse, but that’s what started to happen.”
About 135 CSU students, Fort Collins residents and members of the agricultural community packed into a small lecture hall yesterday evening to hear Kathrens tell her and Cloud’s story through her public television series, “Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies.”
Kathrens’ filmmaking career led her to Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America and South America before she began her focus on wild horses and their behavior.
“It took a long time to merge what I did with what I really loved,” Kathrens said.
But in time, she found her true calling — researching, filming and educating people about the nature of horses.
“We have everything to learn from the wild horse and their society,” Kathrens said. “I hope that I can inform others about my journey and my discoveries. I think there will be something they can learn from that.”
A cause that is dear to Kathrens’ heart is the preservation of wild horses on public lands. The Cloud Foundation, a non-profit organization of which Kathrens is the founder and executive director of, aims to prevent the extinction of Cloud’s herd through education and public involvement.
“We used to have 2-to-3 million horses in the wild,” Kathrens said. “Now we have fewer than 20,000.”
The Mountain Riders Horse Club, which sponsored Kathrens’ presentation, found her story both compelling and important to the agricultural community.
“She’s got nice thoughts, she’s very knowledgeable and she has a story to tell,” said Chuck Peterson, the Equine Teaching and Research Center facility manager. “The wild horse is an emotionally charged interest and she does a great job of telling it.”
Katy Lippolis, a sophomore equine science major and member of the Mountain Riders Horse Club, attended the presentation to learn more about horse issues and behavior.
“I’ve heard so many great things about her,” Lippolis said. “I’m glad that I came. Being a horse lover, it’s cool to see where they came from and their history.”
As for Kathrens, after her 16 years of wild horse research, she continues to grow and learn from her experiences in the field.
“Unlike some people, I can just sit for hours watching wildlife,” Kathrens said. “I really enjoy those quiet calming moments when I’m just waiting for something to happen.”
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wild horses’ deaths and BLM cruelty taint Oregon roundups - National Equine Advocacy | Examiner.com
Wild horses’ deaths and BLM cruelty taint Oregon roundups - National Equine Advocacy | Examiner.com
"Blue Moon" flails in pain after breaking his neck on poorly designed BLM corral while wrangler continues to taunt him
Photo: Leslie Peeples, presented by Animal Rescue Unit
Commercial Interests, Not Overpopulation, Behind Largest Wild Horse Roundup of 2010
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
Mass Removal of 2,100 WY Mustangs from Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas Set to End this Week
Rock Springs, Wyoming (November 10, 2010) . . . . As one of the largest wild horse roundups in recent history enters its final week in southwest Wyoming, a coalition of environmental and wild horse conservationists is charging that commercial interests, not overpopulation, are the driving force behind the mass mustang removal. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has previously claimed too many horses as the reason for the costly helicopter stampede and capture operation, which has killed at least seven mustangs to date.
The planned removal of over 2,100 wild horses makes the action in the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas (HMAs) the largest wild horse roundup of 2010, according to the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. MORE...
Mass Removal of 2,100 WY Mustangs from Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas Set to End this Week
Rock Springs, Wyoming (November 10, 2010) . . . . As one of the largest wild horse roundups in recent history enters its final week in southwest Wyoming, a coalition of environmental and wild horse conservationists is charging that commercial interests, not overpopulation, are the driving force behind the mass mustang removal. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has previously claimed too many horses as the reason for the costly helicopter stampede and capture operation, which has killed at least seven mustangs to date.The planned removal of over 2,100 wild horses makes the action in the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas (HMAs) the largest wild horse roundup of 2010, according to the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. MORE...
UPDATE: BLM’s “Animal Abuser” Email Points to Brighton CO BLM Office
Straight from the Horse's Heart
By Nell Walton of AllHorses Post – Live Link
Yesterday at 10:12 am, November 9, 2010, our good friend, wild horse advocate and blogger R.T. Fitch received the following comment on his blog. It was caught in Fitch’s spam filter, but he found it and reported it yesterday in his blog. Here is the text of the message:
Why someone from the BLM would chose a name of Animal Abuser, is of course, extremely puzzling. And what does the email address AAafterYOU mean? This could be construed as a threat to Mr. Fitch.
And, I will have to point out the obvious that this individual who is apparently a FEDERAL EMPLOYEE is harassing AMERICAN TAXPAYERS online during business hours.
So it is beyond ironic for he or she to accuse the Wild Horse Advocates of having too much time on their hands.
They aren’t the ones using taxpayer dollars to support their online surfing at work.
This just shows you can run but you can’t hide.
For more information:
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/blm-employee-%e2%80%9canimal-abuser%e2%80%9d-issues-email-from-blm-gov/
FYI – to report incidents like this:
Dept. of Homeland Security Computer Emergency Response Team:
https://forms.us-cert.gov/report/
Dept. of Interior Office of the Inspector General:
http://www.doioig.gov/hotline
By Nell Walton of AllHorses Post – Live Link
Editor of AllHorses Post Tracks Down the BLM “Animal Abuser”
BLM employee harassing taxpayers
“A new comment on the post “BLM Takes Wild Horse Killing to Oregon” is waiting for your approvalThis IP (computer) address can be easily traced to the Bureau of Land Management office in Brighton, CO.
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/blm-takes-wild-horse-killing-to-oregon/
Author : Animal Abuser (IP: 204.124.92.254 , BLM-92-254.blm.gov)
E-mail : AAafterYOU@*****.com
URL :
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=204.124.92.254
Comment:
You ALL have WAY TOO MUCH TIME on your hands to sit around bitching. And *****, could you really be so stupid to think that the BLM has hired animal abusers?? Honestly- you all need to get a life. If you really cared, you would search out the truth, and stop spending so much time with narrow blinders on. No one is perfect, not the BLM, not YOU. If you really want to see something done differently, you would pick a different approach.”
Why someone from the BLM would chose a name of Animal Abuser, is of course, extremely puzzling. And what does the email address AAafterYOU mean? This could be construed as a threat to Mr. Fitch.
And, I will have to point out the obvious that this individual who is apparently a FEDERAL EMPLOYEE is harassing AMERICAN TAXPAYERS online during business hours.
So it is beyond ironic for he or she to accuse the Wild Horse Advocates of having too much time on their hands.
They aren’t the ones using taxpayer dollars to support their online surfing at work.
This just shows you can run but you can’t hide.
For more information:
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/blm-employee-%e2%80%9canimal-abuser%e2%80%9d-issues-email-from-blm-gov/
FYI – to report incidents like this:
Dept. of Homeland Security Computer Emergency Response Team:
https://forms.us-cert.gov/report/
Dept. of Interior Office of the Inspector General:
http://www.doioig.gov/hotline
Sunday, October 31, 2010
EWA President Rebuts Newsweek “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis Promo Story
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Newsweek Steps Into Pile of Wild Horse Pooh
John Holland ~ President of the Equine Welfare Alliance
Enraged equestrians, from around the world, broadcast their disbelief and outrage on social networks while John Holland, President of the Equine Welfare Alliance, put the global response into perspective.
Inserted, below, is said Newsweek article with Holland’s response immediately following. SFTHH recommends that you click HERE to publicly respond to Newsweek’s poor journalistic standards and protest the bloody and predatory business of horse slaughter that the rogue representative from Wyoming endorses.
Newsweek:
“The wild horse is a symbol of the frontier way of life. But in recent years it’s been recast in a less noble role—as a public nuisance. The Bureau of Land Management has tried culling herds through roundups, auctions, and federal corrals. But the feral ranks have nearly tripled, to 69,000 since 1971, and more than half of those horses are roaming free in 10 Western states. Factor in the thousands of horses turned loose during the recession, and the result, the government contends, is a population that’s overwhelmed its habitat.
Wyoming thinks it has a solution. In 2007 Congress blocked the inspection of horse meat, which effectively ended interstate sales and closed the last U.S. abattoir. But selling horse meat intrastate remains legal, and state Rep. Sue Wallis wants to use that fact to license Wyoming’s first slaughterhouse to help owners who can’t afford to care for their animals. While horse advocates call slaughter inhumane, Wallis anticipates enough local demand—from, among others, pet-food makers—to sustain a factory as soon as next year. Besides, she says, for a horse on overgrazed land, slaughter beats starvation.”
John Holland:
“You have been duped by Slaughter House Sue Wallis. She is a shameless opportunist who plays the horse slaughter issue to get donations.
Sue has been claiming to be starting a slaughter house under the corporate name Unified Equine LLC since last Winter. But when she announced it and opened a web page talking about what a great investment it would be back last spring, we found there was no such corporation. In fact, it still did not exist when we rechecked months later.
Hyping an investment outside of an offering memorandum is a serious securities violation in most states to say nothing of hyping investment in a non-existent corporation.
The plant you describe is impossible. Do the math!
And the idea that such a slaughter house could be a going concern based on selling horse meat inside Wyoming is absurd. First, Americans don’t eat horse meat, and secondly the entire population of Wyoming is 544,270. That is 3% the size of New York City!
The smallest of the now defunct US slaughter plants (Dallas Crown) killed about 20,000 horses a year. An average horse produces about 500 pounds of meat. That means the plant would produce about 10 million pounds of meat a year to be viable. Sue would have to sell 18 pounds of horse meat to every man woman and child in Wyoming every year to keep a plant profitable. That is of course absolutely impossible in a country where the meat is shunned.
So what investor would put money into that sort of a proposition? Next time, do a little tiny bit of research before you repeat propaganda and soil the News Week brand by being duped.
Nobody could make a living killing horses to sell their meat within Wyoming! There is absolutely no market for horse meat in the US.”
Monday, October 11, 2010
Final Days of Freedom for Adobe Town Mustangs Captured on Film
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
This morning the helicopters are descending on the wild horses of Adobe Town, driving these beautiful mustangs out of their homes in Wyoming’s pristine Red Desert. Soon they will be slammed into trap pens, torn from their family members and shipped off to holding facilities far from the lands of their birth. MORE...
This morning the helicopters are descending on the wild horses of Adobe Town, driving these beautiful mustangs out of their homes in Wyoming’s pristine Red Desert. Soon they will be slammed into trap pens, torn from their family members and shipped off to holding facilities far from the lands of their birth. MORE...
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Group Lawsuit Filed to Stop Destruction of Colorado Mustang Herd
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Press Release from HfH Advisory Council and The Cloud Foundation
New York City, NY (October 7, 2010)— A case filed today against Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar in federal court aims to stop the elimination of wild horses from Colorado’s North Piceance herd area. Plaintiffs Habitat for Horses (HfH), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), The Cloud Foundation (TCF), Toni Moore and Dr. Don Moore challenge the BLM’s ongoing illegal treatment of wild horses residing on public lands and it’s intention to completely remove all wild horses from this area beginning October 11, 2010.
The Plaintiffs’ attorneys, Bruce Wagman (Schiff Hardin) and Valerie Stanley, are asking the court for an injunction to stop BLM from removing any of these wild horses pending a complete judicial review of the BLM’s conduct. The complaint cites four counts and violations committed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): violation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Information Quality Act and the Federal Land Policy Management Act. The suit has been brought against BLM Director Robert Abbey and Field Manager of the Colorado White River Field Office Kent Walter, in addition to Secretary Salazar.
“The BLM’s ‘shoot from the hip’ policy of indiscriminately destroying and removing long standing wild horse herds has to come to an end,” says R.T. Fitch, Volunteer Executive Director of co-supporting organization HfH Advisory Council, “Poor accounting, outdated data and disengagement from the reality of the range is the hallmark of the BLM’s business plan. They must be stopped.”
On September 10th, 2010 the White River Field office of the BLM issued its final decision to completely and permanently eliminate the herd of wild horses which has lived in partnership with the natural environment in the Herd Area for centuries.
“BLM and other public agencies have eliminated over a third of wild horse herds designated for protection by Congress in 1971,” explains Cloud Foundation Volunteer Executive Director, Ginger Kathrens. “Colorado has only a few hundred wild horses remaining and the destruction of yet another herd is unthinkable—cruel, costly and completely unnecessary. It is a managing to extinction policy that must stop.”
This action is co-funded by HfH Advisory Council and the ASPCA. A suit filed last week to protect the nearby West Douglas wild horse herd has so far resulted in a one-year postponement of that “zeroing out action.” The case remains in court.
The Cloud Foundation, HfH Advisory Council, ASPCA and over 200 other organizations and tens of thousands of members of the public continue to call for an immediate moratorium on BLM wild horse and burro roundups. To date the BLM has not changed course and plans to roundup and remove a total of 3,295 wild horses and burros before the end of the year. Currently, nearly 40,000 wild horses and burros are held in pens and pastures at taxpayer expense.
Links of interest:
Legal documents filed today: http://bit.ly/d7ePWk
Congress Sends Letter for Wild Herds to Secretary Salazar http://bit.ly/54sign
Roundup Schedule- http://bit.ly/roundupsched
American Herds – “What’s Left?” http://bit.ly/WhatsLeft
Unified Moratorium on Roundups Letter http://bit.ly/MoratoriumLtr
Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses – A History http://bit.ly/8ZCk8e
Straight from the Horse’s Heart http://www.sfthh.com
Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now http://bit.ly/Stampede2Oblivion
Shortlink to this release: http://bit.ly/COmustangSuit
Photos, video and interviews available by request from the Cloud Foundation
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. 107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905, p. 719-633-3842 www.thecloudfoundation.org
The Habitat for Horses Advisory Council is the “The Legal Voice of the American Equine” and is comprised of like-minded equine welfare oriented organizations and individual advocates. The Council works to progress relevant issues imperative to furthering the safety and well being of horses, both domestic and wild, in the United States. Habitat for Horses Advisory Council is a registered 501c4 non-profit corporation. P.O. Box 213, Hitchcock, TX 77563, p.1-800-974-FOTH www.hfhadvisorycouncil.org
Press Release from HfH Advisory Council and The Cloud Foundation
Suit seeks immediate injunction, cites BLM’s violations of four Congressional Acts
New York City, NY (October 7, 2010)— A case filed today against Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar in federal court aims to stop the elimination of wild horses from Colorado’s North Piceance herd area. Plaintiffs Habitat for Horses (HfH), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), The Cloud Foundation (TCF), Toni Moore and Dr. Don Moore challenge the BLM’s ongoing illegal treatment of wild horses residing on public lands and it’s intention to completely remove all wild horses from this area beginning October 11, 2010.The Plaintiffs’ attorneys, Bruce Wagman (Schiff Hardin) and Valerie Stanley, are asking the court for an injunction to stop BLM from removing any of these wild horses pending a complete judicial review of the BLM’s conduct. The complaint cites four counts and violations committed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): violation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Information Quality Act and the Federal Land Policy Management Act. The suit has been brought against BLM Director Robert Abbey and Field Manager of the Colorado White River Field Office Kent Walter, in addition to Secretary Salazar.
“The BLM’s ‘shoot from the hip’ policy of indiscriminately destroying and removing long standing wild horse herds has to come to an end,” says R.T. Fitch, Volunteer Executive Director of co-supporting organization HfH Advisory Council, “Poor accounting, outdated data and disengagement from the reality of the range is the hallmark of the BLM’s business plan. They must be stopped.”
On September 10th, 2010 the White River Field office of the BLM issued its final decision to completely and permanently eliminate the herd of wild horses which has lived in partnership with the natural environment in the Herd Area for centuries.
“BLM and other public agencies have eliminated over a third of wild horse herds designated for protection by Congress in 1971,” explains Cloud Foundation Volunteer Executive Director, Ginger Kathrens. “Colorado has only a few hundred wild horses remaining and the destruction of yet another herd is unthinkable—cruel, costly and completely unnecessary. It is a managing to extinction policy that must stop.”
This action is co-funded by HfH Advisory Council and the ASPCA. A suit filed last week to protect the nearby West Douglas wild horse herd has so far resulted in a one-year postponement of that “zeroing out action.” The case remains in court.
The Cloud Foundation, HfH Advisory Council, ASPCA and over 200 other organizations and tens of thousands of members of the public continue to call for an immediate moratorium on BLM wild horse and burro roundups. To date the BLM has not changed course and plans to roundup and remove a total of 3,295 wild horses and burros before the end of the year. Currently, nearly 40,000 wild horses and burros are held in pens and pastures at taxpayer expense.
Links of interest:
Legal documents filed today: http://bit.ly/d7ePWk
Congress Sends Letter for Wild Herds to Secretary Salazar http://bit.ly/54sign
Roundup Schedule- http://bit.ly/roundupsched
American Herds – “What’s Left?” http://bit.ly/WhatsLeft
Unified Moratorium on Roundups Letter http://bit.ly/MoratoriumLtr
Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses – A History http://bit.ly/8ZCk8e
Straight from the Horse’s Heart http://www.sfthh.com
Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now http://bit.ly/Stampede2Oblivion
Shortlink to this release: http://bit.ly/COmustangSuit
Photos, video and interviews available by request from the Cloud Foundation
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. 107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905, p. 719-633-3842 www.thecloudfoundation.org
The Habitat for Horses Advisory Council is the “The Legal Voice of the American Equine” and is comprised of like-minded equine welfare oriented organizations and individual advocates. The Council works to progress relevant issues imperative to furthering the safety and well being of horses, both domestic and wild, in the United States. Habitat for Horses Advisory Council is a registered 501c4 non-profit corporation. P.O. Box 213, Hitchcock, TX 77563, p.1-800-974-FOTH www.hfhadvisorycouncil.org
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Our mission, as stated by our founder, Henry Bergh, in 1866, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. 424 E. 92nd St New York, NY 10128-6804, p. 212-876-7700 www.aspca.org
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wild Horse Eco-Sanctuary: Relief for the Imprisoned but No Help to the Free
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Anyone who knows anything about Wild Horses and Burros has heard the recent news that Madeleine Pickens has reported to garner agreement from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to move 1,000 captive wild horses from long term holding to an “Eco-Sanctuary” environment with the remaining 38,000+ to follow. Ms. Pickens should be applauded for her efforts but while she moves 1,000 altered Wild Horses to private land the BLM will strip from public land several thousand more and put them behind bars. Doesn’t speak highly of the BLM’s level of commitment to a solution, does it?
Although we want to see all of the horses out of their BLM prisons a declared moratorium on the process of using bad numbers, junk science and political motives as excuses to steal America’s mustangs from their rightful land should be a component to these negotiations and an eventual solution. Without a moratorium on the roundups, to give time for a full accounting of actual Wild Horse and Burro numbers, we are just pumping more horses into a cruel situation while gutting the taxpayer’s pocketbooks.
In reality, we are giving a spoon full of medicine to treat a symptom while the cancer continues to ravage the body; outside of giving a little comfort it does not change the inevitable outcome of the sickness’s progression and the “Eco-Sanctuary” will not stop the BLM’s decimation of the wild horses from their native homes.
Personally, I do not trust the management of the BLM as for decades they have been attempting to destroy the wild horses and burros of this great nation. It was just two short years ago when this same agency wanted to kill all of the horses that they had in long term holding; a leopard does not change his spots that quickly.
This is not an act of benevolence on the part of the BLM but an excuse and a device to distract the public outrage as the BLM “Wild Horse Harvesting Machine” continues its consumption of all of the wild horses from their rightful homes. 12,000 horses this year added to the existing 38,000 and 11,000 more stampeded into oblivion next year. Do the math and being that we do not have an accurate accounting of what is really out there, the end of the American Wild Horse draws nearer with each passing day.
Madeleine’s news will be good news to the horses that are in BLM concentration camps but it will do nothing to stop the BLM from continuing its assault upon our national icon. The only way to slow this down and stop the deadly stampedes is to chant the mantra of “Moratorium”; repeat it loud and often, the madness has to stop so that true science, compassion and ethical management can be applied to the saving of our last few, true, wild horses.
What we need, today, is a moratorium; that would be something to truly celebrate about.
Wild Horses should be Wild
Anyone who knows anything about Wild Horses and Burros has heard the recent news that Madeleine Pickens has reported to garner agreement from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to move 1,000 captive wild horses from long term holding to an “Eco-Sanctuary” environment with the remaining 38,000+ to follow. Ms. Pickens should be applauded for her efforts but while she moves 1,000 altered Wild Horses to private land the BLM will strip from public land several thousand more and put them behind bars. Doesn’t speak highly of the BLM’s level of commitment to a solution, does it?
Although we want to see all of the horses out of their BLM prisons a declared moratorium on the process of using bad numbers, junk science and political motives as excuses to steal America’s mustangs from their rightful land should be a component to these negotiations and an eventual solution. Without a moratorium on the roundups, to give time for a full accounting of actual Wild Horse and Burro numbers, we are just pumping more horses into a cruel situation while gutting the taxpayer’s pocketbooks.
In reality, we are giving a spoon full of medicine to treat a symptom while the cancer continues to ravage the body; outside of giving a little comfort it does not change the inevitable outcome of the sickness’s progression and the “Eco-Sanctuary” will not stop the BLM’s decimation of the wild horses from their native homes.
Personally, I do not trust the management of the BLM as for decades they have been attempting to destroy the wild horses and burros of this great nation. It was just two short years ago when this same agency wanted to kill all of the horses that they had in long term holding; a leopard does not change his spots that quickly.
This is not an act of benevolence on the part of the BLM but an excuse and a device to distract the public outrage as the BLM “Wild Horse Harvesting Machine” continues its consumption of all of the wild horses from their rightful homes. 12,000 horses this year added to the existing 38,000 and 11,000 more stampeded into oblivion next year. Do the math and being that we do not have an accurate accounting of what is really out there, the end of the American Wild Horse draws nearer with each passing day.
Madeleine’s news will be good news to the horses that are in BLM concentration camps but it will do nothing to stop the BLM from continuing its assault upon our national icon. The only way to slow this down and stop the deadly stampedes is to chant the mantra of “Moratorium”; repeat it loud and often, the madness has to stop so that true science, compassion and ethical management can be applied to the saving of our last few, true, wild horses.
What we need, today, is a moratorium; that would be something to truly celebrate about.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wild horse roundup near Tonopah criticized
Las Vegas Sun
Activists are criticizing federal land managers' plans to remove most wild horses from a large swath of the range near Tonopah, saying the action is being taken to accommodate livestock grazing and geothermal projects.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials said they plan to remove about 123 mustangs and 61 wild burros from the Montezuma Peak and Paymaster herd management areas because the desert area is too arid to support the animals.
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Activists are criticizing federal land managers' plans to remove most wild horses from a large swath of the range near Tonopah, saying the action is being taken to accommodate livestock grazing and geothermal projects.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials said they plan to remove about 123 mustangs and 61 wild burros from the Montezuma Peak and Paymaster herd management areas because the desert area is too arid to support the animals.
More...
BLM Sent Wild Horses to Slaughter, Again?
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/blm-sent-wild-horses-to-slaughter-again/
BLM Up To Same Dirty Old Tricks
Wild horse advocates are asking the federal government to investigate allegations that the Bureau of Land Management sent 172 Nevada mustangs to an auction attended by “slaughter buyers” in July.
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BLM Up To Same Dirty Old Tricks
Wild horse advocates are asking the federal government to investigate allegations that the Bureau of Land Management sent 172 Nevada mustangs to an auction attended by “slaughter buyers” in July.
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT ASSAULT ON WILD HORSES CONTINUES WITH “ZEROING OUT” IN MORIAH, NV STARTING TOMORROW
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT ASSAULT ON WILD HORSES CONTINUES WITH “ZEROING OUT” IN MORIAH, NV STARTING TOMORROW
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
Removal of 100 % of Moriah Mustangs Adds to 20 Million-Acre Habitat Loss for Wild Horses and Burros
Ely, Nevada (August 26, 2010). . . Beginning tomorrow, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduled to roundup and remove every wild horse living in the Moriah Herd Area 48 miles north of Ely, Nevada. It will take the agency four days to capture, via helicopter stampede, the estimated 72 horses living in this 55,300 acre public lands area. The action is part of the most aggressive government roundup effort in recent years, with 12,000 mustangs and burros targeted for removal from the Western range this year. The majority of captured mustangs will join the 38,000+ wild horses already warehoused in government holding facilities, a number that exceeds the population (<33,000) left free in the wild.
“The Moriah Herd Area is just the latest federally protected wild horse habitat to be ‘zeroed out’ by the Interior Department,” said Suzanne Roy, Campaign Director for the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, which is supported by a coalition of 40 public interest, conservation, historic preservation, horse advocacy and animal welfare organizations.
“Over the past four decades, BLM has eliminated more than 20 million acres of federally-designated habitat for wild horses and burros, shrinking the lands available to these Congressionally-protected animals to just 26 million acres,” she continued. “By contrast, livestock grazing is authorized on 160 million acres of BLM lands.”
In Moriah, BLM is claiming that removal of all of the 72 wild horses is necessary to improve rangeland health, yet the agency continues to authorize more than four times as many cattle – over 300 — to graze those same lands.
“In area after area, BLM sets arbitrarily low management levels for wild horses and allocates the majority of resources to livestock,” Roy concluded. “It’s clear that private commercial interests drive BLM policy, but the public is increasingly demanding change in the way our public lands are managed.”
Last month, 54 members of Congress sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urging a halt to BLM roundups, citing concern about the trauma, injuries and deaths caused in the helicopter stampedes and raising questions about BLM’s “flawed” and “unsustainable” wild horse management policy.
Ranchers graze cattle on public land for a fraction of the cost of grazing on private land ($1.35 per Animal Unit Month (AUM) on public lands vs. an average of over $15 per AUM on private lands, according to the Congressional Research Service, 2009). Publicly-subsidized livestock grazing — dubbed “welfare ranching” — costs taxpayers in excess of $122 million annually, yet cattle grazed on public lands provide just 3% of the nation’s beef supply.
The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.
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Twin Peaks Roundup Litchfield Corral
BLM: “Enter Ranchers, Stage Left, ACTION”
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/blm-%e2%80%9center-ranchers-stage-left-action%e2%80%9d/
(In My Humble Opinion) by R.T. Fitch ~ author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart”
It happened just like clockwork, the timing was excellent. There had been no local “Ranchers” to speak of at the Twin Peaks roundup the day before, but today was different; there was a reporter from the New York Times on hand with a photographer documenting the carefully orchestrated “gather” and for the grand finale, wild horse advocates were on the menu.
MORE...
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(In My Humble Opinion) by R.T. Fitch ~ author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart”
A Citizen Observer challenges "Rancher" comments while BLM security observes from behind tree in background ~ Photo by R.T. Fitch
MORE...
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Friday, August 20, 2010
Obama Administration Accelerates Assault on Wild Horses Three Actions You Can Take To Help!
Obama Administration Accelerates Assault on Wild HorsesThree Actions You Can Take To Help!
Largest Roundup Of Wild Horses In California’s History Underway
Act Today To Oppose Other Planned Roundups
On August 11, 2010 the Interior Department began the largest roundup of wild horses in California’s history. Nearly half of the 4,000 wild horses left in the state will be removed from their homes and families in the next few weeks. This devastating and unnecessary roundup began despite a lawsuit filed by In Defense of Animals (IDA) and others. We have a representative on the ground at the roundup and will provide an update on the IDA blog later this week.Act Today To Oppose Other Planned Roundups
Today we are asking you to take three actions to help wild horses. Congress and the Interior Department must continue to hear from you! Together we can change this broken system if we continue to fight the deeply-entrenched special interests which control the Interior Department’s management of our public lands and the wild horses who live there.
1. Speak Out Against The Zeroing Out Of All Wild Horses From The Winter Ridge Herd Area in Utah
Take action to oppose the removal of all horses at the Winter Ridge Herd Area in Utah. This is just the latest effort of the Interior Department to remove all wild horses from lands specifically designated for their usage – while allowing livestock grazing to continue on the same lands. Click here to submit comments.
2. Oppose Removal Of 321 Wild Horses From Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area In Colorado
Oppose the Interior Department’s plan to remove the majority of wild horses in Colorado’s Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area. The agency will only leave 135 horses on this 190,000-acre public land area, while allowing hundreds more livestock to graze the same public land! Click here to submit comments.
3. Summer Recess – Perfect Opportunity To Visit Your Senators And Representatives At Home Through September 12.
One of the best actions you can take to help wild horses and burros is to meet in-person with your Senators and Representative. Ask your members of Congress to stop the mismanagement of America’s wild horses and burros. Despite public opposition, the Interior Department continues the unsustainable practice of rounding up, removing and stockpiling wild horses in government holding facilities – this ill-conceived and unnecessary practice is bankrupting the American tax payer wasting tens of millions of tax dollars annually.
In the next eight weeks, the Interior Department plans to remove four-thousand wild horses, using helicopters to stampede them and removing them from their families and homes on public lands only to be stockpiled in government-holding facilities. Congress must step in to stop this.
Members of Congress are currently in their home districts on recess until September 12. This is a great opportunity to let your Senators and Representative know that you, their constituent, want them to take action to help America’s wild horses and to end horse slaughter.
Here's what to do:
Call the district offices of your U.S. Representative and both U.S. Senators and:
- Request a face-to-face meeting with both Senators and your Representative to discuss these issues (you may need to meet with one of their aides – try to meet with their chief of staff or lead aide on this issue);
- Ask for specific dates of town hall meetings or open events that constituents can attend.
Learn more about the issues by reviewing briefing documents here.
Below are talking points for specifics on what to say to schedule your in-person meeting.
TALKING POINTS FOR MEETING WITH YOUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES
1. Call the local offices to schedule a meeting.
Here’s a suggestion for what to say:
“Hello, I am a constituent of ____ and I would like to set up a meeting with him/her while he/she is home in our district to talk about wild horse protection issues. I’m also wondering if he/she has any town hall meetings coming up that I can let others know about.”
2. For your meeting, dress professionally, be friendly and polite. Here are some suggestions of what you can say to begin the meeting:
“Thank you for meeting with me. I am very concerned about our federal wild horse management program. Public opposition to the Interior Department’s massive wild horse roundups is growing. The roundups are unnecessary, inhumane and wasting tens of millions of tax dollars.
For the first time, we now warehouse more wild horses in government holding facilities (38,000+) than are left free on the range (less than 33,000). This stockpiling of horses costs taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually. Even Interior Secretary Salazar acknowledges the program is unsustainable, yet BLM roundups continue with over 12,000 to be removed from the range this year alone. They have no solution to stop this broken cycle.
The problem is not overpopulation. Fewer than 33,000 horses live on 26 million acres of BLM-managed public land. The problem is inequitable distribution of resources within the small percentage of BLM lands that are designated as wild horse and burro areas. The majority of resources are allocated to privately-held livestock, not federally-protected wild horses.
The BLM has demonstrated repeatedly that it is not capable of reforming itself. It’s up to Congress to reform this broken federal program.”
3. Ask your Senators and Congresspersons to take the following actions:
1) Join the 56 House members who have called for a halt to roundups by sending a sign-on letter to Secretary Salazar.
2) Ensure Fiscal Year 2011 Appropriations language that:
- Suspends wild horse and burro roundups in all but verifiable emergency situations;
- Prohibits the use of any funds to euthanize healthy horses or sell horses directly or indirectly for slaughter;
- Authorizes a National Academy of Sciences reevaluation of Appropriate Management Levels including analysis of resource allocation for livestock and other commercial uses;
- Phases out long-term holding and shifts BLM resources toward managing horses on the range in a humane and minimally intrusive manner as Congress intended;
- Rejects request for $42.5 million government “preserve;”
- Funds public/private partnership solutions.
In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.
In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org
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