WARNING: Graphic Photo Below
Photo: By Patty Bumgarner Barren shelterless pens, warehouse 1,100 wild horses, in the desert near to the Burningman festival site.
On July 10th, at 7:00 AM., Patty Bumgarner, a Nevada resident and wild horse photographer, visited The Palomino Valley Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro holding facility, to see the wild horses she loves and hoping to observe needed shelters and more water troughs provided, but instead Bumgarner discovered, another gruesome tragedy.
A mare and her unborn foal bodies lay within a pen, in mid birth and died a painful and agonizing death. The mare’s body lay lifeless by the gate, of the mare and foal pen, with her baby visibly stuck in her birth cavity.
The location of the mare’s body, appears as if she may have been begging for help, but no help ever came for her and her baby, because the BLM PVC staff, neglected to respond, until it was too late, their response came, after the mare and her new born foal, had already died. According to Bumgarner, the mare’s body was stiff and appeared to be dead for many hours.
There were no BLM staff present, except a hay truck distributing hay, in seeming disregard of the unaddressed dead mare and foal, surrounded by observing mares and foals, who walked about, with low spirit. Bumgarner observed, three BLM male staff come, into the mare and foal pen about 8:00 AM. and start up a backhoe, to move the mother and her unborn foal’s dead bodies.
Bumgarner stated: “This facility is not properly supervising these pregnant mares and new born foals and if their aim, is to protect these horses, then it doesn’t make sense, that the mares and foals have been moved further away from the BLM office, to the very back of the facility. The further distance from the BLM office, sets up a problem to be able to properly monitor pregnant mares births and new born foal’s well being and blocks the ability to provide immediate needed address, for life threatening emergencies, to end well.”
Still, there are no new shelters, in this facility to protect the horses from recent and upcoming triple degree desert searing hot Sun. Bumgarner did observe, this facility put up a few partial shelters, that were used last year, but the 1,100 wild horses and burros held behind bars, do not have equal access to shelter and still are only offered 1 water trough per 100 horses in each pen.
The BLM’s continued failure to provide shelter and proper drinking water access, is causing health and life endangerment for all the horses held within this facility.
In June of 2013, advocates found another young mare dead, on the hot ground, within this facility.
In response to the death of a young mare, at BLM facility on June 27th, 2013 issued in a press release the BLM PVC, NV facility was notified the horses needed immediate shelter to survive and adequate water trough access.
Dr. Lester Friedlander, former Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer with the USDA, and veterinarian for the NY State Horse Racing and Wagering Board, says conditions at the Palomino Valley Center call for “emergency action” by the Federal government to ensure the safety of the animals. He says if the horses and burros are not properly protected from the heat and sun, “countless numbers will be lost to disease, infections and heat-related deaths.”
The BLM, may again simply sweep this mare and her unborn foal’s death under the rug and chalk this incident to stemming from “unknown causes”, yet the truth and cause of deaths and suffering, point to neglect and animal abuse.
The BLM understands shelter is “preferred and “needed”, because they require adopters of a wild horse or burro, to provide a 3 sided shelter.
Recently, BLM staff demanded for themselves, at the nearby “Burningman site”, construction of a $1 million dollar compound ..”Choco Tacos, M&Ms, licorice and Chobani Greek Yogurt are just a few of the food items officials for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management are demanding Burning Man organizers provide them at this year’s festival, according to documents obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.…” for their comfort and to attend Burningman.
Yet, if the BLM staff feel they require shelter, then the 58,000 wild horses charged by the American people to be protected by the BLM, should receive shelter to survive, and especially because a horse’s body heats up ten times faster then a human’s body.
Nearly two years ago, “The Bureau of Land Management, responded to public concern to end abuse, to create shelters and provide needed water troughs, with a “wild horse comfort workshop”, where shortly there after promises were made to try 3 shelters, to determine, which would be most effective”, today the horses are suffering and dying, still awaiting the shelters to be erected.
In October 2013, the BLM held approximately 2,000 wild horses & burros at this facility, today according to BLM’s John Neil, who aired a press release for Nevada Channel 2 news on June 9th 2015 ( re: the possibility of shade/shelter coming) there are approximately 1,100 wild horses being held at the Palomino Valley center. Then where are the 700 federally protected wild horses and burros now?
Were they sold without authority, shipped to disappear from public view to private facilities, such as Nevada’s Indian Lakes desert shelterless BLM holding facility, or did they die from duress,or from heat related suffering ?
Simply applying solutions, in erecting shelter and providing more water troughs, to address their deadly management of the captive wild horses at this facility would result in saving thousands of beloved wild horse and burro lives.
Also, the BLM needs to move the mares and foals closer, to be carefully observed in order to survive birth and pregnancy well, in case emergency arises.
Please call your Legislatures and the White House and request they act now to protect America’s captive and free roaming wild horses and burros.
WARNING: Graphic Photo
Photo: By Patty Bumgarner, A federally protected mare, could not survive BLM’s management, lays lifeless in mid-birth with her foal, near the gate at BLM’s Palomino Valley center, Nevada, in a shelterless, desert pen
Links for Reference:
Media Contacts:
Jetara Séhart, Love Wild Horses, www.lovewildhorses.org (415)275-4441
Patty Bumgarner (775)301-6512
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