Wild Horse and more

Wild horse news update: 9 horses dead in BLM roundup

2010-01-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Nine wild horses have died in BLM's highly publicized Calico Complex roundup in Nevada. Perhaps being the most widely scrutinized gather in history, more details of the roundup are being made available to the public. Gather activity updates from the BLM web site report:

Dec. 30 - 20 year old + mare euthanized: poor condition.
Jan 10 - Colt dies as it was being brought in: necropsy shows pre-existing pulmonary condition.
Jan 7 - 20 year old + mare put down on site: poor body condition.
Jan 11 - mare found dead at Fallon facility: dietary feed change.
Jan 13 - 12 year old mare found dead at Fallon Facility: arrived four days prior in poor condition.
Jan 14 - Observer notified BLM of downed mare in transport truck. Driver corrected the situation.

- Two mares found dead a Fallon Facility: dietary feed change.

Jan 21 - Mare that was downed in transport truck euthanized at Fallon facility: weak on arrival & did not recover.

- Colt with multiple hoof sloughs from capture euthanized at Fallon facility.

- 20-25 horses at Fallon facility have received treatment for various injuries or lameness and are recovering.

20 yr old mare euthanized at round up photo/blm

Though one could reasonably accept the deaths of the older mares as an act of mercy ( Lisa Ross, BLM public affairs specialist, understood one to be a 30year+ male with worn out teeth), their advanced age brings other thoughts to those who are watching this roundup closely. Willis Lamm, Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates, states," BLM says that the range can't 'survive' a roundup moratorium until a more practical horse management strategy is worked out... The presence of elder horses indicates that in fact there is enough forage to go around. While it still may be arguable that range populations need to be regulated, it doesn't seem to be the dire situation that BLM is portraying."

Of the four found dead at the Fallon facility from the inability to adjust to an oat / grass hay diet, Lamm said,

Finding four horses dead in a BLM contract facility is an ominous sign. Clearly the 'observation strategy' for horses making the transition from the range to holding facility conditions warrants improvement. If a horse starts to colic, it's promptly reported and the veterinarian tries and fails to resolve the problem, the contractor and BLM did try to take the appropriate action. Yet it seems contradictory for BLM to euthanize horses on the range that they deem to be in mortal condition while a contractor lets horses colic and die in his corrals. If BLM is going to bring in these horses, the responsibility for mitigating the risks associated with gathering must extend through BLM to its contractors.

The standard format in BLM gather statistic reports classify deaths in two categories: those cause by the gather and those not caused by the gather. The higher echelons of BLM management have recently stated that the number of deaths involved in the gathers is less than 1%. Heather Emmonds, BLM public relations for the Calico gather, confirmed that, of the 9 deaths reported to date, only one will be considered as being due to gather activities. It has not been confirmed which of the two figures management is quoting in their under 1% tally. Nor has it been confirmed if 5 of the 6 Fallon facility deaths will be counted in gather statistics since it is a holding facility. John Neill, BLM holding facility manager, confirmed that deaths due to feed change are not considered to be unusual, however the percentage of deaths is very low.

A curiosity in the gather update page is the apparent loss of 82 horses. Of 1,195 reported gathered, only 1,113 are accounted for. It is possible this is a simple math error.

Notes of interest:

Emmonds reports a handful of albinos have been captured in addition to some rare "curly" horses.
George Knapp, channel 8 Las Vegas Now, reports the black nick named "Freedom" who esscaped from BLM corral has been recaptured. video

For more info:

How the west is being lost

Judge orders go ahead - sort of

Crunching Calico

L.A. evacuation news: horses and small animals

2010-01-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control is standing by with emergency evacuation locations for animal owners requiring safe refuge for their pets during round four and the most powerful of the storms currently drenching the area. Michelle Roache, Deputy Director - Outreach and Enforcement, reports only one dog and about 6 horses have been brought in so far. "Either people are not evacuating or have made alternate plans." said Roache. During the station fire, over 200 horses were evacuated. Emergency plans are firmly in place for these storms.

People needing to find safety for their pets can call 661-940-4191 for information on L.A Count evacuation sites. Two sites are currently available for horses or other livestock:

Pierce College----- 6201 Winnetka Ave----- Woodland Hills
Antelope Valley Fairgrounds----- 2551 West Avenue H ----- Lancaster

Ryan Drabek, Interim Director Orange County Animal Care, reported they are not anticipating any evacuations but are prepared. Derek would like to remind pet owners to be prepared with their pet's I.D., vaccination records, medical records and medications should the need arise. For further information in the Orange County area, call 714-935-6848.

Protests continue over wild horse policies

2010-01-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

Protesters in Reno, Nevada and New York City voiced their opposition over the holiday against what many are calling the "mismanagement" of wild horses by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Los Angeles, Denver, Boise, Sacramento, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Switzerland, Toronto, and London are some of the cities that have seen similar protests this month. More are scheduled.

Despite the triple threat of snow storms rolling into the area, around 40 protesters donned heavy coats for cold wet and windy protest. Many trekked across the Sierras, a trip made dangerous by the winter storms, in order to attend. "They have no voice" said Dana Semeit, a local advocate "and the BLM has been lying and misleading the public and taking the land away from the horses."

Bonnie Matton, President of the Wild Horse Preservation League, summarized protesters thoughts by saying," We believe in, definitely management, but we want to work in management with all factors who are using public lands, to work together. We have never been able to do that."

Motorists passing through the busiest intersection in Reno appeared to support the protesters efforts. "About every third car or more honked or called out to us." said Matton.

The international protests are calling for a moratorium on the roundups and some want an investigation into the BLM management practices involved with the wild horse and burro program. The claim that the horses are not headed for starvation as the agency contends and that estimated population numbers are exaggerated. Media coverage showing wild horses being chased by helicopter into BLM holding pens seem to support the protesters argument. A Los Angeles feature documentary film crew, Humanion Films, recently reported seeing only 9 horses in the Calico Complex of Nevada where BLM officials quote a population of over 3,000.

Protesters also argue that a large portion of the herds allowed to remain free-roaming are too small in number to maintain the genetic viability needed for long term survival. With massive roundups, birth controlling mares and plans for showcasing non-reproducing herds, they fear the animals are being managed for extinction.

BLM officials deny the accusations, calling them myths, and say that culling the herds will improve herd health and restore damaged rangelands.

For more info:

Cut to the chase in wild horse management

Public relations nightmare

Humanion films

New York advocates protest the Ruby Pipeline

2010-01-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

The following is a press release from The Cloud Foundation (click post title for link)

Wild Horse Protests Follow the Money to New York City

Advocates protest BLM’s wild horse removals on the Ruby Pipeline path

New York City, NY (January 14, 2010)—Wild horse and burro advocates demand immediate investigations of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro program as well as a moratorium on roundups, until sustainable management practices are implemented to protect the American wild horses in the West. Protesters will gather on Sunday, January 17 from 1 P.M. to 3 P.M. at Columbus Circle (59th St at Central Park S). The press conference will be held at 2 P.M. The public objects to BLM’s removal of wild horses for fast tracked energy deals on public land in the West, such as the Ruby Pipeline, and objects to schemes to subsidize corporate welfare ranchers.

“The Roundups must stop. The destruction of public land must stop. Government agencies and private corporations must be held accountable and must safeguard wildlife—not eliminate it,” says Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director, The Cloud Foundation (named for the famous wild horse Kathrens has documented for the PBS/Nature series)

Members of the public are furious that the BLM continues roundups despite Federal D.C. District Court Judge Paul Friedman’s recommendation that BLM postpone Calico until the issue of out of state transport and long term holding can be decided.

The ROAM (Restore Our American Mustangs Act, §1579 ) is in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee, awaiting urgently needed hearings. The House passed the bill in July 2009.

The Cloud Foundation (TCF) broke the Ruby Pipeline story on January 7. The Foundation asks the BLM to reveal the truth behind the removals of healthy wild horses from the Nevada Calico Complex that BLM claims will starve if left in their natural sagebrush ecosystem.

Outraged at the BLM for clearing wild horses from the Ruby Pipeline path, advocates and the public from across the country are joining together in NYC to demand President Obama call a moratorium on all roundups, including Calico, and demand that the FERC delay the approval of the Ruby Pipeline until Congress investigates the BLM.

“The roundups in the Ruby Pipeline zone are questionable,” states Katie Fite, biologist and biodiversity specialist for Western Watersheds. “The public is not being told the truth. There needs to be an investigation within all levels of BLM considering the unavoidable damage to our public lands. There is no mitigation provided for to restore this biologically wild, remote, and untrammeled landscape in northwestern Nevada and southeastern Oregon.”

According to a Western Watersheds report this is the largest project of its type across significant public lands in the American West in recent memory. Ruby has seized upon a sliver of ecologically critical unprotected public wild land to punch a new corridor through, and bisect this irreplaceable landscape,including many of the last viable herds of wild horses in the West.

Instead of the truth, the BLM tells the public wild horses are being removed because they are starving or destroying the ecosystem. Independent video footage and photographs tell a very different story. Following public outcry over the starving comments, the BLM is now switching gears—saying they want to “prevent the horses from starving” and therefore they are removing 80-90% of the horses. Today their spin attempts to sway the public with a trendy ‘sustainable’ pitch and tell the public the wild horses have no predators—not true.

“Wild horses have predators,” states Ginger Kathrens. “But, the government kills them on public lands to protect welfare cattle.”

The NYC event is a collaborative effort started by local organizer and mustang-adopter, Jo De George, with support from The Cloud Foundation, Equine Welfare Alliance, Friends of Animals, Return to Freedom, In Defense of Animals and 40 more coalition members of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign.

"America's public lands are owned by the public, whether they live in New York City or elsewhere. We like to know that outside this city, way out West, herds of wild horses are roaming free. These horses symbolize the essence of our country," explained Jo De George, NYC Protest Organizer and volunteer with The Cloud Foundation and Equine Welfare Alliance.

BLM has already reported four horse deaths (adults and babies) from the current Calico roundup on the Ruby Pipeline route. The public and media have only been allowed to observe the roundup to a limited degree—concerns are circulating regarding unreported deaths and abuses.

Wild horse backers are organizing nationwide to stop taxpayer-funded mismanagement of America’s wild herds. BLM’s hidden agenda is unraveling with the Ruby Pipeline and other public land heists in the West. Their lack of respect towards legendary ecosystems outweighs their double talk about ‘balance’.

“If BLM cares so much about the ecological balance, it would not be enabling the Ruby gas pipeline to rip the public wild lands and watersheds here apart,” says Fite adding, “The horses, sage-grouse, antelope and everything else are caught in the crosshairs of BLM selling out the public lands that belong to all Americans—to ranchers and big energy interests.”

The BLM currently spends half its $69 million budget removing wild horses from their designated public lands and the other half feeding and warehousing the over 34,000 mustangs already removed from the wild, primarily during the last Bush administration. Their program is currently non-sustainable with 12,000 wild horses and burros being removed in fiscal year 2010 and as few as 15,000 remaining in the wild. Likely only 3000 mustangs will be adopted as more herds are reduced to non-viable levels, which are then often zeroed out completely despite excellent rangeland and horse health.

"Yes, there is climate change – but do we destroy the West to ‘save’ the planet? NO – because then you just make the problem worse," states Katie Fite, Biodiversity Specialist, Western Watersheds Project

# # #

Interior Department reaches out for public support of wild horse and burro program

2010-01-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

This article was originally published January 15, 2010

Secretary Ken Salazar, U.S. Department of the interior, reached out for public support in the L.A. Times yesterday. His opinion article, At Home on the Range, laid out his thoughts on the history of wild horses in America then continued with a message intended to defend current wild horse and burro policy against a growing outcry from animal rights organizations.

As Secretary of the Interior, Salazar oversees eight major federal bureaus including the often maligned Bureau of Land Management, the agency mandated by Congress to preserve and protect the wild herds. Within months of his appointment by President Obama early last year, Salazar announced a plan to create non-producing herds on lands in the east and mid-west, stocking those from the over 30,000 wild horses currently in BLM holding facilities. Gelded herds are to be created on their existing ranges along with an escalation of birth control procedures for mares and the accelerated removal of horses currently living on western rangelands.

We must elevate the stature and care of wild horse herds that will sustainably live on Western ranges for generations to come. As Interior secretary, I am examining ways we can better showcase special herds in signature areas of the West to provide eco-tourism opportunities and provide them greater protection." says Salazar

Animal rights organizations view the current policy in a different light. Thousands of wild horse supporters are taking to the streets in protest, flooding the White House with phone calls and signing petitions demanding a moratorium on all wild horse roundups until Congress can craft a better plan.

The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA), an umbrella organization with over 90 member organizations, issued a press release in response to the L.A. Times Article which states in part,

Today, it is the DOI on Salazar's watch that is entrusted to protect the wild herds but instead, is now the driving force managing the wild herds to the verge of extinction. Why? Because Salazar's rancher friends need more land to graze their 7.5 million cattle which now have to compete with only 30,000 wild horses."

EWA's response also speaks of concerns recently raised over the Ruby Pipeline, a natural gas transmission line scheduled to run through wild horse ranges. The California Heliostat Project will do the same. BLM and DOI officials have yet to publicly address either of these projects and their impact on wild horses.

To date, the Salazar article has received 61 comments - all negative. He does make one statement on which both sides can agree:

"The current situation is unsustainable."

For more info:

Ruby Pipeline poses threat

Salazar plan

Humane Society - stop the roundups

BLM announces yet another wild horse roundup

2010-01-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Foal orphaned in Calico Mountain roundup photo/ Sharon Lamm

This article was originally published January 3, 2010

Amid mounting protest and the legal wranglings of the highly controversial Calico Complex roundup, Bureau of Land Management officials have chosen to announce yet another roundup of wild horses to take place in February of this year. A Preliminary Environmental Assessment of the Eagle Herd Management Area capture plan along the Nevada/Utah border targets 545 wild horses for capture and removal. Fifty will be removed from private lands. An additional 92 horses will be removed from two adjacent Utah Herd Management Areas (HMA's) in the process.

The reason stated as need for the roundup repeats the BLM mantra of "thriving natural ecological balance" though there seems to be no one who can truly define the term.

The remaining population of 100 animals appears to confirm wild horse advocate concerns about genetic viability of America's wild horse herds. Past explanations by BLM personnel point to migrating patterns that bring about the mingling of horses from different HMA's as a factor in maintaining herd viability. The two adjacent Utah HMA's will be left with populations of 15 and 30 wild horses. A genetic pool of 145 animals raises a red flag in the scientific community.

This topic is of particular relevance to the Wild Horse and Burro Program because the majority of wild equid populations managed by the BLM are kept at population sizes that are small enough for the loss of genetic variation to be a real concern. Because a loss of genetic variability can lead to a reduction in fertility or viability of individuals in a population, it is critical that genetic considerations be included in management plans for wild equid populations. - "Genetic Variation in Horse Populations" E. Gus Cothran, PhD, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky

Genetic viability is no longer an issue in HMA's that have had the horses removed altogether. The BLM does not deny the practice of "zeroing out" wild horse herds. As of March of last year BLM websitepages admit to 15 such HMA's in Nevada alone. Fifteen additional HMA's have been combined to create only six. These combined areas show a tremendous loss of acreage available for use by wild horses, the Eagle HMA being one. Investigation reveals no BLM denial of accusations that over 19 million acres of land mandated for use by wild horses have disappeared since 1971.

Protesters throughout the country are asking for an immediate moratorium on wild horse roundups and Congressional intervention to clean up the mess in BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program which was originally intended to protect American herds.

Public comments on the Eagle roundup will be accepted until January 27. Written comments can be mailed to: BLM ELY District office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, Nv 89301 attn: Mary D'Aversa, Schell Field Manager. Comments can also be e-mailed to: eaglegather@blm.gov

BLM officials were not available for comment prior to publishing this report.

For more info:

Wild horse roundup gathers nationwide protests

Judge issues go ahead in massive wild horse roundup - sort of

Time to "rein In" BLM's wild horse and burro program

BLM's conundrum: what to do with 2,700 captured wild horses

2010-01-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

Wild horses from the Calico Complex photo by Craig Downer

This article was originally published 12-26-09

In a recent decision to deny a request for preliminary injunction to prevent the Bureau of Land Management roundup of 2,700 wild horses from the Calico Complex in Nevada, District Court Judge Joe Friedman suggested the gather be postponed. Plaintiffs in the case In Defense of Animals et al vKen Salazar et al allege that "capturing, corralling and placing [horses] in long term holding pens... is illegal." The court leans toward agreement with that premise and notes in addition that the Wild Horse Law explicitly prohibits their relocation to areas of public lands where they did not exist in 1971 Court documents state:

If the agency conducts the proposed gather as planned, with the understanding that long term holding of horses will not be permitted, BLM will have to decide what to do with excess horses that are not adopted or sold soon after they are captured... But since the agency has no funds to euthanize those horses and would be enjoined from holding them, it would face an inescapable conundrum. If the face of such a dilemma, the agency's best option might be to postpone the gather..."

The Bureau has chosen instead to forge ahead with it's capture plan which will begin on Monday. So what can BLM do with 2,700 wild horses?

"They would be ill advised at this point, considering the fact that he [Judge Friedman] has ruled the way he has, to move those horses anywhere. And that's what he calls a conundrum." says plaintiffs attorney William Spriggs , "They can't euthanize them and, under his ruling, they can't move them." BLM officials have yet to respond to questions on this subject.

The Bureaus decision to continue their capture plan has triggered an avalanche of already growing protest. Calls to stop the roundup have escalated across the country. Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Viggo Mortensen, the Barbie Twins and scores of other celebrities have joined in calling on President Obama and Nevada's own Senator Reid to stop the massive roundup until Congress decides what should be done.

Wild horse advocate, Arlene Gawne, has organized a protest to take place in Las Vegas on Sunday. Another is scheduled in San Francisco. "I's so mad. I just can't take it anymore." said Gawne. " I'm getting calls from all over the country, even Canada."

Judge Friedman indicated his desire to expedite the matter. In the meantime, how will BLM resolve their self inflicted conundrum?

For related articles:

Judge issues go ahead

BLM roundup of Calico horses to proceed

BLM admits price tage of $1,700,000

Humane Society - stop wild horse roundups

Horse auctions and the "kill" buyer

2009-10-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

You have to be careful who you sell your horse to these days. Be particularly careful if your horse is going to auction. The “kill” buyers are out there in force and they will not identify themselves as such. They buy ‘em, load ‘em up, and transport ‘em to slaughter.

All the horse slaughter plants in the U.S. closed after passage of a federal law banned USDA inspections of those facilities in 2006. Its purpose... to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption. But that hasn’t stopped The rapidly growing and often illegal business. Many U.S. slaughter plants simply moved their facilities over the border.

The number of of horse slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico more than doubled after 2006. Companies based in those countries distribute horse meat for human consumption in Europe and Asia. USDA statistics show that 134,000 horses were exported to Canada and Mexico last year alone.

If Montana Rep. Ed Butcher has his way, kill buyers won’t have to leave the country at all. A new state law to encourage construction of a horse slaughter plant in Montana takes effect this week. Not only did Mr. Butcher sponsor this law but he is proudly courting Chinese and South Korean investors to make the project a reality. With China using 160,000 tons of horse meat a year, horse slaughter can be quite profitable. The “Missoulan”, a Montana newspaper, quotes Mr. Butcher as saying,

"Only about four to six horses out of every 10 born actually become usable animals...

This is the thing the animal rights people don't understand: Every horse that's born

doesn't turn into a Trigger or a Black Beauty. They're animals. Some of them are

usable and some of them are not”

Let's back up a bit here. He said " only 4 to 6 out of every 10 born actually become useable" ????? "They're just animals" ????? What are they, sheets of toitet paper you can just throw away? By inference, this means we should kill 40% to 60% of all horses ever born. Why not. They're just animals. Apparently Mr. Butcher was born to be in the business.

The supply of live animals to slaughter houses comes from irresponsible breeding in the racing and other performance horse industries, wild horses illegally taken from the range or sold at auction by managing agencies, and from unsuspecting private owners who believe their four-legged friend is going to a good home. This meat is often tainted with disease or medications that stay in the animals system for up to 6 months.

Tough new European regulations on importing horse meat will take effect in the spring of next year. And the U.S. has bills currently awaiting Congressional approval that will institute further restrictions and penalties for those dealing in the trade of equine steaks. But two facts remain:

the bills may not be approved.
Human consumption is not the only profit making use for horse meat.

Would you send your horse to slaughter?

European Union regulations

The R.O.A.M. Act

BLM files appeal in Colorado court case

2009-10-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

It came as no surprise to wild horse advocates to hear that the Bureau of Land Management has filed an appeal against the August 5 decision in U.S. District Court disallowing the "zeroing out" of a small Colorado wild horse herd.

Court documents reveal the BLM conceded in oral arguments that the horses in question had not been proven to be "excess". Their position was that they were not required to make a determination of excess before removing wild horses. Negative range conditions or herd health did not appear in court documents as a reason for the BLM decision to remove the horses. When asked by the court where they found the authority for such actions, the BLM replied with an omnipotent attitude, "...that authority is inherent within BLMs broad authority to manage wild horses."

The court did not agree.

Judge Judith Collyer found the BLM plan to be "in excess of statutory jurisdiction..."

She further stated, " It would be anomalous to infer that by authorizing the custodian of the wild-free roaming horses and burros to manage them, Congress intended to permit the animals' custodian to subvert the primary policy of the statute by capturing and removing from the wild the very animals that congress sought to protect from being removed from the wild." The statute referred to here is the Wild Horse Act of 1971.

Wild horse advocates present at the Wild Horse and Burro advisory Board Meeting held Sept. 28 in Arlington Va. found their questions about projected removals for the fiscal year ahead sidestepped. Board member Robin Lohnes did, however, reference a number of 12,000. BLM estimates of wild horses remaining in the wild vary from 24,000 to 33,000 depending on who you talk to.

In this writers opinion, John Holland, long time anti-slaughter activist, explains this wide variance well by saying that asking the BLM for a head count is like " Asking the fox, ' Can you give me an inventory of the chickens?' "

SENATE SAYS NO TO KILLING HORSES

2009-09-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

The Senate has made it clear to the Bureau of Land Management that appropriations will not be available for the destruction of healthy, unadopted wild horses and burros. Appropriations bill H.R. 2996 was passed by a vote of 77 to 21 on Friday.

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who proposed the mandate, told the Senate, "We are also down to just a few herds of horses... The idea of wild spaces with wild horses is something that is really part of our heritage. And we want to make sure that heritage isn’t lost, that we are being responsible in terms of the way the land is being used for multiple purposes...that the horses themselves are being treated faily... And none of that right now is being done... The congressional research service as well as the government accounting office has suggested major changes to the program..."

Senator Landreiu goes on to suggest the creation of public/private sanctuaries where horses could “roam freely in a healthy way” and that they could become "ecotourist opportunities for some of the states and communities...” H.R. 2996 is now assigned to a conference committee of senators to work out differences in the versions of the bill that each chamber approved. It will then go for President Obama’s signature.

Original verbiage in the well known “Wild Horse Annie Act” of 1971 clearly states the intent of congress, deeming wild horses and burros as “an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.” Years of amendments have altered this act to the point where there are no effective protections remaining. Several law suits have been filed against wild horse gathers by various organizations and individuals in the past few months. Evidence of accelerated activity by the BLM and other agencies may indicate an effort to gather as many animals as possible in advance of the vote on the R.O.A.M. Act.

Wild horse and burro advocates will be on the lawn of Capitol Hill Tuesday, Sept. 29 in support of the Restore Our American Mustang Act ( ROAM Act S.B. 1579) which has Passed the House Vote and assigned to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Advocates will be meeting with Senators to assure the act comes out of committee and is allowed a Senate Vote.

DON'T FORGET OUR WILD BURROS

2009-09-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last years headlines heralding the possible euthanization of over 30,000 wild horses put a spotlight on our nations Bureau of Land Management and their handling of the wild ones. Though the posts you will most often see from me will be about horses, we must not forget our nations wild burro population. After all, the 1971 law mandating the BLM to protect and preserve the wild horse population is called the “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act”.

Let's put the spotlight on California in particular. In 1980 the BLM designated 14 herd management areas on 3.5 million acres of public lands in California. They also determined over 27,000 burros to be an appropriate management level. Today only 300,000 acres are available to our burros and and the appropriate management level has been cut by about the same percentage. By comparison, figures from 2006 show that the desert tortoise enjoys 6 million acres of protected habitat and their appropriate management level is set at 300,000. Looks like the humble turtle is winning this race.

If that doesn't knot your knickers, listen to this. Since our Parks Department is not bound by the 1971 act, they use different regulations. They feel it unnecessary to have wild burros at all!

What do these numbers mean? First of all the current appropriate management levels don’t allow herd sizes that maintain genetic viability. The herds that remain will interbreed and eventually die off. Secondly, the big question yet to be answered is “What happened to 3.2 million acres of public lands?”

California introduced protections for wild burros through their Fish and Game Code even before the protective mandate of 1971. In days gone by, there were more burros living wild and free in California than any state in the country. Only three herds remain today, none of which are being managed to sustain viable populations. Yet the BLM insists on removing more. Two of California’s herd management areas are targeted for removals in the next few weeks ..... more are scheduled for next year.

The phrase “managed for extinction” is commonly heard in wild horse circles these days. Gee, I wonder why?

This Horse Wants to Play

2009-09-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

There have been too many sorrowful posts of late. It's time to lighten things up a bit. From the AND MORE category, Kathleen Roeth ( AKA tapestry316) has kindly allowed me to show you one of her many watercolors. Take a gander at "I Want to Play"

Don't you just love the frisky personality of this buckskin? It brings visions of a wild horse celebration on a warm pre-spring day.

Whether using watercolor, acrylics, graphite, or a camera, Kathleen has a special knack for bringing out the personality of her subject. Horses seem to be her favorite. As a grade school student she wrote "When I grow up I want to be a cowgirl". Things haven't changed since then. She renders great images of all kinds of animals that represent a tapestry of her life.

Take the time to view her offerings. You will be glad you did. Click here.

Kathleen is also a blogger. Her site is always fun and upbeat. Get to know her a little bit and you will appreciate her work even more. Click here

Related posts click here for more fine art

Welsh mountain stallion

Virginia Range Wild horses

BLM vs NDoA

LIFE DIDN'T HAVE TO END THAT WAY

2009-09-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

I had to watch a wild stallion being euthanized Sunday. The tendons in his leg were severed by a speeding vehicle. It was something I would not choose to witness again. His strong will to survive couldn't fight the three tranquilizers required to take him down. He was never aware of the lethal injection that finally took his pain away. My heart ached as I watched the noble spirit drain from his eyes..... replaced with an empty stare.

His mare licked his wounds, muzzled his body, and cried out for her mate. She stayed with him until the rendering truck arrived then fear caused her to shy away. When the truck left, she followed at a distance, calling out to him all the while. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. What a foolish promise to make. This didn’t have to happen. The young stallion's life didn’t have to end this way.

It happened because builders removed the protective fencing to make way for residential development. Along with new homes they laid a buffet of grassy parkways and a web of dangerous roads. Protective fencing was never part of the plan.

It happened because well meaning residents put out apples, carrots and hay giving even more reason for the wild ones to stick around. Some did it for the understandable joy of seeing these magnificent creatures. Others simply wanted to be sure they were well fed. None were aware of the eventual consequence. Most are still unaware of the many reasons it is illegal to feed wild horses.

It happened because budgets stretched thin by a bad economy prevented wild horse advocates from getting another fence in place. We tried to work with the builders. Though fencing is sorely needed for public safety and to protect the wild horses, we found no success.

It happened because our city and county planning agencies never thought to address the issue even though the development was largely on range land grazed by wild horses for generations. Nevada is a fence out state yet fencing was never addressed. This is not the first time. It won’t be the last. As I write, I am told of a small development planned in northeast Hidden Valley on the eastern edge of Reno. Will the developer be required in the planning stages to replace the fencing they remove? Or will wild horse advocates be forced yet again to clean up the mess that remains after a developer builds then files bankruptcy and says “adios”.

Wild horses are just that..... WILD. They don’t read street signs. They don’t understand that us two-legged critters have claimed their land. Just like me and you they must eat and drink in order to survive. They are the innocent ones..... we are the guilty.

The Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund is building the fence now..... providing the labor and materials from our own dwindling funds. The vet bill was $700 and three miles of fencing is a costly endeavor. We don't have the money. But, like other wild horse advocate organizations, WE WILL FIND A WAY.

SHELDON GATHER GATHERS A LAWSUIT - contd.

2009-09-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays post ended with a letter from Nick Rahall, chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, written in 2006. Evidently the "inadequacy of the existing regulatory framework"

has not been improved. Read on.

In an attempt to rescue some of the Sheldon horses, Laura did some research into adoption. Her findings were eye opening to say the least. The Bureau of U.S. Fish and Wildlife does not have an adoption program. They shuffle the horses in large numbers and deal them out to three “carefully screened” agencies. Our tax dollars are paying these “carefully screened” agencies $300 per horse to cart them away and adopt them out.

Apparently U.S. Fish and Wildlife uses a different dictionary than the rest of us. Here are examples of what they consider careful screening:

One of these agencies admitted that 40 of the horses they adopted out ended up at a slaughter facility.

The address of a second agency lead directly to an address known in the industry to be a “Grand Central Station of horse slaughter” . Other names connected with this address are known “Kill buyers”.

The agency located in Tennessee informed her that the horses would first have to be trucked to Tennessee before she could adopt them then truck them back. That is well over a 4,000 mile trip for the horses. Makes no sense at all.

Though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife follows different rules than the BLM, the “ do what we choose” attitude seems to be the same. This is going to be an interesting case to follow. Let us hope that it will round up a bit of justice for our nations wild horses.

Part one of this post can be found below.

Information for this post was taken from the Let 'em Run Foundation and from AOWHA

A must read story of Laura Leighs' findings can be found here

PRYOR GATHER STOPPED - SHELDON GATHER GATHERS A LAWSUIT

2009-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

The BLM has come up short on the number of horses they planned to gather from the Pryor Mountains but has stopped the gather. The reason is unknown at this point. Wild horse advocates are celebrating.....kind of. Though it's great to hear there will be no more, the damage is already done. Word is that BLM still has their "quota" of horses to permanently remove from the Pryor range. Some wild ones have been released but Clouds' family will lose more members than originally stated in order to make up for the short count. The issue of older horses not going for adoption still remains. There will be more information on this later.

In the meantime,childrens' author,Laura Leigh, has filed a federal court action seeking protection for the wild horses soon to be part of the gather from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. Heads up folks this is not a BLM gather. This one is orchestrated by the Bureau of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Many people believe the BLM is the only agency managing wild horses... untrue. ( more coming on this in the "Wild Horse 101" series of posts")

Laura Leigh is not attempting to prevent the gather of approximately 400 "feral" horses that is already underway. Apparently there is no legal case for doing so in this instance. Her case centers around the removal of these horses "without regard to their future welfare". One paragraph in a court document filed Sept 2 of this year sums it up well.

"Plaintiff is informed and believes the Defendants’ current unpublicized plan of shipping Sheldon Horses to private entities, incorporates the same type plan utilized by them previously when horses from Sheldon where shipped “in mass” long- distance, ultimately making their way to slaughter. "

I know this getting to be a rather long post but bear with me here. This is important!

The June 2006 round at Sheldon is well known for ghastly images of foals left hog-tied in desert heat for wranglers to pick up later. They found eight of them..... five were already dead.

Ten of the Sheldon horses were seized by RCMP in Alberta Canada, a hub for horse slaughter. In a letter to the Director of U.S. Fish and wildlife, Nick Rahall, Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, stated,

"The RCMP seizure clearly exposes the inadequacy of the existing regulatory framework... Moreover, existing procedures to track adopted animals once they have been transferred to the care of an adoption agent can no longer be assumed to be effective."

O.K. I'll stop already. But there is so much more to tell you. Come back tomorrow and I'll finish this one up.

Pryor Range Gather Eyewitness Report

2009-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

The following is an eyewitness report of the BLM gather this weekend of Clouds' Pryor Range wild horses

"I just returned from witnessing the round ups at Pryor Mt. Range in Montana. What I have seen is beyond belief. The government agency reminded me of a terrorist camp in the desert, set up with "body guards" and big "government" trucks... with huge corrals next to their base, where they hold the captured, betrayed and once majestic and now terrified horses hostage until "adoption day". Which is Sept. 26th.

The horses are panicked, exhausted and completely frightened. The ones that were pushed thru the chutes to be treated... were kicking and trying to escape their horrific prison. When released from the chute, they ran out desperately crying for their family members, head held high looking to locate them amongst the corrals... responding to their frantic whinnies, but not able to reunite. I have never ever seen such a cruel and indifferent attitude of anyone inflicting this havoc on innocents. The indifference of BLM and their corrupt behaviour, which in one big powertrip under the guise of "nice" authority who is doing their "job"... has turned my stomach upside down for months to come.More details later.

I urge you to call and support these horses - Please take a few minutes out of your day and call -

I want you to know that had you been there to witness what I saw... you would feel compelled to help these horses - they are stolen from the range, their families forever forcefully separated, their spirits broken, their future at stake - all done by our BLM - who destructs our magnificent symbol of freedom, with no remorse, with no regret - the peace of their lives has been shattered, the war has begun.

Please make your call today - You are their voice - trust me, you would want to be their voice after what I have seen this weekend."

The fame of this particular herd has brought world wide attention to this unnecessary gather. It's not too late to make your opinion known. Not only do the Pryor Range horses now held in BLM corrals need your help, especially those over 10 year old, but any voice heard will help prevent the escalated gathers now being conducted by the BLM. I suspect they are determined to get their licks in before the Senate votes and hopefully passes the R.O.A.M. Act. ( for those of you just now reading of this situatioin, please view the posts listed on your left as "BLM Gathers" )

Please call one or all of these numbers and add your own Senators number to the list. Tell them to vote "yea" on the R.O.A.M. Act . Tell them it's long past time to stop the mismanagement of our nations heritage. And tell them especially to release Pryor Range wild horses so that they may live their lives as nature intended.

President Obama 202-456-1111 or

E-mail Obama

You can leave a message for the BLM through Salazar's number.
202-208-3100 press 5 and leave a message
You can leave a message for BLM Director Abbey.
202-208-3801 or 866-468-7826

Montana Senators: Baucus 202-224-2651 & Tester 202-224-2644, and your State Senators -

BLM REMOVES CLOUD & HIS FAMILY FROM PRYOR MOUNTAIN

2009-09-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

A helicopter herded Cloud and his family into corrals this afternoon during the BLM gather at Pryor Mountain. It is said that only four of his family will be permanently removed. Cloud himself is to be returned to the mountain. Let us hope this is the case.

Forgive my skepticism but past history has left me jaded. Lies, broken promises, and agendas hidden from the public seem to be rampant within the government agencies that manage this nations wild horses. Today an observer commented in The Cloud Foundation blog on yet another incident of BLM "spinning" things in their direction.

"Here is the latest. I talked with our only humane observer allowed in the pens. She told me she already signed a release for liability waiver. She had been in the processing area watching since the onset on Thursday. Yesterday they had trouble getting a horse to move.

The federally indicted and convicted contractors’ son Troy said he could get the horse moving but did not want a camera on him. He then said he wanted to use an electric cattle prod to shock the horse. Sue Cattoor, the federally indicted and convicted contractors’ wife insisted that our humane observer be removed

Soon enough, Jim Sparks the field Director comes over and insist that the humane observer now sign a document making her a temporary volunteer employee. When she reviewed the document, it said the BLM owned all the photographs and other restrictions. This of course was rejected.
How can you be an independent humane observer and the BLM controls everything to say or do in response to what you observe?

I have complained to senior BLM staff to reinstate our INDEPENDENT HUMANE OBSERVER status.

Also, Sue Cattoor disrupted the filming and interview Ginger Kathrens was doing with former ABC reporter. It was not only unprofessional, it was rude, belligerent, and intimidating. The reporter was furious and not inclined to be bullied by Sue Cattoor. Imagine what it’s like for the poor horses. "

If you are inclined to disbelieve wild horse advocate's claims of illegal activities, intimidation, animal abuse, financial irresponsibility, etc. etc., please take a little time to do some research. The evidence is at your fingertips... much of it is on the internet. Hopefully the damage done to the Pryor Mountain herd is reversable. But there are more small herds , not so famous, that will be sent to slaughter without ever being noticed.

For the full story, please visit the Cloud Foundation blogsite here.

Updated Clouds' Herd

BLM Speed up timeline

Gather Begins

BLM Takes heat from Arizona Congressman

Receives 48 stay

BLM on a rampage

BLM TO REMOVE 948 WILD HORSES FROM WYOMING

2009-09-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

The Red Desert Complex in Wyoming will have almost 1,000 fewer wild horses come late this fall. The Lander and Rawlings field offices of BLM have now made the environmental assessment (EA) available to the public. (Definition of "Available": buried under multiple levels within their website. ) To save you some searching click here to read the report.

UPDATE- GATHERING CLOUDS HERD

2009-09-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

The following is an e-mail from an observer at the pryor mountain round up

THE WILDHORSE ROUND UP ~ PRYOR MOUNTAINS

The Cattoor roundup helicopter just drove Cloud's son Bolder and his band down the mountain. It is over 90 degrees now in the low country and the horses must travel over 12 miles.

We cannot be in the helicopter or anywhere to observe and can only see and witness a small portion of their frightening journey. Chino's band was with them as well and they fine coming in but at this time of year many of the horses are way out in the Forest Service and they had a very long trip down.

The helicopter is going up now for more horses, very likely including the week-old foal and her young mother, both planned to be removed. This is the wrong time to do a roundup in the Pryors-later in the fall the horses would be much lower down the mountain. But this is when the roundup crew was available. Many of the foals are too young for this journey.

Sue Cattoor of the roundup crew is saying that the buckskin filly below, Bolder's newest daughter, is too thin and must be removed. Here she is one week ago on the mountaintop. She is a stunning, leggy and very healthy filly, probably born in early July. She looked good to observers on the hill as she came in as well- she is not thin or in poor health. The lies and misinformation continue as does this roundup.

UPDATE 9:35 P.M.

I've just been made aware the Cloud Foundation has started a blog site. You will find a picture of the filly in question ( looks healthy to me) and information updates. To keep yourself informed or to make your thoughts known, click here.

BLM SPEEDS UP TIMELINE FOR PRYOR MOUNTAIN GATHER

2009-09-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Bureau of Land Management has changed their strategy on two key points regarding the current gather of Pryor Mountain wild horses. The original timetable for capturing the world famous herd was from one to two weeks. They have decided to wrap it up this weekend.

Is this an end run to evade results of a pending lawsuit filed to protect these horses? By completing the gather this weekend, the court will not have made its' decision known until it is to late. This action is just one more in a very long history of circumventing public wishes.

In a second change, perhaps the most heart wrenching of all, they stated that any horse aged 10 years or older will be sold and not offered for adoption as previously promised. "Conquistador", the 19 year old band stallion, and his family were captured today.

What does this mean? The general public will not have the opportunity to rescue those horses not offered for adoption. The sale authority process is aimed at buyers who purchase several horses at one sale. Ownership is immediate. A majority of these are “kill buyers” who then transport the horses to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Members of Clouds’ herd more than 10 years are now in grave danger of loosing more than their freedom.

The omnipotent attitude of our government agencies charged with protecting and preserving the wild horses , which belong to all of us, MUST BE STOPPED !

BLM Takes heat from Arizona Congressman

BLM Begins gather of clouds herd

BLM To destroy famous wild horse herd

BLM BEGINS GATHER OF CLOUDS' HERD TODAY

2009-09-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

A federal Judge has denied the request for a temporary restraining order to stop the round up of Pryor Mountains' herd made famous by Ginger Kathryns' documentary called ' CLOUD' . Though the primary lawsuit will continue, denial of the TRO allows the BLM round up to begin.

The Cloud Foundation and co-plaintiffs say " We are not giving up on these horses! Keep calling your Senators and Congress people, all media outlets and tell your friends." This battle is not over yet. Kathryns stated in the Billings Gazette "Obviously we're disappointed, but we move forward."

Valerie Stanley, attorney for the advocates, states " He could still set aside BLM's ruling, just not today. What it ( the pending lawsuit) will do is analyze the legal issues, whether BLM's decisions have a solid basis or not." She indicates that an eventual positive ruling could require the BLM to return any horses gathered to their Pryor Mountain home.

Notable arguments in legal documents available at this point include the following:

negative effects on the animals gathered ( a must read for those unaware)
mare foaling in August and September
injury to public interest and aesthetic enjoyment
the unique and rare ancestry of the herd
1968 legislation designating the area as a sanctuary
1997 demographic analysis by BLM showing a loss of genetic variation due to previous gathers and noting that the pre-1971 population was more than twice that of current post gather guidelines of 120 horses.
2003 study by genetic scientists recommending a population of 300 horses to be more desirable.
letter from BLM field manager ( 1999 ) expressing concern for genetic viability due to dangerously low management numbers.
Documentation disproving BLM claims of of negative range conditions.

Further information cites the 1992 Federal indictment of the contractor hired by BLM to conduct this gather. Mr. Dave Cattoor plead guilty to the charge of illegally hunting wild horses, aiding and abetting. Mr. Cattoor is currently being investigated by the Department of Interior Inspector General for procurement fraud. Public records show that he has earned $13 million from federal contracting since 2000. It's interesting to note that Federal law prohibits the use of contractors that have been convicted of a crime.

NOTE TO READERS: The information posted here is only a brief summary of the issues at hand. For those interested in details, I strongly suggest that you read the Billings Gazette article (click on the name above) and the Cloud Foundations' Website ( click on this post title).

BLM TAKES HEAT FROM ARIZONA CONGRESSMAN

2009-09-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

August 28 - Congressman Raul Grijalva (Ariz.) blasted the BLM for current wild horse gathers in a letter to Bob Abbey (BLM Director) regarding the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Round Up. He reminds the Director of the 2008 GAO Report then goes on to say the following:

" As in prior examples outlined in the GAO Report, the decision to round up the Prior Mountain herd does not appear to be based upon the statutory goal of " achieving a thriving ecological balance" nor fiscally responsible management practices. The agency has systematically removed entire herds of horses from public lands where they belong by law in order to benefit private livestock interests at a cost to taxpayers ....."

"Furthermore, continuing to carry out round-ups under the current management regime, when the Bureau already has more horses than it can reasonably afford to care for, or adopt to private citizens, is irresponsible fiscal management and unconscionable from a humane standpoint....."

"I encourage the BLM to suspend all round-ups until the agency has adequately demonstrated to the American People and to Congress that it has addressed the outstanding problems....."

To read the entire letter click on the title of this post

My comment: Between you and me,it looks like some one else has noticed the flurry of current horse gathers.

GAO REPORT

BLM ON RAMPAGE

BLM GATHER STATISTICS

CLOUDS' HERD RECEIVES 48 hr STAY

2009-08-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Cloud Foundation and Front Range Equine Rescue have been successful in filing their injunction request in Federal Court. This has resulted in a 48 hour stay to prevent the BLM gather.

The scheduled gather of the Pryor Mountain wild horse herd made famous by the PBS Documentary "CLOUD" is now on hold for 48 hours. For those of you unaware of this gather, please click here.

It's not over with yet folks. They won this war but the battle still goes on... Public opinion is a most effective weapon. Though the "national call in day" has passed there is still time to voice your opinion . Please contact one or all of those listed below and politely ask them to stop this round up.

Call/write/fax President Obama as often as you can. This herd is a national treasure and should not be wiped out by a government agency.

Phone: 202-456-1111 or 202-456-9000

Fax: 202-456-2461 Email President Obama

Ask Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to stop this round up!

Call: 202-208-3100

Email: feedback@ios.doi.gov

Ask BLM Director Bob Abbey to halt this round up and reconsider his agency's actions.

Call: 202-208-3801

Fax: 202-208-5242

Email: Robert_Abbey@blm.gov

NOTE: For those readers who are not residents of the U.S............ your voice counts too! Tourism is of great importance to this country and wild horses are a part of it.

Wild Horse Fundraiser Sept. 13

2009-08-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund, a non profit Corporation based in Reno, Nevada, will be holding it's annual fundraiser on Sunday September 13th. The volunteers at HVWHPF have been working hard for the last 14 years to protect the nations wild horses.

"What exactly do they do" you might ask. If I had to think of just one word to describe their activities, I guess that word would have to be "STRUGGLE". Hands-on type struggles seem to be endless. Here are just a few: 1- Struggling against harsh winter weather to provide supplemental feed when needed... and doing it all before you go to work. 2- Building fences and placing cattle guards around an entire subdivision to keep the horses safe was a struggle of immense proportions. Now they struggle to keep those fences and cattle guards in good repair. 3- Providing a daily supply of water for 100 horses when they have been cut off from their watering hole. 4- Ever tried to herd several wild horses back to their area of safety... on foot? Now that's a struggle! 5- Jumping through legal hoops to care for orphaned foals and sick or injured adults. 6- And last but not least is the struggle with heartbreak when you lose one.

Perhaps the biggest struggle of all is finding the money to pay for these activities. If you would like to help out, donations can be sent to :

Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund ( HVWHPF is fine)

P.O. Box 9445

Reno, Nv.

89507

To verify the legitimacy of this group, click on the title of this post. This will take you to the IRS database.

Danger Lurks for Hidden Valley Wild Horses

2009-08-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund has been informed by a highly reliable source that the Nevada Department of Agriculture has a plan to remove all of the wild horses in Hidden Valley and south thru Damonte Ranch

These horses, located on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada, don't receive protection under the “Wild Horse Annie Act”. If this gather occurs, the logistics of finding homes for over 100 wild horses indicate that the vast majority of these animals will end up at slaughter houses in Canada or Mexico. This being at taxpayers expense.

Past history of the current NDoA Director, Tony Lesperance, shows a negative attitude toward anything wild horse related. His public announcement in April of last year declared his intent to rid the Virginia Range of its horses.

The relationship between the Director and the various wild horse advocate groups is strained at best. Since the NDoA does not appear to be interested in working with HVWHPF, we can only assume their reasoning behind such a plan.

During the development of the Damonte Ranch area , it was necessary to remove fencing and change the flow of waterways to make way for construction. That fencing was not replaced. As a result, wild horses are tempted with a buffet of grassy parkways and fresh water near homes and dangerous roadways. NDOA classifies them as "Nuisance" horses.

HVWHPF is in communication with the firms responsible for the development in an effort to have the fencing replaced. NDOA is aware of this project and apparently would rather strip the land of its wild horses.

In 1997, original members of what is now the Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund placed fencing along the eastern perimeter of Hidden Valley, successfully protecting both the public and the wild horses. Not only have homeowners and wild horses in Hidden Valley cohabited successfully for over 12 years, but previous NDoA administrations have referred to the project as a “model program”. The Wild Horse Protection League was responsible for a similar project in Dayton. We have no doubt in our minds that the same type of solution would be equally successful in the Damonte area. We feel strongly that this solution deserves a chance to materialize.

You might have noticed the use the word we in this post... not my usual style. This situation is near and dear to my heart as I am current president of the Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund.

I have reposted this image of Virginia Range Wild Horses doing what they do. It seems to be apropos.

The title of the image is "Survival"

BLM Wild Horse Gather Statistics

2009-08-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

I paid a visit to the BLM website today. They were reorganizing so not all the information was available. I find it interesting that the section I wanted was labeled as " Monthly Review of the National Wild Horse and Burro Program" yet the most current information was 7 months old. Maybe that was due to the reorganization.

Anyone who reads the newspaper or watches television is aware of last years announcement that the BLM doesn't have the money to take care of the roughly 30,000 horses now in their holding facilities. YET THEY CONTINUE TO GATHER MORE ! Not only that but they have solicited bids for facilities to hold an additional 6000 horses.

Here are the numbers reported from heard management areas where gathers took place from October 2008 thru January 2009 ( not including gathers in Utah ).

pre-gather population.....3805
horses gathered..... 3197
horses actually removed..... 2538
fertility injections..... 331
deaths caused by the gather..... 19
deaths not caused by the gather..... 19
post gather population..... 1231

All in all, they removed 66.7% of the population from 10 herd management areas.... and thats only part of the information. The number of deaths caused by the gathers were at .59%. That may not sound like a lot but when you consider the number of horses they gather yearly, it adds up fast. Two reports from different management areas in Oregon were identical but for the numbers which classified deaths. One classified 4 deaths as being caused by the gather , the other reported only 1. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between.

The information for gathers done between February and now should prove to be of even greater interest. So far, I am aware of another 1,700 wild horses scheduled for removal between now and October of this year.

UPDATE SEPT 9 - THE REORGANIZING HAS BEEN COMPLETE FOR ABOUT A WEEK - STILL NO INFORMATION IS POSTED LATER THAN JANUARY OF 2009

FOR THIS "MONTHLY UPDATE" FROM THE BLM.

GUESS THEY HAVE BEEN TOO BUSY GATHERING UP HORSES ?!

UPDATE SEPT 18 - No new information is posted. The Pryor Range round-up must have kept them occupied. (Sorry for the sarcasm. I can't seem to help myself. )

UPDATE SEPT 22 - Still no change. I sent them an e-mail today. Hope to get the answer soon.

Contaminated Horse Meat Not for the European Union.

2009-08-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Health & Consumers Directorate-General has announced strict requirements on the import of horse meat for public consumption to take effect in April of 2010 . “Only horses with a register of medical treatments covering a period of 6 months prior to slaughter should be allowed to be slaughtered for export...” The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has indicated that Canada will likely abide by this mandate.

What does this mean for the wild ones? Horses sold at auction will need to be kept in feed lots for 6 months before slaughter. That's a lot of hay and a huge deterrent to those who make a profit slaughtering wild horses.

The U.S. exported just under 57,000 horses to Mexico and 77,000 to Canada in 2008... the second highest numbers since 1995. Mexico has two different categories of slaughter houses. One provides meat for export and the other for domestic consumption. Mexican officials have not announced whether the latter will be required to follow these same rules.

Bureau of Land Management on Rampage to Destroy Famous Wild Horse Herd

2009-08-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

The following is taken from the Cloud foundation website

Cloud and the wild horses of Montana’s Pryor Mountains are world famous but fame it appears is not going to protect the herd from a drastic government round up planned to begin September 1st in their spectacular wilderness home.

There are currently only 190 wild horses (one year and older) living in the Pryor Mountains. The BLM plans to remove 70 of them, plus foals. According to the foremost equine geneticist, Dr. Gus Cothran, 150-200 adult horses are needed in the herd to ensure their genetic diversity, which is vital to their long term survival.

These 70 horses would be placed in jeopardy. Any horses over 10 years of age can be bought directly by killer buyers and transported over the Northern border to Canadian slaughterhouses or south into Mexico. Younger horses not adopted would be put into government holding with 33,000 others that the BLM has removed from the wild and has proposed killing because they can no longer afford to feed them.
BLM cites poor range condition as the reason to remove the horses but abundant snow and rain for the past two and a half years has produced wonderful range conditions according to all who have visited Cloud and his herd. The Agency is not listening to anyone. They want this herd gutted. Nearly all the mares returned to the range would be given an experimental two-year infertility drug, PZP-22.
This helicopter round up is just one among many that the BLM is trying to complete, before the Obama Administration can catch up with what is going on.

The Pryor Mountain wild horses are descendents of the Lewis and Clark horses who were stolen by the Crow Indians in the early 1800's. They can be traced further back to the horses brought over with the Spanish Conquistadors in 1500 making them the most Spanish of all wild horse herds in North America.

Please contact The Cloud Foundation for more information.
www.thecloudfoundation.org, info@thecloudfoundation.org, 719-633-3842

RELATED POST: BLM horse gather statistics

Welsh Mountain Stallion

2009-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Have you been wondering what the "and more" stands for?

This is a great example of more things coming your way. The Isle of Mists in Olde England brings us great talent in the form of a little lady known as ARTWOLF . A self taught artist, she works with a wide array of painting disciplines, sculpture, and makes jewelry too. A successful artist and member of the Etsy Whoa Team, she loves horses as much as I do. This is one of my favorites. Click on the title of this post to view more of her work.

R.O.A.M. ACT - UPDATE

2009-08-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

On August 5, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid submitted the Senate's version of the bill that was sponsored by Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV.) The Senate bill number is S.1579, and it has been referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

To read the bill with current changes marked click on the title of this post. Thank you to the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates for their never ending commitment to the wild ones. To contact your SENATOR, click on the word senator then use the "find your senator" feature in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Here is some verbiage added or changed by the Senate bill:

Identify new, appropriate rangeland for wild free-roaming horses and burros, including the use of land acquisitions, exchanges, conservation easements, voluntary grazing buyouts, and agreements with private landowners to allow for federally supervised protection of wild horses and burros on private lands, except that the Secretary shall asses the effects of new range for wild free-roaming horses and burros on range land health, riparian zones, water quality, soil compaction, seed bed disturbance, native wildlife, and endangered or threatened species and transmit the results of the assessment to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.

Establish sanctuaries or exclusive use areas, except that the Secretary shall assess the effects of sanctuaries or exclusive use areas for wild free-roaming horses and burros on rangeland health, riparian zones, water quality, soil compaction, seed bed disturbance, native wildlife, and endangered or threatened species and transmit the results of the assessment to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of

Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.

In identifying or designating any new rangeland, or establishing any sanctuary or exclusive use area for wild free-roaming horses and burros, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall take into account any potential conflicts with wind, solar, geothermal, oil, natural gas, energy transmission, and mineral resources potential of the lands affected by the identification, designation, or establishment.

Research, develop, and implement enhanced fertility control for mares, stallions, or both, such as surgical or immunocontraception sterilization or other safe, humane, and effective methods of fertility control.

And last but far from least is the following:

The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are authorized and directed to appoint a joint advisory board of not more than nine 12 members to advise them on any matter relating to wild free-roaming horses and burros and their management and protection. They shall select as advisers persons who are not employees of the Federal or State Governments and whom they deem to have special knowledge about protection of horses and burros, management of wildlife, animal husbandry, or natural resources management. Governments, and shall include three representatives of the livestock industry; three representatives of the environmental community; three representatives of the animal protection community; and three scientists with expertise in wildlife management, animal husbandry, or natural resource management. Members of this board shall not receive reimbursement except for travel and other expenditures necessary in connection with their services. Nomination of members of the board shall be conducted by public notice and comment in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act

(5 U.S.C. appendix) and shall be for a term of four years. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms.

RELATED POSTS: BLM Horse Gather Statistics

BLM scores a loss in Colorado Court Case

2009-08-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Coalition has been successful in preventing the removal of "all wild horses" of the West Douglas Herd. The court found that the BLM decision to remove the herd "exceeds their scope of authority" delegated in the Wild Horse Annie Act.

The case appears to hinge on two things: #1-If the plaintiffs will suffer an injury in fact. In its judgement, the court states, " It is clear that the person who observes... a particular animal threatened by a federal decision is facing perceptible harm, since the very subject of his interest will no longer exist."

Item #2 B.L.M. authority to remove horses not considered "excess". The BLM argued initially that the horses had been determined to be excess. A number of records dating as far back as 1975 showed otherwise. They abandoned that argument. BLM then took the position that their authority to remove horses not determined as excess "is inherent within BLM"S broad authority to manage horses..." The court did not accept that interpretation of the law stating "... the Secretary's discretion remains bounded" ( Secretary of the Interior) and that "his orders are subject to review and may be overturned if his action is arbitrary"

"Congress did not authorize BLM to "manage" the wild horses by corralling them for private maintenance... (they) would forever cease to be "wild free-roaming" horses... "

And finally, Congress did not intend"... to permit the animals' custodian to subvert the primary policy of the statute by capturing and removing from the wild the very animals that Congress sought to protect from being captured and removed from the wild."

To view the decision for yourself, click on the title of this post.

Related posts: BLM Horse Gather Statistics

Government Accountability Office Report 2008

2009-07-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

More information on the R.O.A.M. Act. (HR 1018) This Act specifically addresses the issues found in this report and the corrections suggested. The following summary is taken from the thomas site. To view the entire report, click on the title of this blog.

THE 2008 GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT

"A 2008 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report identified a number of deficiencies with the BLM wild horse and burro program. The report found that the BLM uses poorly managed removals as the primary method for managing horses. As a result, BLM now has more horses in holding facilities than in the wild and expends more than two-thirds of the program's budget to care for horses collected with no long-term plan for their care or adoption.

Further, many of the horses and burros currently housed in the BLM's holding centers should likely not have been removed from the range in the first place. The GAO found that the BLM uses an inaccurate method to determine wild horse populations and has yet to provide specific formal guidance to field offices to set Appropriate Management Levels (AMLs) consistently across the states where wild horses and burros are found.

Finally, the report found that BLM had not formally considered other possible solutions to deal with the large number of wild horses in long-term holding facilities. Thus, expanded use of contraception, creation of sanctuaries, and more aggressive adoption programs are all potential alternatives that could address the BLM's challenges, but have not yet been utilized."

BLM vs NDOA - who manages what?

2009-07-27T14:04:00.001-07:00

Just a few of the historic Virginia Range Horses in Northern Nevada. The Virginia Range herd inspired the actions of Wild Horse Annie whose efforts brought about the original Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro act of 1971.

Ironically, these horses are no longer afforded federal protections.

The Wild Horse Annie Act of 1971 assigned the protection of wild horses and burros on public lands to the Bureau of Land Management. Because the Virginia Range consists primarily of private lands, the BLM handed over management responsibility to the Nevada Department of Agriculture by means of legislative action in 1997. The protection guidelines of the original act do not apply.

To see more photos, click on the title of this post.

the R.O.A.M. act - H.R. 1018 - What you need to know

2009-07-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

I’m astounded with the amount of negative press The R.O.A.M. Act (Restoring Our American Mustangs) is getting. Most upseting of all is the fact that most of it is based on false information. The strongest objection by those who are referring to the ROAM Act as "Welfare for wild horses" is based on the largest untruth of all. Here is some information taken straight from the House Report. To view the full report, click on the title of this post

SPEECH OF

HON. SAM FARR

OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2009

"....My colleagues also say that this bill will cost $700 million or more. This is unequivocally false. This is simply fear-mongering. The truth is that the bill promotes on-the-range management and reduces the number of horses in costly short-term and long-term holding facilities, partly through more widespread use of fertility control. In FY 2008, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) spent $36.2 million on its entire wild horse and burro program and the cost of holding wild horses and burros in its facilities exceeded $27 million--more than two-thirds of the BLM's total budget. The current program is a train wreck, and H.R. 1018 addresses the core problems of this program. By implementing herd reduction with birth control, the U.S. Geological Survey says H.R. 1018 will save taxpayers $7.7 million a year and the Journal of Wildlife Management says it will save ``$6.1'' million a year........"

The wording of the bill is not suggesting the BLM go out and buy 19 million acres. What it boils down to is returning the use of acreage that BLM already owns.

From the N.Y. Times Archives

2009-07-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

A jaunt through the New York Time archives provides an interesting lesson in Wild Horse history.

Check out some of these headlines and snippets:

from the San Francisco Examiner published Nov 30,1894 by NY Times

THE WILD HORSES OF NEVADA

WORTH BUT $2 EACH ON THE PLAINS AND A GREAT NUISANCE TO CATTLEMEN.

"R.L. Fulton of Reno, for a number of years agent of the land department of the central pacific railroad, tells a strange story of the wild horses now roaming over Nevada, and the steps that have been taken to get rid of them."

“There are now in Nevada more than 200,000 head of these horses,” said Mr Fulton, “ and they are increasing so fast that they are geting to be a great nuisance. Cattle and sheep owners are killing them wherever they can."

“The last legislature passed a law permitting anyone to shoot any stallions that were found running wild, and the ranchers have, in consequence been killing them off wherever they could. ....”

NY Times july 18, 1920

NEW GAME FOR HUNTERS

"Americans who like adventure and excitement in a hunt are advised to try their hand at hunting wild horses..... they will find this sport quite as thrilling as cornering a tiger....."

NY Times Aug., 18, 1912

WILD HORSE HUNTERS

"..... As horses, they are valueless and useless. They can no more be tamed and domesticated than the hyena....."

NY Times Feb, 10, 1908

TO KILL ALL WILD HORSES

"Orders were received yesterday from the Forestry Department, instructing the Rangers..... to kill all wild horses on the Government domain"

NY Times November 9, 1902

Wild Horses in Idaho

“ Uncle Sam, perhaps is not aware of his total equine assets. Up and down the Snake Valley roam herds of wild horses --- beauties too, which most persons would highly prize-- that have never know a closer acquaintance with man than was possible at the distance of a league or more; for these herds, always under the command of a majestic stallion, disappear into the mountain fastness with the slightest sign of interruption or danger. Cowboys frequently surprise these animals, shoot the stallion, and stampede and capture the mares and colts. Many a blooded sire of tremendous prowess has thus been sacrificed, experience having taught the utter futility of an attempt to capture him......”

One day when you have nothing better to do, click on the NY TIMES link then type in wild horse. Boy will you get an eye full!

Virginia Range Wild Horses in Action

2009-07-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Two stallions fighting over a mare. As usual, the mares couldn't be bothered.

for more wild horse photos , click on the title of this post.

Wild Horse 101 - Feral, Estray, or Wild?

2009-07-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes! The sticky wicket question. What is the difference between feral, wild, and estray?

Wild is any animal in a state of nature. Feral is any animal in a wild state after escape from captivity or domestication. By law an estray is any domestic animal found wandering at large or lost, the owner being unknown.

The wild horses managed by the Bureau of Land Management,aka BLM, are considered as feral. The Virginia Range wild horses managed by the Nevada Department of Agriculture, aka NDoA, are considered to be estray. ( more on this management division later)

My personal thought? The overwhelming majority of wild horses have been born and raised in the wild for many generations. As noted in a previous post, E. caballus evolved in the area. These animals have known nothing but wild. THEY ARE WILD! Using the logic of those mandated to manage wild horses the following statement would fit, “Because your ancestors probably immigrated to the United States 100 years ago or more, you are not an American.”

Sorry folks. I just had to get my dollars worth in there.

Related Posts: Wild Horse 101 - Evolution

Wild Horse 101 - Evolution

2009-07-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, horses are indigenous to the Americas. As a matter of fact, the evolution of the horse began right here in North America. Paleontological evidence was discovered as early as the beginning of the twentieth century and subsequent evidence has been accepted as fact by the scientific community for many many years.

Roughly 10 million years ago ancestors of the horse disappeared mysteriously along with the wooly mammoth, sabre toothed tiger, the rhino, camel, and the cow. It is thought that climate change at the end of the ice age brought about different type grasses that contained a large amount of silica. These grasses wore down the teeth of larger animals which shortened their lives. They could not live long enough to reproduce at a rate that would sustain the species. Some survivors of E. caballus emigrated to Eurasia presumably via the Bering Land Bridge. They were reintroduced to the Americas in the 1500’s by the Spaniards .

The species both originated and co-evolved with its habitat. So are they native or non-native ?

Related Posts: Wild Horse 101 - Feral, Estray, or Wild

Recent news July 17, 2009

2009-07-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

I intended to begin my blogging with a little of what I call Wild Horse 101. Current events have upstaged that thought. I guess there's nothing wrong with jumping right in there for my first post.

The House passed the Restore Our American Mustangs Act on friday. Now we have the tough task of passing a Senate vote. For those of you unfamiliar with this Act, here is a synopsis I have taken from the Reno Gazette Journal article linked below.

"..... The Restore Our American Mustangs Act by committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., would step up fertility control measures, encourage more adoptions of the animals and provide the more than 60,000 wild horses and burros under federal control with as much as 19 million additional acres on which to roam freely....."

Though I have yet to find any legislation that is perfect, I strongly support this one. Before I go on with my reasons, I would like to point out that over half of the 60,000 animals they speak of are currently captive in Bureau of Land Management holding pens. There are more wild horses and burros in captivity than in the wild.

REASONS FOR SUPPORT

1 - To euthanize over 30,000 animals of any kind is beyond ludicrous. The irony in this scenario is that these horses and burros were taken off public land ostensibly in order to protect them. What's wrong with this picture?

2- Fertility control is an effective management tool that , though tested, has been resisted. I have personally witnessed some of those results. It works.

3- Historically the BLM allocated more funds to round-ups than to adoption efforts. Hence the reason for so many animals in their holding facilities.

QUESTIONABLE - Why purchase additional land when so many designated herd management areas have been systematically "zeroed out" and are now declared horse free.

I don't presume to understand it all. But , since I have followed the issues for many years, I have a strong knowledge base. There are too many reasons for supporting this legislation to list here.

I ask only that you take the time to investigate thoroughly. Then make your own decision.