First death at Calico roundup ~ RIP Old Gold

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Protect Mustangs is a California-based preservation group whose mission is to inform the public about the mustang crisis, protect America’s wild horses on the range and help those who lost their freedom.

Older mare dies from Calico roundup

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

You can see how tormented she was in the trap pen. See Cat Kindsfather’s pic on our FB page:

http://on.fb.me/v7UdaS

Petition reaches 800 signatures

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Let’s keep spreading the word to our friends at home and around the world who love America’s wild horses and want to stop the dangerous Calico roundup.

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-calico-roundup

Send your friends the petition and post it on your FB wall. Find creative ways to get the word out and let us know what works!

Thank you so much for your help to save the mustangs.

In gratitude,
Anne Novak

News Release

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Protect Mustangs asks Obama to stop the dangerous Calico roundup

Advocates ask for the sustainable win-win

WASHINGTON (November 21, 2011)— Protect Mustangs launches their campaign and petition to stop the frivolous Calico roundup in northern Nevada near the town of Gerlach, known for Burning Man. The mustang advocacy group joins with advocates and the disgruntled public asking President Obama to stop the expensive winter roundup before it becomes deadly. The 2010 Calico roundup was the deadliest roundup in history with 160 deaths attributed to it. Protect Mustangs asks that all other roundups be put on hold until a sustainable plan is agreed to by all sides of the issue.

“There is no accurate head count and estimates cannot justify an expensive roundup when thriving natural ecological balance (TNEB) exists on the range,” explains Anne Novak, Founder and Director of Protect Mustangs. “This country is in the middle of a financial crises. We can’t afford to waste more money on cruel roundups, removals and warehousing. The money being spent on this roundup could be used to help the American people get back on their feet.”

Last year the BLM spent more than 75 million dollars on the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Advocates want to know how that money was spent—line by line.

“They are wasting our tax money on roundups instead of using a small fraction of that money to improve the range,” states Lisa Friday, Board Member of Protect Mustangs. “We want to see wild horses freed from long-term holding and returned to the West—to roam freely on their herd management areas (HMAs) as Congress intended.”

Today close to 39,000 American wild horses live in long-term holding facilities—away from their native habitat. Less than 13,850 live on public land in ten western states. In 1900, 2 million wild horses roamed freely in America.

Currently, in the Calico Complex HMA, more than half a million acres, can easily support the less than 1,000 wild horses and burros living there. Livestock currently outnumbers wild horses more than 50 to 1. Protect Mustangs wants to make sure that the mustangs are not scapegoated for damage to the range caused by livestock.

Wild horses are being removed from their range at breakneck speed to make room for ‘the New Energy Frontier’. Protect Mustangs wants a sustainable management plan for the wild horses of the West.

“It’s not ‘green’ to wipe out an indigenous species to create an industrialized zone for producing so-called renewables on public land, states Novak. “There must be a way to find a win-win for the wild horses, the other wildlife, the livestock and the energy projects in the West. We want engagement from all sides to solve this problem.”

Meanwhile Protect Mustangs asks President Obama to stop the Calico roundup and put all other roundups on hold until a real sustainable plan is agreed to by all sides of the issue.

The Salazar Plan was announced in Fall 2009 and the result was nationwide public outcry and protests. The administration disregarded the will of the people and forged ahead with a dysfunctional policy destined to zero out the American wild horse.

‘Now we want change for the good,” states Lisa Friday “We want the administration to stop wasting money on a bad plan.”

Protect Mustangs is a California-based non-profit whose mission is to inform the public about the mustang crisis, protect America’s wild horses on the range and help those who lost their freedom.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Anne Novak, 415-531-8454 Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

Kerry Becklund, 510-502-1913 Kerry@ProtectMustangs.org

Photos, video and interviews available upon request.

Links of interest:

Protect Mustangs’ Petition to Stop Calico Roundup: http://chn.ge/rBoej7

CBS: Stampede to Oblivion: http://bit.ly/tAopv7

FAQs on Wild Horses: http://bit.ly/teEILa

New Energy Frontier: http://on.doi.gov/taVehZ

Ruby Pipeline: The Real Reason To Remove Wild Horses? http://bit.ly/vUf9SQ

Ruby Pipeline Map: http://bit.ly/sCRcJ5

Salazar Plan Shortcomings: http://bit.ly/togfzp

Press Releases Chronicling the issue: http://bit.ly/vnyVnR

Protect Mustangs on Twitter @ProtectMustangs

Protect Mustangs on You Tube: http://bit.ly/v8TZfd

Protect Mustangs on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/uDF5JP

Protect Mustangs on Web: www.ProtectMustangs.org

Spin Alert #1

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

I contacted the Calico roundup PR person for information and she suggested I visit their website first to see if their material would answer my questions. So I went to this page: http://on.doi.gov/vVoYvb and found this piece of well crafted spin that I thought I would share with you for giggles:

Why is the BLM removing wild horses and burros when there are already more than 41,000 animals in holding?

The BLM must remove thousands of wild horses and burros from the range each year to protect public lands from the environmental impacts of herd overpopulation – such as soil erosion, sedimentation of streams, and damage to wildlife habitat. Currently, the Western rangeland free-roaming population of more than 38,000 (as of February 2011) exceeds by nearly 12,000 the number the BLM has determined can exist in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses. Although the BLM tries to place as many removed animals as possible into private care through adoption or sales, the public’s demand for adoptable wild horses has declined sharply in recent years, leaving the agency in the unsustainable position of gathering excess horses while its holding costs spiral upward. Interior Secretary Salazar and BLM Director Bob Abbey announced a set of proposals in October 2009 that represented the first step in putting the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program on a sustainable track (see www.blm.gov for details).

Mustang Monday™ November 21st: Email President Obama

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

In all time zones for Mustang Monday™ please email President Obama and ask him to Stop the Calico Roundup now. Tell him that less than 2 years ago 1,922 wild horses were rounded up and that you don’t want them zeroed out. Mention there is no accurate head count and estimates cannot justify a roundup when thriving natural ecological balance (TNEB) exists on the range. Bring up the fact that the National Academy of Science is conducting a study on management but needs to have mustangs on the Calico range to study. Tell the President that wild horses are valuable and should not be cleared off public land to make way for the ‘New Energy Frontier’ but rather there can be a win-win with the wild horses roaming freely on their home land.

Click here to send your email http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments Send a copy to Contact@ProtectMustangs.org and we will post it on this site.

You can Tweet the action by using this link http://www.twitlonger.com/show/ea06j6 . Please use the hashtags #MustangMonday and #WildHorses or #Mustang .

The last Calico roundup was the deadliest roundup in history. Let’s make our voices heard and stop this now!

In gratitude,

Anne Novak

Founder and Director of Protect Mustangs

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @ProtectMustangs

Biologist says roundup areas not overpopulated

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

“As a biologist that has documented the Calico Mt. HMAs many times, both previous to, the 2009/2010 roundups, as well as during and after, these areas are not overpopulated as the BLM would like us to believe, rather they are very much underpopulated,” explains Robert Bauer, Biologist. “The horses and burros need to be allowed to fill their niche in all areas out West including the Calico Mts.. If allowed their numbers will stabilize according to natures mandate.”

Stressed, steaming and freedom lost ~ Calico begins

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Cat Kindsfather reports for us that 51 wild horses were captured November 19th in below freezing weather miles away from Gerlach, Nevada.

She observed three bands coming in and one small group had already been rounded up when the observers arrived.

Kindsfather observed that one mare suffered a cut leg at temporary holding and was told by BLM that it would be treated the next day with penicillin and banamine.

More information to come.

Equine distemper due to stress and chill from winter roundups.

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Winter roundups often result in the upper respiratory equine illness called strangles (equine distemper) because the helicopters chase the terrified horses in freezing cold temperatures and the horses catch a chill in the traps. You can see the steam coming from the horses in the trap site photo here.

Strangles is highly contagious–spread from horse to horse contact and spread from horse to human to horse contact.

Strangles is inevitable during winter roundups–putting all the wild horses at risk who are forced to live in close quarters for months in short term holding.

Strangles got its name from having difficulty breathing as if being strangled. Horses can die from strangles.

There is a vaccine for strangles but it is less than 50% effective and dangerous to give to horses already exposed to strangles. The illness shows up some time after exposure. It spreads quickly in holding facilities during winter. So the vaccine is not the answer. The answer is to refrain from sweating wild horses in the chill of winter which translates to no helicopter roundups in the winter.

Wild horses get strangles from living in confinement after being chilled not from living freely on the range. In freedom they are very healthy.

For more information on strangles visit wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangles

Take Action: Stop the Calico Roundup Petition

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

It’s the eve of the Calico roundup. Let’s get this petition out to our friends and networks to Stop the Roundup!

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-calico-roundup

Protect Mustangs™

Forever wild and free™

First death at Calico roundup ~ RIP Old Gold

Older mare dies from Calico roundup

Petition reaches 800 signatures

News Release

Spin Alert #1

Mustang Monday™ November 21st: Email President Obama

Biologist says roundup areas not overpopulated

Stressed, steaming and freedom lost ~ Calico begins

Equine distemper due to stress and chill from winter roundups.

Take Action: Stop the Calico Roundup Petition