Old Gold notice pelvis is probably injured. She can’t get up. Whip coming at her. Eyes freaked. Agony! (Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved.)
“Dead horses are a result of this roundup fiasco,” states Anne Novak, Executive Director of Protect Mustangs. “The BLM should have brought wild horses aid (water and feed) for several months to avoid an emergency ‘gather’ during foaling season. Who’s giving the orders to stampede frail wild horses and tiny foals?”
Here is the BLM’s report about the Jackson Mt. roundup: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo/blm_programs/wild_horses_and_burros/Jackson_Mountains_Gather/facreports.html
“Counting the dead from a roundup is basic math,” says Novak. “All the wild horses who died or were killed from lethal injection as a result of the BLM’s Jackson Mountain roundup should be counted as roundup-related deaths. Not counting the dead properly shows the BLM’s lack of transparency.”
“The federal agency wants to make Congress feel the roundups don’t cause many deaths so they skew the numbers to ensure their funding won’t be cut off,” explains Novak. “We request that Congress investigate their erroneous death count.”
We brought up this issue at last winter’s Calico roundup beginning with Old Gold‘s death. Read our position here: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=348
Below is what we said on November 26, 2011.
“So many wild horses die because of roundups yet the BLM does not count the deaths accurately,” explains Anne Novak, Executive Director of the California-based Protect Mustangs. “Congress hears that there is only a 1% death rate at ‘gathers’. We want transparency and accountability for all the deaths at roundups.”
“If a horse is chased by a helicopter for miles and miles, then while in a trap pen terrified with plastic tied on to whips, slammed into a metal panel, next shoved into a trailer and transported to another holding facility and is put down a day or two afterwards—it is related to the roundup,” says Novak. “If Old Gold had not been rounded up, I bet she would be alive today.”
BLM has done nothing to improve transparency since then. The subterfuge continues . . .
Contact your elected officials and ask them to intervene to make this cruel roundup become transparent with correct death counts.
Thank you for doing what you can do to stop the roundups.
Links of interest:
June 9, 2012 Associated Press Congressman criticizes Nevada wild horse roundup http://mynorthwest.com/174/690641/Congressman-criticizes-NV-wild-horse-roundup
11/30/11 Horse yard reports on Celebrities speak out against roundups and Old Gold’s death http://bit.ly/uqkVH6
11/29/12 Tuesdays Horse Michael Blake and The Barbi Twins speak out against wild horse roundups http://bit.ly/sWpySD
11/28/11 Wild mustang killed by BLM . . . because she was old by The Desert Independent http://bit.ly/rCE39o
11/28/11 Questions over fate of “Old Gold” by International Horse News. http://bit.ly/vr1MX9
11/26/11 KPFA Evening News, KFCF Fresno, KPFK Los Angeles, WBAI New York, KPFT Houston, WPFW Washington, DC interview to Stop Calico Roundup. Hear it at 26:25 on http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/75490
I could not agree more…and have been saying so all along, as recently as last night. “Pre-existing condition” or not, if a Horse dies, or is euthanized, during or in the days following a gather…that death IS gather related. Plain and simple. And my guess is that perhaps many of these ‘pre-existing conditions’, especially the lameness and respiratory ‘conditions’, can be directly attributed to forcibly running these Horses over rough terrain and in the heat.
~ Jan C.
There is NO reason to run OUR horses and foals to their deaths. STOP the way you are doing things and face up to the abuse ……
Shame on the BLM, How do these people sleep at night. They think they are above the law. Job evaluations need to be performed and testing for drugs. Quit wasting My MONEY on cruelty. This whole BLM system is nothing but a joke, these people dont want to get real jobs.Sickens me !!!
I believe ALL roundups should stop. REMOVE THE COWS. It is against the will of most Americans to keep doing these HORRIBLE, THOUGHTLESS, MEAN SPIRITED things to our wild horses.
Observers cannot e at all the roundups. So I do not “imagine,” we know there are injuries, deaths at EVERY roundup. OK, the BLM has armed guards. Never-the-less, I wonder if there is some way we can have a good number of peaceful advocates at a gather…silent candlelight vigil. Oh, what to do, my college prof. would say. We email, fax, comment, attend BLM advisory Board meeting for the farce. I and so many did the rallies across the country. We have wrist bands, bumper stickers… I personally believe we need a massive demonstration in DC as other organizations have had. I remember March 2008, there were over 200 at an anti-horse slaughter lobby, speaker event in DC. Just think how it would have been for all to gather on the mall in DC!! When “respectful” maneuvers do-not-work, grassroots needs to up the ante. Just sounding off my thoughts. Feelings. Frustrations, Thank you.
I have been pressuring the staffs in two different offices today to get someone to give a ‘good’ answer as to why 2 foals were found dead on Friday. They listed them as being of poor body condition, but a look through all the pictures I don’t see any that would be near death. Poor body condition is not a ‘good’ reason.
They have also failed to give any details about the mare with the broken neck. What was going on to cause this? Just who was present and what did they see? Are there any photos of the incident?
The BLM will tell you that if a death occurs at PVC they do not consider that ‘gather related’ only if it happens on the range or at the trap. They blatantly tell you they are hiding the truth and Congress, Ken Salazar, We the People have let them get away with it far too long.
It’s time for the 2×4 between the eyes to get their attention. They have to know that we are aware of the problem and we’re not going to let it slide anymore.
Join me as today I will be writing Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Marco Rubio, both of Florida, with detailed information about the operations of the BLM. Why? Because, truthfully, I doubt they know what sort of heinous activities which they are involved in unwittingly.