From the fabulous videographer: This video was taken at the BLM Antelope Complex “Gather” south of Wells, NV on 24-Feb-2011. We had just come from observing the BLM Contract capture 6 Wild Horse about 4 miles away. They said that there are too may Wild Horses on this range land. The range can’t support the estimated 2000+ Wild Horses. Yet as we left the capture there are 100s maybe a 1000 pregnant cattle just arriving onto the range. Hmmmm, does that make sense?
The Water Canyon GONACON™ EXPERIMENT is in the Antelope Complex. This is where the 11-13 orphans lived with their families. Where are their mamas?
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Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.
There apparently is no limit to the corruption and double dealing. Fast talk and a double shuffle and our wild horses and the taxpayers are again victims of a corrupt government agency. Perhaps it is to be expected as the voters in these HMA areas are welfare ranchers or dependent on welfare ranching and the politicians are either welfare ranchers themselves or in their pockets. The government agencies just do as they are expected to do. Bureaucracy 101, Politics 101, Corruption 101 in total convergence in our western states on our public lands where our wild horses and other wildlife are now in extremis.
The Water Canyon segment of the Antelope HMA spans approximately 31,000 acres, or about 48½ square miles. Prior to the GonaCon sterilization-project, the wild-horse population was estimated at 66. That meant a stocking rate of just one horse per 470 acres. Contrast that with the 6,000 sheep that BLM allows to graze in the same area at a fraction of market rates.
Yet BLM and the permit-holder weren’t satisfied. BLM initiated a “population suppression project” on those few wild horses. BLM removed more than half of the resident-herd, reducing the stocking rate to one horse per 1,033 acres. BLM then injected 15 mares with the chemical sterilant GonaCon, disfigured them with hideous hip-brands, and released them along with 15 stallions. The GonaCon sterilant is to be re-administered every 20 to 24 months, supposedly as a test of its efficacy. Removals, too, will ongoing, either through bait-trapping or helicopter-roundup, in case any foals conceived prior to GonaCon are born.
The location of the removed Water Canyon mares has not been disclosed. Those mares may very well be slated for use as experimental subjects in one of BLM’s “diverse portfolio” of sterilization “research.”
Cattle folks and their Cronies, don’t even care that we see their obvious removal of Wild Horses, replacing them with Cattle. After all, they think we cant stop them. Someday we will find a way. Until then, by all means keep doing everything you are doing in this obvious fashion and we will continue to document it. Thank you Anne Novak and Protect Mustangs for being on top of this!
You are destroying our heritage, these horses are a part of America how can you even consider killing them which is what you are doing!!! STOP
I AM SPEECHLESS WITH ANGER! THIS IS SO OBVIOUS, YET THE AMERICAN PPL, INCLUDING MANY HORSE ADVOCATES, ARE JUST ACCEPTING THIS BLATANT CRUEL EXTERMINATION AND PUBLIC LANDS TAKE OVER FOR GREEDY LIVESTOCK INTERESTS ! WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE!?
Who has the right to kill horses and use the land for private use? Mr. Obama needs to explain to the American people why is he destroying our wild life. We do not understand.
This is a clear example of how little influence one has in our country unless one is part of the mega billion club. Profit is all. This direction we are in now is decided on how profitable something is to that club. The fact that cows and sheep are major contributors to climactic change is just about never mentioned. Horses are just marginal victims in the way of big Ag. profit. It is a crime and a heartbreak most people never see in mainstream media, nor do they understand it. I fear that it may all end with a small number of bands saved and living on wild horse rescues’ properties supported by dedicated volunteers and donations by true horse lovers, unless the entire system is rehashed. Voting for candidates with a positive agenda for helping the Mustangs and wild burros, such as Senator Sanders, may be their only real hope.
What is happening out there in Antelope HMA is so wrong! Such hypocrisy. Such blind and destructive tradition. And then to blame the true healers of the land: the wild horses. And then to sterilize these few remaining wild horses, not even at a viable population level. This is abysmal hypocrisy on the part of a corrupt establishment! “The Emperor wore no clothes” story. Same old, same old.” Read my book: The Wild Horse Conspiracy at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1461068983 and checkout my website http://www.thewildhorseconspiracy.org as well as all of the greater truth that has been revealed on Protect Mustangs valiant website.
Fighting for the wild horses and burros IN THE WILD, not headed for a life of slavery and confinement or even slaughter!