Tag Archives: Protect mustangs

Outrage over feds hauling Cold Creek wild horses to private facility in Utah

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BOONE-June-6-2014-©SOA

Mounting concern they will end up unadopted and go to slaughter

For immediate release:

LAS VEGAS, NV. (September 14, 2015)—Protect Mustangs, Mark Boone Junior and members of the public are outraged that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) moved the captive Cold Creek wild horses out of Nevada to a remote private holding facility in Axtell, Utah—with limited public accessibility and allegedly owned by a BLM employee. Earlier near Las Vegas, the BLM shot and killed more than 28 wild horses who were not well enough to make the long haul to Utah when the haulers were scheduled to pick them up. The skinny roundup survivors were exhibiting complications of re-feeding syndrome and severely dehydrated. Protect Mustangs has filed a complaint requesting the the Inspector General investigate matters leading up to, during and after the Cold Creek roundup.

“It’s outrageous for the BLM to move the Cold Creek wild horses out of Nevada to a private facility—in the boondocks of Utah—without public accessibility 6 days a week,” says Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “We need to be able to watchdog the mustangs and help them get adopted.”

Novak is a horsewoman who has a good track record of helping American wild horses get adopted from coast to coast. She uses Facebook and works with her vast network of supporters at Protect Mustangs to find good homes for wild horses.

“Why are the feds taking the cherished Cold Creek wild horses away from the public’s eyes especially after killing 28?” asks Novak. “It’s time for the BLM to stop violating the public’s trust. There is plenty of room at Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center outside of Reno, Nevada. It’s an accessible location for potential adopters to visit and fall in love with a Cold Creek mustang. They need to be there.”

Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center near Reno currently has 941 wild horses. Their holding capacity is 1850. They are located 27 miles away from the Reno International Airport and 4 hours by car from San Francisco. The Utah facility is 780 miles from San Francisco.

Some horse advocates and environmental researchers believe the Cold Creek wild horses are showing signs of impaired immunity because they were given PZP, the pesticide for birth control several years ago. Does BLM wants to hide the long term side-effects of PZP from the public? Is this why they whisked them off to a private facility in Utah or is there another reason?

Utah congressman Chris Stewart is pushing legislation to give individual states and Indian Tribes control of federally protected wild horses and aggressively manage them as they wish. His Wild Horse Oversight Act is proposed in Congress. http://stewart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-chris-stewart-introduces-bill-giving-states-the-ability-to-manage

“Utah is notorious for being a pro-slaughter state and we must ensure the Cold Creek wild horses are safe forever,” states Novak. “Horse slaughter for human consumption is inhumane and barbaric. Just because horse meat sells on the foreign market doesn’t mean that the United States of America should allow our icons of freedom to be eaten abroad.”

After 3 failed attempts at adoption—live or internet—the BLM can legally sell wild horses by the truckload to middlemen who claim they won’t sell wild horses to slaughter. . . According to the Burns Amendment of the free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act, the BLM can also get rid of all wild horses over the age of 10 the same way.

“We won’t sit by and watch America’s wild horses fall through the cracks,” says Hollywood actor Mark Boone Junior a member of Protect Mustangs. “I spent a lot of time in Vegas and I’m mad as hell 28 Cold Creek wild horses were killed by the feds. The herd was managed poorly because BLM isn’t doing their job.”

# # #

Media Contacts:

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

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

Links of interest™:

Nevada: Federal Inquiry Is Sought After Starving Horses Are Euthanized (New York Times): http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/us/nevada-federal-inquiry-is-sought-after-starving-horses-are-euthanized.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Horse advocates want review; 28 Nevada mustangs euthanized (Associated Press article went viral) http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/18109922-113/horse-advocates-want-review-28-nevada-mustangs-euthanized

Horse Advocates Call For Investigation After BLM Euthanizes 28 Emaciated Mustangs http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/09/09/horse-advocates-call-for-investigation-after-blm-euthanizes-28-emaciated-mustangs/#.VfD_tm8dYN8.facebook

Horse advocates seek probe of mustang killings: http://www.kezi.com/news/Horse_Advocates_Seek_Probe_of_Mustang_Killings.html

PZP proposal for research on Cold Creek wild horses (2013): http://nyecounty.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=576&meta_id=31471

Federal horse, burro adoption event designed to help manage population (Washington Post August 2014): https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/federal-horse-burro-adoption-event-designed-to-help-manage-population/2015/08/14/cdc3f3f6-4205-11e5-846d-02792f854297_story.html

Palomino Valley Wild Horse & Burro Center: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/wh_b/palomino_valley_national.html

Chris Stewart WHOA bill: http://stewart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-chris-stewart-introduces-bill-giving-states-the-ability-to-manage

Mark Boone Junior on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095478/

Protect Mustangs on the web: www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs

Anne Novak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnneNovak

Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.

BLM delays responding to simple questions about the Cold Creek killings

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Federal agency in charge of managing wild horses avoids transparency and holds back information about public viewing

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: Urgent request KILLING Cold Creek wild horses
From: Brenda Beasley <bbeasley@blm.gov>
Date: Thu, September 10, 2015 10:21 am
To: Anne protectmustangs <@protectmustangs.org>

I apologize Anne, between media calls and meetings, I’m still gathering the information to address your original questions. It may take a little longer to respond now that you’ve added more questions, but I’ll do my best to respond in a timely manner.

Thank you for your patience,
Bren

Brenda L. Beasley
Public Affairs Specialist
Wild Horse and Burro Program
Bureau of Land Management – Nevada
Office of Communications
Office: 775-861-6594
Cell: 775-315-5391
bbeasley@blm.gov | www.blm.gov/nv

From:@protectmustangs.org
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2015 5:00 AM
To: Brenda Beasley
Subject: RE: Urgent request KILLING Cold Creek wild horses

Dear Ms. Beasley,

Kindly respond to my questions below that you received on September 8th and said you would respond to on the 9th but I heard nothing. In addition we would like to know the following:

  • How many wild horses were transported in each trailer?
  • Who hauled them?
  • Please provide a copy of the brand inspection, coggins and health certs.
  • What sort of injury or death occurred during transport?
  • Did any arrive showing signs of illness?
  • Are they all alive at the Axtell Utah facility?
  • What are they eating right now at the Axtell facility?
  • Of the 28 Cold Creek wild horses who were killed what were their ages?
  • What did you do with their bodies?
  • What hours is the Oliver Ranch open for temporary holding public viewing?
  • How long is the public visit?
  • Where is the Oliver Ranch?
  • How does the public observe the roundup?
  • Where are the trap sites?
  • How many more days will BLM be rounding up more Cold Creek and/or neighboring wild horses?
  • Are you rounding up wild horses over the weekend?
  • Why where were some members of the public told by BLM staff that as long as the wild horses could get into the trailers there would be no euthanasia?
  • Why did BLM change their mind and kill them?
  • When will the vet reports be available?
  • Is the BLM rounding up wild horses from Forest Service land too?
  • Who is coordinating volunteer aide as well as rescue organizations who want to provide aide?
  • Who is coordinating adoption of all the Cold Creek wild horses that haven’t been killed?

The public doesn’t like to hear that older wild horses are being killed because there is a stigma against them amongst BLM staff. Older horses often find homes in sanctuaries or compassionate homes as lawn ornaments. It’s time for BLM to start forging partnerships with sanctuaries who care about wild horses–especially the older ones.

I assume you have read this article in the Nevada Appeal: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/18109922-113/horse-advocates-want-review-28-nevada-mustangs-euthanized and this article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/us/nevada-federal-inquiry-is-sought-after-starving-horses-are-euthanized.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Please don’t delay in responding to my simple questions. Thank you and have a nice day.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
@ProtectMustangs.org

Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnneNovak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs
In the news: https://newsle.com/AnneNovak

www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: Urgent request KILLING Cold Creek wild horses
From: <@protectmustangs.org>
Date: Tue, September 08, 2015 6:22 pm
To: “Brenda Beasley” <bbeasley@blm.gov>

Hello,

I am officially requesting a copy of all photos and videos from the Cold Creek roundup (before during and after) as well as the killing of 28 Cold Creek wild horses near Las Vegas.

  • What is the BLM feeding them? Are they receiving any medication?
  • Where are they being taken for short term holding after the roundup?
  • Is the public welcome to observe or is this hidden from the public?
  • Is there cattle on this range? Or other livestock?
  • Was any water source fenced out on this range?
  • How many pregnant mares were killed?
  • How many mares with nursing foals were killed?
  • What method did BLM use to kill them?
  • Where are the orphan foals right now?

This is what I found on your website:

Thursday,
September 3
Summary: Gather operations have been suspended
Animals gathered: 0
Animals shipped: 49

Acute related animal deaths: 0
Cause: none
Chronic/pre-existing related animal deaths: 11
Cause: Eleven (11) horses, 3 studs and 8 mares, body condition score 1.5 or less were euthanized due to “poor prognosis for recovery or improvement” as identified within BLM’s Animal Health, Maintenance, Evaluation and Response Instruction Memorandum 2015-070.
Friday,
September 4
Summary: Gather operations have been suspended
Animals gathered: 0
Animals shipped: 37

Acute related animal deaths: 0
Cause: none
Chronic/pre-existing related animal deaths: 16
Cause: Sixteen (16) horses, 3 studs and 13 mares, body condition score 1.5 or less were euthanized due to “poor prognosis for recovery or improvement” as identified within BLM’s Animal Health, Maintenance, Evaluation and Response Instruction Memorandum 2015-070.

Anne

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
@ProtectMustangs.org

Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnneNovak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs
In the news: https://newsle.com/AnneNovak
www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: Urgent request
From: Brenda Beasley <bbeasley@blm.gov>
Date: Tue, September 08, 2015 5:46 pm
To: Anne protectmustangs <@protectmustangs.org>

Hello Anne,

I just checked my desk phone’s call log and saw I had a missed call from your phone number at 1:26 p.m. today. I’m so sorry I missed you.

I wish you would have left me a message so I would have been able to research the information you’ve requested today. As it stands now, the people I need to get some of the information from (such as age and photos) are not available. I will get with them first thing in the morning and provide you with a further response.

Unfortunately, 28 of the 201 wild horses gathered were euthanized due to a “poor or extremely emaciated body condition” and were determined by a veterinarian to have a “poor prognosis for recovery or improvement.” The horses were in a severe state of starvation.

All of the 201 gathered horses were in a severe state of starvation with Body Condition Scores ranging from 1 to 3 on a scale up to 9. The majority of the population having a BCS of 2. The horses that were euthanized had body conditions of 1 to 1.5. The on-site Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) veterinarian made the animal body condition assessments.

Lack of forage in the area caused the horses to eat desert shrub species and Joshua Tree bark, which has little or no nutritional value. The entire herd was showing signs of severe starvation evident by lethargy, signs of depression, and slow response to stimuli.

The BLM had been providing food and water to the horses, in some cases for as long as six days, in an attempt to improve their condition so they could withstand shipping to the holding facility in Axtell, Utah, where they will continue their recovery.

The emergency bait-trap gather was conducted to alleviate the suffering of the horses, protect the range and decrease competition for limited resources during severe drought conditions.

The sex of the 28 euthanized animals, along with statistical gather data, is listed on our Gather Report page, which is accessible by the public, at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/wild_horse_and_burro/Cold_Creek_Emergency_Wild_Horse_Gather/gatreports.html

Again, I’ll research the information regarding age and photos in the morning and get back to you.

Thank you for your patience.

V/r
Brenda L. Beasley
Public Affairs Specialist
Wild Horse and Burro Program
Bureau of Land Management – Nevada
Office of Communications
Office: 775-861-6594
Cell: 775-315-5391
bbeasley@blm.gov | www.blm.gov/nv

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From: anne@protectmustangs.org [mailto:anne@protectmustangs.org]
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2015 5:09 PM
To: Brenda Beasley
Subject: Urgent request

Dear Brenda,

I tried to reach you by telephone today but there was no answer.

Exactly how many wild horses were killed since the beginning of the Cold Creek gather? Please provide the age and sex of each animal as well as photographs taken of these wild horses before and after they were killed with out delay.

I look forward to receiving the requested information today to demonstrate the agencies willingness to be transparent.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnneNovak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs
In the news: https://newsle.com/AnneNovak

www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.

Complaint to the Office of the Inspector General regarding BLM killing 28 wild horses near Las Vegas

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To the Office of the Inspector General at the United States Department of Interior

Dear Sirs,

We officially request a full investigation into the management of wild horses and land use planning 6 years before the roundup, the roundup itself, feeding, veterinary care and killing of the 28 Cold Creek wild horses who had become skinny.

  • Why didn’t the BLM help these federally protected wild horses get the forage they needed earlier?
  • Why didn’t the BLM move the native wild horses up to areas with more forage?
  • What happened to their forage?
  • What about the livestock grazing permits? (see attached)
  • What organizations were pushing for BLM to use PZP, a controversial EPA restricted use pesticide for “birth control”–made from slaughterhouse pig ovaries–that sterilizes after multiple use? http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/pending/fs_PC-176603_01-Jan-12.pdf
  • Are the wild horses getting pushed out and killed as part of the New Energy Frontier–to put massive solar farms on fragile desert land and therefore impacting wildlife? https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/lup/2900/49868/54310/LV-RMP_Poster_Renewable_Energy.pdf
  • Why aren’t the Cold Creek wild horses getting their fair share of the land that is for their principal but not exclusive use according to the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act?
  • Why is the agency appointed “appropriate management level” (AML) for wild horses so low when a genetically viable herd needs more members?
  • Why is the BLM limiting access to the public to bare witness to this cruel roundup?
  • Was euthanasia chosen for convenience and the bottom line, pure and simple?
  • Did they look at the feed and labor involved vs adoptability and take the cheap and easy way out?

Rescues and members of the public would have helped bring the Cold Creek wild horses back to health if manpower was an issue. Adoption would have been simple once they healed because people know about them and cherish them.

Tourists from around the world, visiting Las Vegas, love the wild horses of the American West.

The BLM continues to roundup more beloved Cold Creek wild horses and we pray they will not kill any more but nurse them back to health.

The public is outraged.

We thank you for investigating into the wrongdoings surrounding the management, roundup and killing of 28 Cold Creek wild horses, provide transparency and shine the light of truth.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

 

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnneNovak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs
In the news: https://newsle.com/AnneNovak

www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.

Washington Post reports: Federal horse, burro adoption event designed to help manage population

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By Will Greenberg      August 14, 2015

The wild horses and burros that are part of the federal Bureau of Land Management’s latest adoption effort were notably calm Friday as they moved slowly in the early afternoon heat. The mustangs were looking for a new home, and their potential owners were looking for more than just a pet.

About a dozen people sized up the 20 wild horses and 24 burros in a makeshift pen at the Meadowood Recreation Area in Lorton — offering grass to the animals to see which were friendly. Some people were there ahead of Saturday’s adoption event looking for a gentle companion that a child could ride; others came just to admire the animals.

Makayla Cardova, 16, arrived with her mother and sister. She’s hoping the family adopts their third horse, having already trained two just this year. Cardova said her love of horses was fostered by her grandpa, saying he “created a monster.”

Bill Blake, 65, probably isn’t ready to adopt one right now — maybe next year, he said. But to him, mustangs are a pure animal, a sight worth coming from Culpeper, Va., two hours away.

“They’re just real,” Blake said, talking as he tousled the hair of a gentle brown mustang. “Nobody’s fooled with them.”
Saturday’s event — which is first come, first served and begins at 8 a.m. — is one of about two dozen adoptions being held by the bureau during the second half of this year. Adoptions are held at a variety of locations across the country in addition to online.

It’s just one of the ways the federal government is working to contain the burgeoning population of mustangs and burros in the western United States. As of March, according to bureau’s Web site, there were more than 58,000 horses and burros living on wild lands of 10 Western states in an area that can handle only about 26,700 animals.

Contraception and adoption, among other methods, are used to curb population growth, said Davida Carnahan, who works with bureau’s Eastern States office. Crowded federal lands don’t just harm the other wildlife, Carnahan said: In the long-term, the area can run out of food and end up harming the horses.
Adoptions cost about $125 per horse, but not just anyone can leave with one. Adopters must be at least 18 years old and have an enclosed facility with food, water and at least 400 square feet per animal. And, a year after the adoption, a bureau official must check up on the animal to ensure that it’s healthy.

But taking in a mustang is a project: It needs to be taught to trust humans.

For Kimberly Loveless, a horse lover and trainer from Fredericksburg, the difference between owning a wild horse and a domesticated horse is patience. Loveless has adopted five mustangs and is a volunteer for the program. Wild horses, which rarely have any human contact in nature, are generally terrified of people, she said, and it takes considerable time to gain their trust.

But for Loveless, befriending a wild animal has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.
“Just to see some of the horses when they’re wild — nobody’s brushed them, nobody’s trimmed their manes and nobody’s cleaned them up — if you can just kind of look past that and see what’s in their eyes and what’s in their faces, you know, and maybe find something special about one of them, it’s worth every bit of your time and effort,” Loveless said.

Another trainer, Steve Mantle, has a Wyoming-based private horse-training facility: Mantle Ranch. Mantle, 58, often trains horses for the bureau’s program and said that making a mustang comfortable around people — or “gentling” them — can take from days to weeks. People need to be ready to put in the work when they adopt a wild horse, he said.

It’s “not the quantity of horses adopted, it’s how many horses stay adopted,” Mantle said.

Still, what if the horses were better off in the wild?

Anne Novak, the executive director of Protect Mustangs, a wild horse advocacy group, said the federal government misrepresents the need to remove mustangs from their natural habitat, and she questions the agency’s head count of animals as well as its estimate of how many horses the land can support.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 protects mustangs from harm and capture, although the law does allow the government to remove “excess animals” if they are damaging an environment.

Although Novak’s organization isn’t against adoption, it says that when that’s not necessary, the horse should remain in the wild.

“If they were able to gather the number of horses that they adopt out annually, then there wouldn’t be this problem,” she said. “They need to reestablish a fair allocation of public land to the wild horses who legally have a right to it.”

Ultimately, the debate over the best place for these horses – in the wild or with people – boils down to a question that’s hard to get a firsthand answer for: Which would the horse prefer?

“If you asked the horse, they would be perfectly fine being wild and living the way they’ve always lived,” Loveless said. “I guess if I had my say-so in the matter, that would be wonderful, but it’s not realistic because there are things like droughts, and there’s wildfires and because the government’s been charged with looking after them, they have to take steps to do that.”

Cross-posted from the Washington Post for educational purposes. The original article is here.

Seeking a place to gentle 14 wild horses rescued from slaughter

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In the next phase of the WY14 Rescue Mission, Protect Mustangs needs to gentle, feed and care for 14 Wyoming wild horses who were rescued back from the slaughterhouse last year and who will live at the Eco-Sanctuary in about 12 months once it is completed. Please contact Anne Novak, Executive Director via email at Contact@ProtectMustangs.org or by phone at 415-531-8454 if you have any leads for places in the Bay Area. Thank you!

Reprint: National Treasures Saved From Slaughterhouse

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Milestone: Protect Mustangs rescues 14 young wild horses from slaughterhouse after BLM roundup

Roundup results in death of 23 American wild horses

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (Protect Mustangs)—Against all odds, Mark Boone Junior (Batman Begins & Sons of Anarchy) with Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs, saved 14 young free-roaming wild horses from slaughter thanks to donations from Alicia Goetz, the Schnurmacher family and others. This unprecedented rescue seems to be the first time American wild horses have been purchased back from a slaughterhouse following a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundup. In March, the herd of 41 wild horses was rounded up by the BLM, using taxpayer funds, handed over to the the Wyoming Livestock Board and sold at auction to a Canadian slaughterhouse for human consumption abroad. The BLM claims everything they did was legal.

“If it’s legal then the law needs to change,” states Novak. “Americans love wild horses. They want to make sure they’re protected. Congress knows that and it’s time they represent the public who elected them into office—not interests who want to dispose of them.”

In 2004, former Montana Senator, Conrad Burns, added the Burns amendment to the Appropriations Act of 2005 without any public or Congressional discussion. The Burns amendment overruled many protections in the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. From that time forward, “unlimited sales” to slaughter has been legal.

Due to public outcry against selling wild horses for slaughter, the BLM uses middle men who sell the mustangs to the slaughterhouse. This time the scapegoat was the Wyoming Livestock Board, other times it’s men like Tom Davis. The 1,700 wild horses he purchased from the feds have never been accounted for. Advocates believe they went to slaughter in Mexico.

Public outcry over Tom Davis prompted BLM to revise their policy to avoid another fiasco in the future. A change in policy is not a change in law. It’s still legal for the BLM to allow slaughter and exportation of horse meat.

Out of the 41 wild horses rounded up on March 18th and 19th near Greybull, Wyoming, 37 were quickly sold to the slaughterhouse. 4 foals were saved by the co-owner of the auction house and later transferred to advocates. Protect Mustangs jumped in later on April 2nd to save the other 37 wild horses from being slaughtered. Chances were slim they would find any alive.

Boone and Novak quickly learned that a group of 23 mares and stallions had already perished. The duo managed to prevent the last 14 orphaned wild youngsters from going to slaughter. The survivors are called the WY14. These wild horses range from 8 months to 2 years old.

“It’s a miracle we were able to get them out,” says Boone. “I can’t believe the EPA, in 2012, designated our wild horses as pests—especially when the horse originated in America.”

“American free-roaming wild horses are a returned-native species who contribute to the thriving natural ecological balance,” explains Novak. “They have value on the range because they reduce the risk of wildfires, reverse desertification and with climate change that’s really important.”

For generations, free-roaming wild horses lived in family bands north of Greybull and close to a former herd area called Dry Creek/Foster Gulch that was zeroed out in 1987 to make room for extractive uses such as bentonite mining.

In 1971 there were 339 wild herds in the West, but now there are only 179 left in all 10 western states combined.

Today the Bighorn Basin is preparing for another extractive boom but this time it’s about fracking for oil and gas with right-of-way corridors to service those fields. Is this why the small herd of 41 wild horses was suddenly ripped off public land?

The feds maintain the 41 wild horses were not wild even though they lived wild and free for generations.

Curiously reports have surfaced that a bucking string made up of wild mustangs was turned out by their original owner more than 40 years ago. If it could be proven these wild horses were on public land in 1971, they would be protected under the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act. The BLM claims the horses have been there for only 40 years not 43.

“It’s horrible for tourism that the State of Wyoming would allow this sort of thing,” states Boone. “The beauty of the Bighorn Basin is like no other place on earth but it won’t be the same now that these wild horses are gone.”

“We are grateful we saved the WY14.” says Novak. “Now we need financial help to bring them to California and start their new lives.”

Go to www.ProtectMustangs.org to help the WY14 with your donation.

Reprinted from Horseback Magazine

Protect Mustangs officially requests BLM Nevada bring captive wild horses shade to end their suffering

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John Ruhs
Nevada BLM Director
BLM Nevada State Office
1340 Financial Blvd.,
Reno, NV 89502

Front Desk: 775-861-6400
Fax: 775-861-6601
Email: nvsoweb@blm.gov

July 2, 2015

Dear Mr Ruhs,

We officially request BLM Nevada bring emergency shade to the captive wild horses & burros at Palomino Valley Center facility (PVC), the Nevada State Prison in Carson City and other short term holding corrals. Here is our petition which explains the issue and what we would like: https://www.change.org/p/bring-emergency-shelter-and-shade-to-captive-wild-horses-and-burros

In 2013, Protect Mustangs conducted an investigation that uncovered captive wild horses at PVC–with no access to shade–who were dying in the heat wave. You can watch the rough video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdM2NrJcX8o Now it’s 2015, they still do not have access to shade and heat waves are here again.

Aside from concerns to protect them from heat stroke, other underlying health issues can be aggravated by heat waves–resulting in suffering and sometimes death.

We respectfully request you intervene to stop this extreme cruelty towards America’s icons in honor of the celebration of American independence on the 4th of July.

Wild horses embody the American spirit of life, liberty and freedom. It’s time to take responsibility for the captives in BLM’s care and bring them shade.

Shelter is one of the 3 basics in animal husbandry. Adopters are required to provide shelter when adopting wild horses yet the bureau ignores its own basic care guidelines.

In the wild, mustangs seek out shade and cooler zones. In the captive pens, paid for with tax dollars, wild horses are at the BLM’s mercy. Please help them and end this senseless suffering.

I extend my hand to work with you and your office in an effort to bring an end to cruelty towards America’s wild horses who previously roamed free. Please contact me at 415-531-8454 to discuss this urgent matter. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnneNovak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs
In the news: https://newsle.com/AnneNovak

www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.

Some shade issue press clippings:

Ann Novak of the advocacy group Protect Mustangs urged Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to step in and ensure protection for the horses.

She said at least three horses could have died as a result of excessive heat at the facility since June 28, but the BLM failed to perform necropsies on two of them to pinpoint the cause of death. A necropsy of the third horse found the cause of death was a respiratory illness, but Novak said hot temperatures could have aggravated the animal’s condition.

“It’s as if they (BLM) don’t want the public to know the truth,” Novak said Saturday as the mercury reached 103 degrees in Reno. “These captive wild horses need emergency shade. Exposing them to another heat wave without shade is cruel.”

Associated Press (viral coast to coast & abroad) BLM seeks ideas on how to protect wild horses from heat deaths http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/wild-horses-nevada/blm-seeks-ideas-how-protect-wild-horses-heat-deaths

BLM Seeks Ways To Protect Wild Horses From Heat After Pressure From Bay Area Advocate http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/07/20/blm-seeks-to-protect-wild-horses-from-heat-after-pressure-from-bay-area-advocate/

Novak comments: “If the government can send people into space then they can figure out how to shade the captive wild horses or just return them to the range. In the wild they can migrate to shady areas. In captivity it’s cruel to deny them shade.”

Captive wild horses need shade, advocates say http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/07/02/captive-wild-horses-need-shade-advocates-say/#axzz3emSmcimj
Captive wild horses need relief from heat, says HSUS
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/07/18/captive-wild-horses-need-relief-heat-says-hsus/#axzz3emSmcimj

BLM seeks ideas on how to protect wild horses (NBC reports) http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/BLM-seeks-ideas-on-how-to-protect-wild-horses/HpPHeFaft0-vH0JbKVfLIA.cspx?rss=3298

and more…

Please visit this area of our website for information on the ongoing crisis: http://protectmustangs.org/?tag=shade

How many foals are dying after roundups?: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4246

BLM’s email revealing they are not counting the unbranded dead amongst the 37 dead mustangs at the Nevada facility http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4220

BLM avoids necropsy to avoid proof of heat distress http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4808

 

PM Shade Cruelty

SHARE it’s URGENT: Help Move & Feed the WY14, Rescued from the Slaughterhouse

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Ghost Dancer arrives in California

Ghost Dancer arrives in California

Their parents were all slaughtered after the roundup…

Now the WY14’s new destination has fallen through!

We rescued these 14 wild youngsters back from the slaughterhouse after the brutal BLM roundup in 2014. Horseback Magazine reported on National treasures saved from the slaughterhouse http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/28702

Today they are 2-3 years old plus 2 miracle foals who were born despite the papas being slaughtered. The small herd has finished wintering at the layover and they need to be moved from Susanville by the end of the June–but their new location just fell through! The WY14 urgently need your tax-deductible donations for hauling, paddock rental, vet and hay. Please donate here: http://www.gofundme.com/xt3bf72j

Please make a donation today and share this information to help get the word out!

We need some pasture/paddock space in Calfornia to house these young wild horses. This is a temporary situation until Protect Mustangs can secure land for the sanctuary to keep them together after all they have suffered.

All their parents and everyone over the age of 2 was slaughtered in Canada for human consumption abroad. Anne Novak and Mark Boone Junior saved the WY14 before they were live shipped to a place like Asia to end up as sashimi.

Protect Mustangs also needs a donated truck and stock trailer, fence panels, halters & lead ropes to care for them as needed at the new location. Please contact us via Contact@ProtectMustangs.org if you have a truck, trailer or equipment to donate.

Protect Mustangs is an all volunteer 501c3 sponsored organization. Our sponsor is the Andean Tapir Fund noted on this Go Fund Me. All donations are tax deductible.

The WY14 thank you so much for helping them stay together after all they have suffered at the hands of people rounding them up and slaughtering their herd.

In gratitude,
Anne

Anne Novak
Volunteer Executive Director
www.ProtectMustangs.org

Contact@ProtectMustangs.org
415-531-8454

Why does France TV 2 report mostly from the side of BLM and pro-slaughter advocates?

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PM Photo Wild Horses ©AdventureJournalist

The overpopulation myth is dangerous

Recently France TV 2 came to the American West to report on the “problems” caused by the “overpopulation” of wild horses. Someone either fed them the story or they did a little research on Google about American mustangs and found the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) authoritative spin, vast website and their new America’s Mustang campaign to get their overpopulation message out, couched with pretty pictures and enticing video footage of huge herds running, helicopter roundups, etc. making news reporting easy. What foreign journalists would think the BLM is lying about wild horses chasing cows away from water sources when they have so much “factual” material out there to back up their position that there are too many wild horses?

France TV 2 reports:

From: http://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/usa/video-les-chevaux-sauvages-se-reproduisent-trop-vite-un-probleme-pour-l-ouest-americain_949025.html

Synopsis Translation:

Wild horses reproduce too fast, a problem for the American West

The United States prohibits mustang slaughter but the same authorities want to limit their number to 25,000 although there are already 50,000 on the land

Mustangs are no longer welcome in the American West. Federal authorities ring the alarm for the overpopulation of wild horses on the land. There will be 150,000 in five years if nothing is done to stop their expansion. A bigger problem than the horses reproducing quickly and devouring everything on their path, according to the administration, is what is creating conflicts with certain ranchers.

2,000 horses were removed in 2015, an insufficient number

The Unites States prohibits slaughtering mustangs, but the same authorities want to limit their number to 25,000 but 50,000 mustangs are on the land. The ranchers who share the land with the wild horses won’t tolerate limited access to water sources in areas invaded by wild horses. The mustangs chase off their livestock.

In total, 2,000 chevaux were gathered in 2015, an insufficient number to reach the fixed objective, but the animal defenders call the process barbaric. Different methods have been launched without results, and that’s pushing the federal authorities to propose an award of one and a half million dollars to find a long lasting solution for the wild horse problem.

BLM’s spin dominates news report

Sadly the myths reported as truth in the France TV 2 news report were not countered effectively and the good counter points ended up in the trash. The journalists interviewed BLM staff on the range. They met with ranchers who push the overpopulation myth and are pro-slaughter–including Callie Hendricksen. They interviewed Carol Walker, photographer,  legal plaintiff and board member of Wild Horse Freedom Federation at a watering hole with a lot of mustangs. The journalists reported on training at a prison program with failed adoptions being the undertone. France TV 2 seems to have heard from all sides of the issue to be fair but who were their handlers? Was it Callie Hendrickson or BLM’s staff over at their America’s Mustang campaign? The news editor crafted the story from the materials shot in the field resulting in the BLM and pro-slaughter viewpoint out in front. The whole story focused on the alleged overpopulation of wild horses in a country that prohibits slaughter with the feds offering $1.5 million to whoever find the lasting solution for population control. Sounds like the BLM pitched this story to push their heinous agenda.

The French report shows the advocacy where we are losing the battle. . . We are split. . .  A portion of the advocacy is supporting the overpopulation myth and offering solutions to the false problem. Are there really too many native wild horses left in the wild?

Overpopulation must exist to justify radical zero growth fertility control measures such as PZP, castration, field spaying and slaughter

When wild horse groups support BLM’s overpopulation myth–with advocates pushing PZP as the “solution” to the “problem”–the overpopulation myth gets stronger and is eventually seen as truth. Reporting on myths as truth is a tactic used to sway public opinion–the second largest super power according to the President of the United States.

If we don’t all stand up to disprove the overpopulation myth then slaughter, sterilization and cruel roundups will be the end result.

PZP, made from slaughterhouse pig ovaries, is used for slow extermination because science proves it sterilizes after multiple use while the general public doesn’t notice. It’s a way to manage them to extinction, period. Proponents of the one foal only policy are jeopardizing survival of the species. What happens when the mare is sterilized through PZP applications and her “one foal” dies in the wild?

BLM has no accurate head counts of wild horses. The National Academy of Sciences stated in their 2013 report that there is “no evidence” of overpopulation, period.

Time to stand together

It’s time for all advocates to come together to protect wild horses. Together we are a mighty force for the wild ones.

I challenge all group leaders and advocates to put aside personal differences, break their contracts with BLM and agree to fight together to protect America’s wild horses for once and for all. Together we can do this.

Many blessings,

Anne

 

Anne Novak

Executive Director

www.ProtectMustangs.org

Contact@ProtectMustangs.org

 

Links of interest™:

France TV reports on the overpopulation problem: http://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/usa/video-les-chevaux-sauvages-se-reproduisent-trop-vite-un-probleme-pour-l-ouest-americain_949025.html

U.S. looking for ideas to help manage wild-horse overpopulation (Washington Post): http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-looking-for-ideas-to-help-manage-wild-horse-overpopulation/2014/01/26/8cae7c96-84f2-11e3-9dd4-e7278db80d86_story.html?wprss=rss_national

Outrage over secret documents planning to kill or slaughter 50,000 native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=777

Petition to Defund and Stop Wild Horse Roundups: https://www.change.org/p/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups

The Atlantic reports on Callie Hendrickson’s contentious appointment to represent the public on the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board in 2012: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/02/the-lasso-tightens-around-americas-wild-horses/252948/

Callie Hendrickson: http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Callie-Hendrickson/277533708

EPA pesticide fact sheet on PZP: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/pending/fs_PC-176603_01-Jan-12.pdf

Be a Walking Billboard to help STOP the Roundups! (see schedule)

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Say “NO” to Roundups and be a walking billboard. Get your T-Shirts here –> http://www.booster.com/protect-mustangs-nevada15

Foaling season will end in July and the BLM will start the cruel roundups! STOP the ROUNDUPS! Let people know so they can get their t-shirts in time. Thank you for taking action today!

Here is the Tentative Fiscal Year 2015 Wild Horse and Burro Removal Schedule (last updated 5/26/15)

PM roundups as of 6-11-15