Tag Archives: Anne Novak

Baby Diamond was rescued!

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Cruel way to drag foal by pulling bailing twine around their neck (Photo © Bo Rodriguez)

Cruel way to drag foal by pulling bailing twine around their neck (Photo © Bo Rodriguez)

 

Good News! Baby Diamond (pictured above) and her Mama were rescued from the auction by our friends at Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund. The pair has found an adopter.

“Thank you to everyone who protested, networked and donated to help save the 41 Virginia Range wild horses from probable slaughter,” said Anne Novak, executive director of California-based Protect Mustangs.

“It goes to show the love and respect that not only Nevadans have for the Virginia Range horses, but also the people across the country and around the world who contributed money needed to purchase these horses back from the state of Nevada,” said Shannon Windle, director of the Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund.

Members of the public around the world are encouraged to contact Governor Sandoval and tell him you don’t want native wild horses sold at auctions where kill buyers shop. Ask him to give the horses to local advocacy groups rather than sell them into the slaughter pipeline.

Call, email and/or fax Nevada’s Governor Brian Sandoval,
http://gov.nv.gov/contact/governor/

Office Phone: (775) 684-5670

Office Fax: (775) 684-5683

Tweet ©GOVSandoval  Use #NEVADA to let the Governor know you want them protected!

Let the Nevada Bureau of Tourism know you don’t like this! @TravelNevada on Twitter and

Mailing Address

Nevada Commission on Tourism
401 North Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701

Call Us

  • Direct: (775) 687-4322
  • Toll-free: 1-800-NEVADA-8
  • Fax: (775) 687-6779

 

 

Seasons Greetings from BLM

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© Michelle Guillot, all rights reserved. Released through Protect Mustangs.

Public outrage gets creative

SAN FRANCISCO (December 20, 2012)–Citizens around the word are outraged at the BLM’s cruelty towards America’s native wild horses. The alleged federally protected mustangs are being rounded up and removed by the thousands only to be stockpiled in the Midwest at taxpayer expense. Some end up in the slaughter pipeline. During the current Owyhee roundup wild horse advocates documented mustangs being chased by a helicopter through barbed wire fencing. Protect Mustangs wants the roundups to stop and for the government to use the wild herds in Holistic Rangeland Management instead to reverse desertification on public land.

Artist Michelle Guillot says she was inspired by the horrific scenes of wild horses being driven through barbed wire at the Owyhee Roundup in Nevada.

“I was so appalled that I had to do something!” states Guillot. “How can the government hire helicopter contractors to push mustangs into barbed wire?”

She made the Seasons Greeting poster to let the world know what’s going on. Protect Mustangs is grateful to be able to release Guillot’s powerful message.

Public outrage is mounting and as a result, Protect Mustangs is organizing a Rally in San Francisco for January 2013. Date, time and place to be announced.

“The cruel roundups must stop,” states Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “Congress needs to listen to the public. They must stop enabling the wild horse wipe out–even if lobbyists are throwing cash around Washington.”

Protect Mustangs encourages Americans to meet with their senators and representatives to ask them to stop the roundups and use wild equids with livestock for Holistic Rangeland Management. This is a powerful solution for climate change–one that will reverse desertification.

The Petition to Defund and Stop the Roundups is circulating. Animal lovers around the world are encouraged to share it with their friends and request the United States Congress stop the cruelty and stop the roundups.

Michelle Guillot retains the copyright to the poster but encourages animal lovers to share the poster to spread awareness. She does not want the poster used for fundraising or commercial use.

The poster may be downloaded from www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs is a California-based preservation group whose mission is to educate the public about the American wild horse, protect and research wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.  

# # #

Media Contacts:

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

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

 

 

The law was made to protect mustangs & burros so why all the abuse?

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Wild horses and burros are supposed to be treated as “components of the public lands”. 16 U.S.C. § 1333(a) The law is clear that “wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death” and entitled to roam free on public lands where they were living at the time the Act was passed in 1971. 16 U.S.C. § 1331 These legally protected areas are known as “herd areas,” and are defined as “the geographic area identified as having been used by a herd as its habitat in 1971.” 43 C.F.R. § 4700.0-5(d).

 

The Wild Free Roaming Horse & Burro Act also authorizes designation of specific ranges for wild horses and burros. “Range’ means the amount of land necessary to sustain an existing herd or herds …and which is devoted principally but not necessarily exclusively to their welfare in keeping with the multiple-use management concept for the public lands”. 16 USCS §§ 1332(c), 1333(a). ~Animal Law Coalition

 

 

Why is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),–the agency responsible for the care and welfare of wild horses and burros–allowed to break the very law enacted to protect our native wildlife and heritage animals?

If you don’t like the photos taken by witness and filmmaker Stephanie Martin at the Owyhee Roundup then please meet with your senators and representatives to ask them to stop the abusive roundups.

Is there really an overpopulation problem?

It’s long overdue for an independent and accurate wild horse and burro census for each Herd Management Area (HMA). BLM’s population estimates are only that–estimates. It’s easy to count cows as horses from the air and double count horses as they roam from area to area.

If there really is an overpopulation problem then using fertility control drugs on non-viable herds or sterilizing herds will be a disaster. Why? This would ruin their gene pool and result in inbreeding. Mother nature has a ‘survival of the fittest’ program in place that ensures only the strong, healthy and wise reproduce.

Current thriving natural ecological balance studies on the range are necessary. For decades wild horses have been scapegoated for the damage created by livestock–especially to fragile riparian areas. Cattle enjoy standing in riparian areas all day whereas wild horses come for a drink and leave for the rest of a day. Princeton University has proven wild herds reverse desertification so livestock benefits from more abundant forage.

The Appropriate Management Levels (AML) for wild horses and burros were set by the Government. The Cattlemen are a wealthy lobbying force in Washington. It’s no surprise that cattle outnumbers wild horses on the range at least 50 to 1 on HMAs throughout the West.

Currently the BLM uses archaic methods of range management which allow livestock grazing methods that are harsh on the land, a wide use of pesticides and extraction industry pollution. The range is being destroyed. Removing wild horses is the wrong action because the native equids can heal the range and reverse desertification.

What’s wrong with roundups

Helicopter roundups are harsh on the environment. Chasing wild horses creates unnatural stampedes zigzagging over 10-15 mile areas many times per day for many weeks. This ruins the high desert environment and disturbs species such as the sage grouse.

Rounding up more federally protected native wild horses than they can adopt out fails as a management technique. Wild horses and burros end up stockpiled in holding facilities at taxpayer expense. After the cruel roundups, wild horses loose what is most precious to them–their families and their freedom.

Solutions

Using Range Design, which includes Allan Savory’s Holistic Rangeland Management, is a viable solution for today’s range issues. More wild horses and burros should be allowed on the range to reverse desertification, reduce fuel for wildfires and create biodiversity. This ultimately improves rangeland grazing for livestock.

“Holistic Management using native wild horses, heritage burros and livestock should be used for rangeland programs across the West,” explains Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “It’s a win-win that works to heal the land, reverse desertification and reduce global warming”

Help save Nevada’s Virginia Range wild horses from cruelty and probable slaughter

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The public around the world is outraged at the photos showing cruelty toward young native wild horses.

We want Governor Sandoval to stop allowing the Nevada Department of Agriculture to let citizens cruelly trap wild horses.

We strongly encourage you to call, email and/or fax Nevada’s Governor Brian Sandoval,
http://gov.nv.gov/contact/governor/

Office Phone: (775) 684-5670

Office Fax: (775) 684-5683

The baby horse was manhandled–the men put twine around her neck and inhumanely pulled her into the trap. Next the Nevada Department of Agriculture processes the wild horses and sells them at an auction where kill buyers shop for horses to sell to slaughter. This is heinous!

Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund has been buying all the Virginia Range wild horses at the auction. They are saving them (125+) but they are a small volunteer nonprofit and can’t afford to do this anymore unless you help them to help the wild horses in this crisis.

What’s the long term answer? Cooperative agreements with Nevada and local advocate groups such as Hidden Valley to help those wild horses labelled a nuisance by developers because urban sprawl has encroached on the mustangs’ wild lands.

Nevada is a fence out state. Developers, such as the one who hired the men in the photo to catch wild horses, should fence out their property if they don’t want wildlife on their land.

Native wild horses should never be treated this way. Nevada needs to stop this condoned cruelty now.

Here is a comment from the photographer:

Bo Rodriguez says:

“The foal was three weeks old, an the developers DiLoreto and Damonte are responsible for this also. They have allowed an continue to allow Nevada Department of Agriculture to trap horses on their properties. I have photos of them there at the trap an heard Mr Damonte say he didn’t care for the horses, an wanted them all gone. Tom DiLorreto said he followed states guide lines to the tee. But as you can see, the state must have changed its policy of handling animals humanly to do what you have to, to get rid of it an get the money from the kill buyers as fast as you can.

I did not enjoy taking these photos of the three week old foal being drug around by a piece of bailing twin, it was a long and traumatic for both protesters and horses. There has to be a better solution.”

Please send your donations directly to Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund so they can keep saving the Virginia Range wild horses from going to slaughter. The link is here: http://hiddenvalleyhorses.com/main.php?c=donate

Thank you for taking action to save Nevada’s wild horses from cruelty and probable slaughter.

All my best wishes,
Anne

Anne Novak
Executive Director of Protect Mustangs

 

Climate report erroneously calls for removing native wild horses

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Cattle grazing (Photo © Anne Novak, all rights reserved

Statement from Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs:

“This report has glaring errors. It avoids classifying America’s wild horses as natives to justify removing them from large areas of public land. Commercial livestock is the problem not wild horses. We object to the proposal to remove native wild horses and request they rectify the error calling them ‘feral horses’. Native wild horses heal the wild land–they can replenish the biodiversity in the West.”

 

November 26, 2012 News Release from The Center for Biological Diversity

Climate Report Calls for Grazing Reductions on Public Lands

TUCSON, Ariz.— A newly published report in the journal Environmental Management describes how climate change threatens to worsen impacts on public lands, watersheds and wildlife by grazing of domestic and feral livestock and unnaturally large native ungulate populations. The report calls on federal agencies to protect large tracts of public lands from livestock grazing to restore ecosystems, help lands and wildlife adapt to climate change, and provide ecological services and future benchmarks for grazed lands. It details how grazing reductions are within the legal authority of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, which together administer livestock grazing across 258 million acres of public wildlands.

“We want to be able to rely on healthy, resilient wild places in this era of climate change, so that our country’s heritage wildlife can survive. That’ll mean cutting back on harmful land uses like cattle grazing; it’ll mean bringing back the carnivores that keep native populations of elk and deer in check,” said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity, which has worked for more than 20 years to reduce overgrazing on western public lands. “By looking at the combined impacts of grazing and climate change, this report is the first of its kind, and it underscores the need for immediate action from federal agencies.”

Domestic livestock are grazed across 258 million acres of western land administered by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management — 81 percent of the land administered by the two agencies in the 11 western states. Those lands provide critical refuge for native biological diversity and offer vital ecological services like clean air, water and recreation to society. There are approximately 23,600 public-lands ranchers, representing about 6 percent of all livestock producers west of the Mississippi River.

The report concludes that:

  • In the western United States, climate change is expected to intensify even if greenhouse gas emissions are dramatically reduced; threats facing ecosystems as a result of climate change are invasive species, more frequent wildfires and declining snowpack.
  • Climate impacts are compounded from heavy use by livestock and other grazing ungulates, which causes soil erosion, compaction, and dust generation; stream degradation; higher water temperatures and pollution; loss of habitat for fish, birds and amphibians; and desertification.
  • Encroachment of woody shrubs at the expense of native grasses and other plants can occur in grazed areas, affecting pollinators, birds, small mammals and other native wildlife.
  • Livestock grazing and trampling degrades soil fertility, stability and hydrology, and makes it vulnerable to wind erosion. This in turn adds sediments, nutrients and pathogens to western streams.
  • Reestablishing apex predators in large, contiguous areas of public land may help mitigate any adverse ecological effects of wild ungulates.

Livestock grazing is one of the most ubiquitous and destructive uses of public land. It is also a contributing factor to the imperilment of numerous threatened and endangered species, including the desert tortoise, Mexican spotted owl, southwestern willow flycatcher, least Bell’s vireo, Mexican gray wolf, Oregon spotted frog, Chiricahua leopard frog and dozens of other species that occur on western public land.

Public-lands livestock grazing is also a primary contributor to unnaturally severe western wildfires, watershed degradation, soil loss and the spread of invasive plants — as well as annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of 705,342 passenger vehicles.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 450,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2012/grazing-11-26-2012.html

 

2010 Owyhee roundup ~ Cloud Foundation denied access to observe

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Photo © Anne Evans for The Cloud Foundation

 

The Cloud Foundation
Media Contacts:

Anne Novak
Anne@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454

Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187

For Immediate Release:

BLM Above the Law?

Salazar’s Agency Ignores Federal Court Order Honoring First Amendment, Denies Observers Access to Wild Horse Roundup

Reno, NV (July 19, 2010)—Laura Leigh, Herd Watch Project Coordinator for The Cloud Foundation, has been denied access to observe the Owyhee roundup, the first leg of the Tuscarora roundup near Elko, Nevada. On July 16th, Federal Judge Larry Hicks’ ruled Leigh’s First Amendment rights be upheld and therefore allow her and others to view the roundup. Leigh contends that the BLM has gone against the Judge’s orders for three days. Today Leigh filed a motion to uphold the court order for her First Amendment rights.

BLM officials refused to tell her where the trap site was located. They had strategically placed it on private land within the public herd management area (HMA) even though the range contains more than 450,000 acres of public land. The private landowner would not grant Leigh and others access. BLM used this method before to hide the Calico roundup from the public and journalists except for rare staged “media days”.

The helicopter stampede resumed as soon as the Judge lifted the injunction last Friday. Since then BLM has captured 620 mustangs and their young foals in the sweltering heat. More than 17 wild horses have been killed during the roundup. At least 2 foals were shot (euthanized) because of leg deformities resulting in lameness after being run over many miles of volcanic rock. Advocates question the accuracy of the diagnosis—pointing to evidence that lameness previously was caused by running the hoofs off the baby horses during last winter’s Calico roundup in Nevada also run by Cattoor Livestock, the private contractor who will be paid close to one million dollars for this roundup.

The BLM has created an alleged wild horses dehydration emergency by fencing mustangs off from water and running them scared by helicopter into traps. Advocates feel it is inhumane that the BLM is not treating the wild horses in the wild for dehydration but instead the BLM continues to chase them, round them up and ship the wild horses crammed in huge trucks for more than 5 hours to a temporary holding facility—all in the desert heat.

“These are wild animals. If this alleged emergency was happening to deer or big horn sheep the BLM would not be terrifying them by helicopter chase and then trucking them for half a day in the sweltering heat to be cared for at a distant location. Traditionally you care for distressed wild animals in the wild,” states Makendra Silverman, Associate Director of The Cloud Foundation. “And isn’t it curious that other wildlife or cattle isn’t suffering extreme dehydration out on the same range?”

Leigh had filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop this roundup and defend the public’s first amendment rights to observe the operation. BLM testified in federal court that no cattle remained on the range and that the horses had no water—even though a river is only 10 miles away, a short distance to travel for wild horses who under normal circumstances may travel twice that distance in daily treks to get a drink.

4,000 privately-owned cattle are permitted to graze (and drink) on the Tuscarora Complex where BLM permits only 400 mustangs.  Made up by three separate HMAs: Owyhee, Little Humboldt and Rock Creek, the area is to be managed by BLM principally (though not exclusively) for the federally protected wild horses.

The foundation wants to know what is stopping the horses from accessing the Owyhee River and other perennial water sources? Are gates locked and vast areas fenced for livestock in the HMA?

“BLM’s emergency roundups are classified as such before the action begins. The three Tuscarora roundups were never described as emergencies. Suddenly, with the BLM challenged in court and 12 dead horses from the first day’s roundup their operation has suddenly morphed into an ‘emergency rescue’ roundup,” states Cloud Foundation Director, Ginger Kathrens, who has 16 years experience documenting wild horses in the West. “There is really no way to accurately assess the real, on-the-ground situation because the public is still being denied access. Is BLM resorting to any means just to carry out an agenda to rid the western ranges of wild horses?”

The three Tuscarora roundups (Owyhee, Little Humbolt and Rock Creek) were scheduled months ago as a standard BLM operation. The wild horses were found to be healthy. The primary reason for the roundups was because the wild horses were allegedly damaging livestock fencing. The public, mustang advocates, animal welfare groups and equine experts warned against summer helicopter roundups in the desert heat. The BLM ignored the comments.

The Cloud Foundation calls for immediate access to be given to all members of the interested public and for the addition of at least two knowledgeable wild horse advocates to BLM’s assembled team of insiders to determine what went wrong in the Owyhee disaster.

“Right now BLM plans to zero out the entire West Douglas herd in Colorado against a Federal Judge’s specific ruling to leave the herd intact. For the past three days, BLM ignored Judge Hicks’ ruling for the First Amendment,” states Kathrens. “Who will stop Salazar’s rogue bureau before they ruin the West?”

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Links of interest:
Washington Post reports on NV Roundup Resuming http://bit.ly/cRwhSc
NBC Reno reports BLM Still Restricting Public Access to Roundup http://bit.ly/bE2wiJ
Leigh vs Salazar Documents filed 7/19 that relate to Leigh’s attempt to observe the Owyhee roundup and uphold her First Amendment rights:
Motion for Contempt http://bit.ly/bSAZax
Declaration for Motion http://bit.ly/9AY4x5
Exhibit A DOI Letter http://bit.ly/aL8w95

‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Court Order Granting Injunction http://bit.ly/doc10LeighvSalazar
Grass Roots Horse http://www.grassrootshorse.com/
BLM daily reports on Tuscarora roundup http://bit.ly/TuscaroraReports
Roundup Schedule- updated July 12, 2010  http://bit.ly/roundupschedule
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Tuscarora/Owyhee Complex Roundup Information from BLM http://bit.ly/Tuscarora

Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y

Massive roundup at Owyhee

A Win! ~ Twin Peaks Roundup on hold ~ Keep the pressure on

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Reply

Twin Peaks wild horses counting on your help (Photo of “Magic” © G. Gregg)

Happy Thanksgiving!

California-based Protect Mustangs has been working hard to stop the Twin Peaks roundup once we brought you the news of the Rush Fire last summer. We are grateful several wonderful advocates such as Craig Downer, Grandma Gregg, Jesica Johnston, Barbara Clarke, Monika Courtney, R.T Fitch, Debbie Coffey and many others have joined the fight to protect the Twin Peaks wild horses on the range.

“We oppose rounding up and removing native wild horses from the Twin Peaks HMA especially now that they can play a key role in restoring the land. It’s time the BLM use good science and cut down on invasive techniques that cause global warming. Wild horses and burros can heal and reseed the range after the wildfire so let them do it.”

Keep contacting your elected officials across the country to educate them about how the Twin Peaks wild horses can heal the land after the fire. Let them know these federally protected wild horses deserve to remain on their range. Tell them removals are cruel and costly–warehousing them for decades is not sustainable. Request the Twin Peaks roundup be cancelled. Thank you for helping California’s wild horses and burros.

Please make a donation to help Protect Mustangs continue our work for the wild horses. Thank you.

Below is the email we received today from Ken Collum at the BLM.

All my best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving,

Anne

Anne Novak

Executive Director of Protect Mustangs

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Twin Peaks Response
From: “Collum, Kenneth R”
Date: Tue, November 20, 2012
To: Anne Novak protectmustangs

There will be no imminent roundup operation in the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA).  The situation will be re-evaluated this January.

HMA population information obtained from September’s aerial inventory will be available soon.

Ken Collum

Field Manager

Eagle Lake Field Office

2950 Riverside Dr.

Susanville, CA.  96130

Ph:    530 252 5374

Cell:  530 260 0158

 

 

Happy Ending ~ Sweet Baby Red #2484 finds a home

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Pilgrim

Pilgrim formerly Sweet Baby Red #2484 happily adopted by April November 2012 (Photo © April, all rights reserved)

“I just wanted to give you guys an update on Baby Red now known as Pilgrim. I have had him for 1 week now and he has settled in beautifully. I have worked with him for the last 3 days and he is responding so well. He will move his forequarters and hindquarters away and come to me at liberty. I can halter him and he is coming to pressure on the halter already! I would have never known about this 3 strike program that the BLM has in place before seeing your site. I thank you so much for making people aware of these wonderful horses. This is such an awesome experience and I can’t wait to continue building this bond with this horse for years to come! Thank you!”

~April from South Carolina

Pilgrim, formerly known as Sweet Baby Red (#2484) is a Twin Peaks wild horse yearling from California. He was born at the Litchfield holding facility. He was passed over during the internet adoption and became an at-risk mustang with another strike against him. 3-Strikes and federally protected wild horses loose their protected status and can be sold to pro-slaughter buyers by the truckloads.

Protect Mustangs wants to make sure the Litchfield 11 who were passed over during the BLM’s national adoption find forever homes.

“We are keeping track of the eleven yearlings from the Litchfield Corrals, near Susanville,” explains Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “Some of these at-risk youngsters are still in California and some have been sent back East. A few have been adopted and several have accrued another dangerous strike against them.”

If anyone wants to adopt one of the Litchfield 11 please send an email to Contact@ProtectMustangs.org. The preservation group is happy to assist perspective adopters to navigate the BLM’s maze of red tape to adopt a mustang.

 

Pilgrim (Sweet Baby Red #2484) at the BLM Litchfield Corrals, California Sept 2012 (Photo courtesy BLM)

Adopt a BLM wild horse to save it from an unknown fate

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Meet Ellie (#6457). She’s a gorgeous 4 yr old Palomino mare from the Calico Mts. She is at the Palomino Valley Center near Reno. (Photo courtesy BLM)

Taking action to find homes for at-risk wild horses

Protect Mustangs is working with members of the public to find homes for all the wild horses who were not adopted during the recent Bureau of Land Management (BLM) internet adoption. The unadopted are at risk of being sold to pro-slaughter people like Tom Davis.

“We are reaching out to the public through Facebook and Twitter to find adopters,” explains Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “People across the country are expressing interest in adopting these great horses. I don’t know why the BLM isn’t marketing the adoption program better.”

BLM’s three strike program

America’s living legends receive a strike against them every time they are offered for adoption. If they are offered on the internet and not adopted they get a strike and another internet adoption gives them another strike. If they are offered for adoption at an event and don’t find their person then they get their third strike . . . It’s a cruel system. After three strikes the federally protected wild horses can be sold to anyone who signs on the dotted line that they won’t sell them to slaughter or for use as rodeo stock. The BLM doesn’t check that the buyers are complying so it’s a free for all.

“If indigenous wild horses are not adopted then they will be shipped out to the Midwest where they are at-risk of being sold by the truckloads–even the one year olds,” states Novak. “With the recent E.U. crackdown on American horse meat, riddled with toxic substances, we are concerned wild horses face an increased risk of going to slaughter because they have never been given substances such as bute.”

Positive communication

Members of the public may email Contact@ProtectMustangs.org to enlist their help in communicating with BLM for a smooth adoption process as well as getting information on trainers and transportation.

Below are some wild horses available for adoption:

Meet Baby Red (#2484) a sorrel yearling gelding. His mother was captured during the Twin Peaks roundup and he was born at the BLM facility in California near Susanville. (Photo courtesy BLM)

 

Lily (#3361) is from the Fox Hog herd. They have some draft in their line and make wonderful pets/riding horses when you give them a lot of love. (Photo courtesy BLM)

Good News! This horse has an adopter waiting for him at the Ridgecrest facility. Sam (#3275) is from California’s High Rock area and appears to be from cavalry stock. He is handsome and might make a nice little jumper or sport horse.

 

Meet Stuart (#2600), a yearling gelding from High Rock in California (eastern Sierra). This internet auction could be his 3rd strike and put him “at risk”. He is located near Susanville, California. (Photo courtesy BLM)

 

Here is Merlot (#9380) a yearling red roan gelding from Green Mountain, Wyoming. He is located in Rock Springs, WY and can be shipped to various locations.

To learn about these horses and others in need of adoption, visit Protect Mustangs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs

From the BLM website:

Adoption Requirements

Applicant must be 18 years of age or older.

Applicant must have access to a stall/corral that meets the following criteria:
  • Stall, corral, etc. must contain a minimum of 400 square feet per animal
  • Stall, corral, etc. that is 6′ tall on all sides with access to feed, water and adequate shelter for anything 2 years or older. The stall/corral height is 5′ for a yearling and 4.5′ for a burro. (This area is only required until animal is gentled, not for the life of the animal.)
  • Stall, corral, etc. must be made of protrusion-free materials, (EX) Wood, Pipe, Cattle Panels. Barb wire is not allowed in the area that is being used for gentling the animal.
  • Covered stock trailer. Covered stock trailer refers to: solid top, pipe rails, tarp, etc. BLM will not load into two-horse or drop-ramp trailers.
Applicant must describe their stall/corral, etc. in the application packet and submit to BLM for approval.
  • Application – Describe the area where you will keep the animal(s) during the gentling phase. (Application is located in back of brochure.)

Breaking News: Historic Virginia City wild horses going to auction October 24

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Protect Mustangs (Photo by Cat Kindsfather)

Iconic wild horses will need adopters

Famous for the classic TV series, Bonzanza, Virginia City’s wild horses have been trapped and are being processed to be sold at an auction frequented by kill-buyers.

On Oct 24th, twenty-nine Virginia Range wild horses are going to be sold by the State of Nevada at the Fallon Livestock Auction.

Historic Virginia Range wild horses are loosing their freedom due to urban sprawl. Wild horses create biodiversity on the range and reduce fuel for wildfires.

“Nevada has a four legged goldmine but they don’t realize it,” states Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “These native grazers reduce the fuel for multimillion dollar wildfires. Tourists from around the world love taking photographs of historic wild horses living in freedom–living symbols of the wild West. We hope Nevada will get hip to their assets on the range and stop selling them off to the highest bidder.”

Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund will spearhead the rescue lead by Shannon Windle. Protect Mustangs will lend their support to help save the historic wild horses from going to slaughter for human consumption.

Last month 53 Virginia Range wild horses were trapped and sent to the auction. All the horses were rescued thanks to a huge team effort Lead by Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund with Protect Mustangs, Let ‘Em Run, American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, Least Resistance Training Concepts, HorsePower, Starlight Sanctuary, other groups and individuals around the world.

Read about it in New Zealand’s Horsetalk and Australia’s HorseYard.

Adoption information is here. Contact Anne@ProtectMustangs.org if you want to adopt a wild horse or two.

Contact Governor Sandoval if you don’t like Nevada removing indigenous wild horses and selling them at an auction with kill-buyers. Let them know if you are from out of state or out of the country because Nevada seems to care about tourism.

Politely ask Governor Sandoval to step in–to stop the removals and the sales. Ask him to RELOCATE all the wild horses who have been trapped already by the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDOA) and bring them food and water if needed on the range.

Contact the Governor here:

Governor Sandoval
Tel: 775-684-5670
fax: 775-6845683

Emails can be sent via this link.
http://gov.nv.gov/contact/governor/

Donations may be sent directly to Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund.

Links of interest:

Horsetalk reports: Charities pay three times the going rate for wild horses

HorseYard reports: Horse lovers unite to save Nevada’s wild horses from kill buyers

Notice of sale from the Nevada Department of Agriculture:

29 VIRGINIA RANGE HORSES from Virginia City, Nevada

NOTICE OF ESTRAY ANIMALS

AS PER N.R.S. 569.070 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the following described animal(s) have been taken up as an Estray Animal(s) VRE Horses #1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, and 1926. The

Estray Horses were captured in Virgina City, in Storey County. The described animals are being held at The Nevada Prison Ranch, 5500 Synder Ave., Carson City, Nv. The Estray Stallions 1 year and older will be gelded prior to placement.Estray #1898 VRE Bay Stud
5 years

Estray # 1899 VRE Bay Stud
4 years

Estray #1900 VRE Bay Stud
Offset star
4 year

Estray #1901 VRE Bay Stud
2 years

Estray #1902 VRE Black Mare
5 year

Estray #1903 VRE Bay Stud
Star, LH & RH socks, LF pastern
6 months

Estray #1904 VRE Bay Mare
Star LH coronet
5 years

Estray #1905 VRE Bay Stud
Star, RH pastern, LF coronet
2 years

Estray #1906 VRE Bay Mare
RH coronet
8 years

Estray #1907 VRE Bay Stud
Large star and snip, RH &LH pastern
10 months

Estray #1908 VRE Black Mare
Small star and snip, RH & LH socks
10 years

Estray # 1909 VRE Bay Mare
Small star
7 years

Estray #1910 VRE Bay Stud
Small star, LH & RH pastern
5 years

Estray #1911 VRE Bay Mare
Star, RH stocking
8 years

Estray #1912 VRE Bay Stud
3 years

Estray #1913 VRE Bay Stud
2 years

Estray #1914 VRE Bay Mare
Star,short strip, large snip LH &RH stockings, LF coronet
4 years

Estray #1915 VRE Bay Mare
Star, RH pastern, LH coronet
5 years

Estray #1916 VRE Bay Mare
7 years

Estray #1917 VRE Sorrel Mare
Star, strip, and snip
10 years

Estray # 1918 Bay Stud
RH coronet
1 year

Estray #1919 Bay Filly
Strip
4 months

Estray #1920 VRE Bay Stud
Star, snip, RH sock
2 years

Estray #1921 VRE Bay Stud
Large star, offset snip
1 year

Estray #1922 VRE Appaloosa Mare
5 years

Estray #1923 VRE Bay Mare
2 years

Estray #1924 VRE Bay Stud
Snip
4 years

Estray #1925 VRE Bay Filly
4 months

Estray #1926 VRE Bay Stud
Star, RH pastern
1 year

AS PER N.R.S. 569.080, if an estray animal is not claimed within 5 working days after the last publication of the advertisement, as required before sale or placement, said animal (s) will be available for sale or placement by the Division of Livestock Identification on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, at the Nevada Livestock Market, Fallon, NV.

NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
4780 East Idaho Street
Elko, Nevada 89801
1-775-738-8076