Tag Archives: wild horses

BLM wants your data by September 22 for their Pine Nut Mountains Herd Management Area Draft Evaluation

Posted on by

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

BLM News Release Date: 09/08/15

Carson City, NV. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Sierra Front Field Office has prepared a draft Evaluation for the Pine Nut Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA) which is located south of Dayton and east of Carson City, Nevada.

This draft Evaluation describes the history of the HMA, condition of riparian areas based on functional assessments, and vegetative trends based on rangeland health assessments. The purpose of the draft Evaluation is to assess the existing conditions of the HMA, and whether the objectives of maintaining a thriving natural ecological balance in relationship to the multiple- use mandate of maintaining a healthy range for wildlife, livestock, and wild horses is being achieved.

We are requesting any data that you may have pertaining to the vegetation condition, utilization levels, riparian condition and wild horse condition by September 22, 2015.

The draft Evaluation can be found on-line at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field.html To be considered, the data can be sent electronically to pinenuthorses@blm.gov or submitted in person to the Carson City District Office at 5665 Morgan Mill Road. Data must be received by September 22, 2015.

For more information contact John Axtell, Wild Horse Specialist at: 775-885-6146.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.
–BLM–
Carson City 5665 Morgan Mill Road Carson City, NV 89701

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

Posted on by
9

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

Posted on by
5

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

Follow us on social media
Facebook logoFlickrTwitterYouTube

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

Posted on by
10

 

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.

How many Cold Creek wild horses will BLM kill?

Posted on by

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

BLM Press Release

RENO, Nev. – Due to extreme drought conditions and lack of forage, the Bureau of Land Management will continue to gather and provide emergency care for wild horses in the Cold Creek area of southern Nevada – about 30 miles west of Las Vegas. Using hay and water, the BLM gathered 201 horses last week.
“We have identified more horses that are in danger of starving,” said BLM Acting State Director John Ruhs. “These animals are in the same very poor condition as the horses we gathered last week.”

The BLM had originally identified up to 200 horses in declining body conditions, but more malnourished horses were observed during last week’s gather. Based on a veterinarian’s assessment, 28 of the 201 horses gathered last week had to be euthanized due to “poor or extremely emaciated body condition” and were determined to have a “poor prognosis for recovery or improvement.” The horses were in a severe state of starvation.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) veterinarian made the animal body condition assessments on-site.

Many of the horses have responded well to the emergency care that is being provided at BLM’s Oliver Ranch, where a temporary holding facility has been established. Once the horses were strong enough to travel, they were transported to the BLM’s off-range corrals and will be made available for adoption, sale, or moved to off-range holding pastures.

A Gather Information Hotline has been established at 775-861-6700. A recorded message will provide updated gather activities. Depending on the animals’ adjustment, public viewing through an escorted tour of the temporary holding facility may be arranged at some point during the gather and will be announced on the gather Hotline. Gather reports are posted on BLM’s Southern Nevada District website at http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.html

The wild horse herd is from the BLM’s Wheeler Pass Herd Management Area (HMA).

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.
–BLM–

from: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2015/september/nso__blm_to_continue.html

Protect Mustangs demands a full investigation into the BLM killing 28 Cold Creek wild horses near Las Vegas

Posted on by
15

Did poor horse management result in killing wild horses after rounding them up or was the BLM just too lazy to give them the care they needed?

For immediate release:

LAS VEGAS, NV. (September 8, 2015)–Protect Mustangs demands the Office of the Inspector General conduct a full investigation into the management, roundup, feeding, veterinary care and killing of the 28 Cold Creek wild horses who had become skinny. The preservation organization also demands immediate full public disclosure of the death of more than 75 wild horses who were moved to a holding facility in Kansas in 2014. Allegations of wild horses becoming skinny and dying who were not able to access the feed troughs have been circulating the Internet for a year.

“The BLM roundup was supposed to save wild horses not kill them,” states Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs, a preservation organization based in California.

“I was told by BLM staff that wild horses would be euthanized only if they could not step up into the trailer to be hauled away,” states Alynn Dalton, photographer and Las Vegas area resident who attended the roundup. “They killed the very horses they said they were there to help. Why aren’t they giving them a real chance at life?”

“Last year in Kansas the BLM’s deplorable horse management resulted in the deaths of more than 75 wild horses and that now requires full public disclosure,” explains Novak. “Today we demand an investigation into the Cold Creek killings. These federally protected wild horses were living on the range not dropping dead. The BLM should know that feeding severely skinny wild horses takes special care to nurse them back to health. . . I wonder if they thought this was an easy way to dispose of them. The truth needs to come out.”

Out of 202 Cold Creek wild horses rounded up near Las Vegas, BLM killed 28 wild horses on September 3rd and 4th, before Labor Day weekend, according to their website update. They list a “poor prognosis for recovery” as the reason for killing them but BLM’s track record speaks for itself regarding the 2014 Kansas fiasco.

“How many mares and foals have been killed or did the BLM just kill off the mares instead of helping them?” asks Novak. “If so, now what will happen to the orphans? Did the BLM kill the old mustangs too? People would have adopted these mustangs once they were well. Volunteers and rescues would have helped them recover. Killing them without giving them a fighting chance at recovery is a heinous misuse of tax dollars.”

The Cold Creek herd is the last wild herd in southern Nevada and dearly loved by the community in the Las Vegas area.

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

# # #

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.

Media Contacts:

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

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

Links of interest™:

28 Cold Creek horses euthanized by BLM: http://bit.ly/1Ow5Pgl

BLM roundup and death report: http://on.doi.gov/1JRx6Xm

BLM roundup press release: http://on.doi.gov/1PJ6onj

Wild horses relocated by the Bureau of Land Management occupy a corral and die in Kansas: http://bit.ly/1UEPNT1

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

Why are Sharon Stone, Dorian Brown & Tommy Flanagan starring in a film linked to horse slaughter pushers?

Posted on by
25
RUNNING WILD Sharon Stone Dave Duquette

Dave Duquette (Horse Slaughter Pusher) hugs Sharon Stone on the set of RUNNING WILD Produced by Forrest Lucas from PROTECT THE HARVEST the 501c4 organization lobbying to open HORSE SLAUGHTER plants in the USA and pushing for WILD & DOMESTIC HORSE SLAUGHTER

According to Variety, Running Wild tells the tale of a widow, Stella Davis, who saves her ranch by working with convicts to rehabilitate a herd of wild horses that have wandered onto her property. Sons of Anarchy star Tommy Flanagan has been recruited to play Ponytail John, the alpha male of the group of convicts, while Dorian Brown has been cast to play Stella. Sharon Stone will play Meredith, the movie’s main villain.

Do these actors starring in the film RUNNING WILD know that wild horses are underpopulated in the wild?  Do they understand how cruel and inhumane horse slaughter is?

Have they seen this?

 

Do these Hollywood actors realize they are being used by HORSE-SLAUGHTER Pushers like Dave Duquette and ESX Entertainment’s producer Forrest Lucas who are behind Protect the Harvest. That’s the HORSE SLAUGHTER non profit working to set up horse slaughter plants in the USA for domestic and wild horses. 

RUNNING WILD Dave Duquette Tommy Flanagan

Dave Duquette (Horse-Slaughter Pusher) with Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) on the set of RUNNING WILD Produced by Forrest Lucas from PROTECT THE HARVEST the 501c4 organization lobbying to open HORSE SLAUGHTER plants in the USA and pushing for WILD & DOMESTIC HORSE SLAUGHTER

 

RUNNING WILD Flanagan Duquette

Dave Duquette (Horse-Slaughter Pusher) with Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) on the set of RUNNING WILD Produced by Forrest Lucas from PROTECT THE HARVEST the 501c4 organization (Super PAC) lobbying to open HORSE SLAUGHTER plants in the USA and pushing for HORSE SLAUGHTER

 

RUNNING WILD Dorian Brown Christine Moore

Dave Duquette (Horse-Slaughter Pusher with PROTECT THE HARVEST) with Dorian Brown (left) starring in RUNNING WILD Produced by Forrest Lucas CEO of ESX and PROTECT THE HARVEST the 501c4 organization (Super PAC) lobbying to open HORSE SLAUGHTER plants in the USA with the writer of RUNNING WILD Christine Moore (right)

RUNNING WILD Dorien Brown

Dorian Brown riding lesson for RUNNING WILD Produced by Forrest Lucas from PROTECT THE HARVEST the 501c4 organization (Super PAC) lobbying to open HORSE SLAUGHTER plants in the USA and pushing for WILD & DOMESTIC HORSE SLAUGHTER

 

Protect the Harvest, the Horse Slaughter Super PAC, have their logo on the back of the crew’s T-Shirts (see below) to advertise their organization pushing for HORSE SLAUGHTER to come back to the USA

RUNNING WILD Stone Protect Harvest T-Shirts for Crew

Members of the crew are wearing t-shirts with the Super PAC logo on it “Protect the Harvest”.

Looking at the Wikipedia description of the film, “…widow Stella Davis, fighting to save her ranch from a herd of wild horses by working with convicts…” these actors must know what they are doing. 

 

Links of interest™

Sharon Stone Starring in Horse Drama ‘Running Wild’ http://variety.com/2015/film/news/sharon-stone-horse-drama-running-wild-1201572494/
by Dave McNary
Film Reporter

Sharon Stone will star in the drama “Running Wild” for Forrest Lucas and Ali Afshar’s newly launched ESX Entertainment.

Alex Ranarivelo (“The Wrong Side of Right”) is directing the film from a script by Christina Moore and Brian Rudnick.

Stone will portray the villain in “Running Wild,” which centers on a widow who saves her ranch by working with convicts to rehabilitate a herd of wild horses that wandered onto her property. The role of the widow will be cast shortly.

“Running Wild” is financed and being produced by ESX Entertainment, with Lucas and Afshar serving as producers. Christina Moore is co-producer.

Forrest Lucas is a horse slaughter pusher at Protect the Harvest: http://protecttheharvest.com/who-we-are/forrest-lucas/

Lucas Oil co-founder blasts Muslims, minorities for ‘running our country: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lucas-oil-co-founder-blasts-muslims-minorities-running-country-article-1.1964986

Dorian Brown, Tommy Flanagan Join Sharon Stone in ‘Running Wild’ http://variety.com/2015/film/news/dorian-brown-tommy-flanagan-running-wild-sharon-stone-1201573876/ 
Spotted in Santa Rosa: Actress Sharon Stone, film crew, on month-long Sonoma County shoot http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4354140-181/spotted-in-santa-rosa-actress?TSM?gallery=4354576

Protect the Harvest http://protecttheharvest.com

They want to SLAUGHTER wild horses for meat  http://protecttheharvest.com/horses-crisis/

Protect the Harvest, the Super PAC made a video filled with untruths, skewed statistics and an old dying horse allegedly starving yet with grass around her — to push for opening horse slaughter plants in the USA. Cattle activists are featured.

Forrest Lucas refutes claims made by animal activists http://www.producer.com/2014/08/u-s-millionaire-eager-to-protect-agriculture/

Lucas’s television production company is making a documentary about abandoned horses starving to death on public lands in the U.S. He wants to reintroduce horse slaughter plants in the United States to allow a better end of life for abandoned, old and unused horses.

Dave Duquette quoted in The Oregonian ‘Hermiston doesn’t want horse slaughter plant on its doorstep’ http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/10/hermiston_doesnt_want_horse_sl.html

Dave Duquette, a Hermiston horse trainer who is organizing the slaughter effort, said the City Council is missing a bet on a proposal . . .

Running Wild (2016) on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Wild_(2016_film)

Production
On July 29, 2015, it was announced that Alex Ranarivelo would direct the Horse drama film Running Wild based on the script by Brian Rudnick.Forrest Lucas and Ali Afshar would produce the film through ESX Entertainment, and the banner would also finance the film.On August 18, 2015, Sharon Stone signed on to play the main villain role in the film as Meredith, while the script was done by Christina Moore and Rudnick, and Moore would also co-produce the film.On August 19, 2015, Dorian Brown and Tommy Flanagan joined the film, Brown to play the lead role of a widow Stella Davis, fighting to save her ranch from a herd of wild horses by working with convicts, while Flanagan to play the leader of the convicts. On August 20, 2015, Jason Lewis joined the cast to play the male lead.

 

Sharon Stone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharonstone

Dorian Brown on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DorianBrown11

Tommy Flanagan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TommyFlanagan

RUNNING WILD Dorian Brown

Just imagine the actors lines here . . . Especially the vet’s lines . . .

HELP the WY14 raise their September pasture board

Posted on by
10

PM Ghost Dancer WY14 Rescue

The WY14 are 14 young wild horses from Wyoming who were rescued from Bouvry’s SLAUGHTERHOUSE yard. They need HELP to stay in their new pasture! $2,500 is due for the September board. Please DONATE: http://www.gofundme.com/wh2r5mr8 They need to raise the money so it can be dispersed before the 1st. This is the first time since the CRUEL BLM Roundup that the WY14 have had any sense of freedom to choose where they go. They are healing front he trauma of the roundup and loss of their families. Thank you for helping to set things right for these survivors.

 

BRAVE is a member of the WY14 rescued front he slaughterhouse

BRAVE is a member of the WY14 rescued front he slaughterhouse

 

WY14 grazing for the first time in the new pasture since the slaughter-bound roundup

WY14 grazing for the first time since the slaughter-bound roundup

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

Posted on by

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.

McCain & Flake postpone roundup of wild horses in Arizona

Posted on by
4

PM Salt RIver Horses McCain letter 8-5-15-horses

PM Salt RIver Horses McCain letter page 2 8-5-15-horses

Washington, D.C. (August 5, 2015) ­– U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) today sent the following letter to the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Agriculture requesting that they postpone the roundup of horses from the Mesa Ranger District on the Tonto National Forest until there has been sufficient public engagement in the process, and that they respond to questions.

“A growing number of our constituents have expressed deep reservations about the Forest Service’s intent to gather these horses and transfer them to the Arizona Department of Agriculture,” write Senators McCain and Flake. “We request that you postpone action until there has been sufficient public engagement in the process and that you respond to our questions below.”

The full letter is here.

August 5, 2015

Mr. Neil Bosworth

Forest Supervisor

Tonto National Forest

2324 E. McDowell Rd.

Phoenix, AZ 85006

The Honorable Mark Killian

Director

Arizona Department of Agriculture

1688 W. Adams St.

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Dear Supervisor Bosworth and Director Killian:

We are writing to inquire about your plans for removing up to 100 horses from the Mesa Ranger District on the Tonto National Forest. A growing number of our constituents have expressed deep reservations about the Forest Service’s intent to gather these horses and transfer them to the Arizona Department of Agriculture. We request that you postpone action until there has been sufficient public engagement in the process and that you respond to our questions below.

Whether they are treated as feral under state law or “wild” under federal law, horses are celebrated as icons of the West. However, we understand that the Forest Service is increasingly concerned that unclaimed horses on the Mesa Ranger District present a public safety risk. The concern appears to be that as the population continues to rise, so does the likelihood for vehicle accidents involving a collision with a horse on State Highway 87, or that campers and other recreationists enjoying the Salt River could be kicked or injured.

Again, please provide us with answers to the following questions:

How many horses have been identified for impoundment and how many will remain on the District?
What will happen to the horses once they are transferred to the state?
How would you ensure that a roundup will be humane for the horses?
Where did these horses likely originate and how long have they been on the District?
Has the Forest Service explored entering into a management arrangement with horse advocates? If so, what elements of an agreement would the Tonto National Forest require and generally support? Would this agreement apply only to the horses on the District?
Does the Tonto National Forest have the authority to enter into a management agreement for these horses beyond the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971?
A timely response to this request is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

John McCain

Jeff Flake

# # #

Protect Mustangs wants to especially thank Senator McCain and Senator Flake as well as Victoria McCullough for coming to the rescue of the Salt River Wild Horses.

Please visit the Salt River Wild Horses on Facebook to sign up for updates here: https://www.facebook.com/SaltRiverWildHorses