Mustang Monday™: Contact Congress

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Helicopter Chasing Wild Horses-Calico (Photo © Cat Kindsfather)

In all time zones, email, fax or call your senators and representatives to let them know that “Old Gold”, an American wild horse was rounded up near Gerlach, Nevada on November 19th and euthanized later by the BLM because of being old. At the trap site she was traumatized, slammed into a metal panel and was surely injured. Explain that BLM is not counting her death as a roundup-related death. Tell them Old Gold is an example BLM’s poor accountability and using tax dollars for animal cruelty. Remind them that Congress gives BLM $75 million annually for this broken program. Ask Congress to stop the Calico roundup and freeze all others until an independent, accurate headcount is made and a sustainable manage plan proves that more wild horses and burros need to be removed to have thriving natural ecological balance (TNEB).

“The roundups in the Ruby Pipeline zone are questionable,” states Katie Fite, biologist and biodiversity specialist. “The public is not being told the truth. There needs to be an investigation within all levels of BLM considering the unavoidable damage to our public lands. There is no mitigation provided for to restore this biologically wild, remote, and untrammeled landscape in northwestern Nevada and southeastern Oregon.”

We see TNEB in Calico except for industrialization and right of way projects like the Ruby Pipeline. Wild horses and burros are not the problem. Be sure to let YOUR representatives in government know how you feel.

RIP Old Gold.

First death at Calico roundup ~ RIP Old Gold

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Protect Mustangs is a California-based preservation group whose mission is to inform the public about the mustang crisis, protect America’s wild horses on the range and help those who lost their freedom.

Petition reaches 800 signatures

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Let’s keep spreading the word to our friends at home and around the world who love America’s wild horses and want to stop the dangerous Calico roundup.

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-calico-roundup

Send your friends the petition and post it on your FB wall. Find creative ways to get the word out and let us know what works!

Thank you so much for your help to save the mustangs.

In gratitude,
Anne Novak

News Release

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Protect Mustangs asks Obama to stop the dangerous Calico roundup

Advocates ask for the sustainable win-win

WASHINGTON (November 21, 2011)— Protect Mustangs launches their campaign and petition to stop the frivolous Calico roundup in northern Nevada near the town of Gerlach, known for Burning Man. The mustang advocacy group joins with advocates and the disgruntled public asking President Obama to stop the expensive winter roundup before it becomes deadly. The 2010 Calico roundup was the deadliest roundup in history with 160 deaths attributed to it. Protect Mustangs asks that all other roundups be put on hold until a sustainable plan is agreed to by all sides of the issue.

“There is no accurate head count and estimates cannot justify an expensive roundup when thriving natural ecological balance (TNEB) exists on the range,” explains Anne Novak, Founder and Director of Protect Mustangs. “This country is in the middle of a financial crises. We can’t afford to waste more money on cruel roundups, removals and warehousing. The money being spent on this roundup could be used to help the American people get back on their feet.”

Last year the BLM spent more than 75 million dollars on the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Advocates want to know how that money was spent—line by line.

“They are wasting our tax money on roundups instead of using a small fraction of that money to improve the range,” states Lisa Friday, Board Member of Protect Mustangs. “We want to see wild horses freed from long-term holding and returned to the West—to roam freely on their herd management areas (HMAs) as Congress intended.”

Today close to 39,000 American wild horses live in long-term holding facilities—away from their native habitat. Less than 13,850 live on public land in ten western states. In 1900, 2 million wild horses roamed freely in America.

Currently, in the Calico Complex HMA, more than half a million acres, can easily support the less than 1,000 wild horses and burros living there. Livestock currently outnumbers wild horses more than 50 to 1. Protect Mustangs wants to make sure that the mustangs are not scapegoated for damage to the range caused by livestock.

Wild horses are being removed from their range at breakneck speed to make room for ‘the New Energy Frontier’. Protect Mustangs wants a sustainable management plan for the wild horses of the West.

“It’s not ‘green’ to wipe out an indigenous species to create an industrialized zone for producing so-called renewables on public land, states Novak. “There must be a way to find a win-win for the wild horses, the other wildlife, the livestock and the energy projects in the West. We want engagement from all sides to solve this problem.”

Meanwhile Protect Mustangs asks President Obama to stop the Calico roundup and put all other roundups on hold until a real sustainable plan is agreed to by all sides of the issue.

The Salazar Plan was announced in Fall 2009 and the result was nationwide public outcry and protests. The administration disregarded the will of the people and forged ahead with a dysfunctional policy destined to zero out the American wild horse.

‘Now we want change for the good,” states Lisa Friday “We want the administration to stop wasting money on a bad plan.”

Protect Mustangs is a California-based non-profit whose mission is to inform the public about the mustang crisis, protect America’s wild horses on the range and help those who lost their freedom.

# # #

Media Contacts:

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

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

Photos, video and interviews available upon request.

Links of interest:

Protect Mustangs’ Petition to Stop Calico Roundup: http://chn.ge/rBoej7

CBS: Stampede to Oblivion: http://bit.ly/tAopv7

FAQs on Wild Horses: http://bit.ly/teEILa

New Energy Frontier: http://on.doi.gov/taVehZ

Ruby Pipeline: The Real Reason To Remove Wild Horses? http://bit.ly/vUf9SQ

Ruby Pipeline Map: http://bit.ly/sCRcJ5

Salazar Plan Shortcomings: http://bit.ly/togfzp

Press Releases Chronicling the issue: http://bit.ly/vnyVnR

Protect Mustangs on Twitter @ProtectMustangs

Protect Mustangs on You Tube: http://bit.ly/v8TZfd

Protect Mustangs on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/uDF5JP

Protect Mustangs on Web: www.ProtectMustangs.org

Equine distemper due to stress and chill from winter roundups.

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

Winter roundups often result in the upper respiratory equine illness called strangles (equine distemper) because the helicopters chase the terrified horses in freezing cold temperatures and the horses catch a chill in the traps. You can see the steam coming from the horses in the trap site photo here.

Strangles is highly contagious–spread from horse to horse contact and spread from horse to human to horse contact.

Strangles is inevitable during winter roundups–putting all the wild horses at risk who are forced to live in close quarters for months in short term holding.

Strangles got its name from having difficulty breathing as if being strangled. Horses can die from strangles.

There is a vaccine for strangles but it is less than 50% effective and dangerous to give to horses already exposed to strangles. The illness shows up some time after exposure. It spreads quickly in holding facilities during winter. So the vaccine is not the answer. The answer is to refrain from sweating wild horses in the chill of winter which translates to no helicopter roundups in the winter.

Wild horses get strangles from living in confinement after being chilled not from living freely on the range. In freedom they are very healthy.

For more information on strangles visit wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangles

Wyoming Wild Horse Slideshow

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

An awful roundup is about to start that will wipe out most of the beautiful wild horses roaming freely in southern Wyoming.

I want to welcome Kerry Becklund on board. She and I put together a little slideshow to get the word out about what’s going on with our tax dollars. Please share this with your friends.

We are fundraising to make some more of these because even though we donated our time and graciously had the photography donated we still had to pay for the music licensing. Thanks in advance for your help to get the word out.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Protect Mustangs

The French came to Nevada to report on the mustang crisis. At first the director and cameraman believed the BLM but as the shoot played out they saw the truth. I would say the turning point was when the BLM guards and PR people tried to prevent them from filming what they came to film at the roundup. They should have known better. Never infringe on a French person’s liberty. Vivre la France!

La chasse aux mustangs Vidéo sept-a-huit sélectionnée dans Actualité

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