Taxpayer pays for roundup and fattening up before sale
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Tag Archives: Kerry Becklund
Mustang advocates ask for federal spending transparency
Calico Roundup (Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved)
For immediate release
Outrage over livestock auction companies—paid with tax dollars—to ‘control’ wild horses and burros
WASHINGTON (February 20, 2012)—As the American public prepares their tax returns, Protect Mustangs asks the Department of Interior to disclose why $116,744,281 of taxpayer dollars was paid to 86 contractors from fiscal year 2000 to 2009 for “Wild Horse and Burro ‘Control’ Services“. Besides the more than $13 million paid to a roundup contractor named Dave Cattoor, why was more than $16 million paid to Tadpole Cattle Company, Inc. and more than $15 million paid to Fallon Livestock Auction Inc.?
“Why are livestock auction contractors paid to ‘control’ wild horses and burros?” asks Anne Novak, executive director for Protect Mustangs. “What’s going on? Are America’s living treasures being sold at auctions where kill buyers shop for horse meat?”
“The word ‘auction’ raises the red flag for all horse advocates,” says Kerry Becklund, director of outreach at Protect Mustangs. “Auctions are the first step in the slaughter pipeline—resulting in a cruel death.”
America’s wild horses are particularly vulnerable. They live in remote regions where they can be rounded up and sold to slaughter. They are not filled with chemicals like domestic horses so their meat could be in high demand on the Asian market.
The preservation group wants to know how many wild horses have been rounded up and sold at slaughter auctions since 2000 under BLM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife or the Forest Service’s jurisdiction.
Protect Mustangs maintains its adamant stance that no tax dollars should pay for inhumane horse slaughter nor support the barbaric industry in any way.
The preservation group is currently working on meeting their goal of one million signatures to petition President Barack Obama and Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, S.B. 1176/H.R. 2966—to ensure all horses in America are treated humanely.
“Be the one in a million who ends horse slaughter”, says Novak. “Sign the petition and share it with your friends.”
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Media Contacts:
Anne Novak, 415-531-8454 Anne@ProtectMustangs.org
Kerry Becklund, 510-502-1913 Kerry@ProtectMustangs.org
Contact Protect Mustangs for interviews, photos or video
Links of interest:
Contracts for Wild Horse and Burro Control Services (FY 2000-2009) http://bit.ly/xVlVm5
Contractor handling wild horses: http://bit.ly/xxUzJz
Resources to advocate for horses: http://bit.ly/z99DSm
Saving America’s Horses (film): http://bit.ly/A1gxPJ
The Petition (film): http://www.ThePetitionmovie.com
Change.org Petition to Protect Horses & pass American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act: http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-usa-horse-slaughter
Protect Mustangs on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/uDF5JP
Protect Mustangs on Twitter: http://twitter.com/protectmustangs
Protect Mustangs on You Tube: http://www.YouTube.com/ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs website: http://www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a Bay Area-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.
Water wars threatens wild horses
For immediate release
Water for wildlife in Nevada (Photo © Anne Novak, all rights reserved.)
Assemblyman sponsors A.B. 329 yet received money from Federal Wild Horse and Burro Control Services
RENO (February 19, 2012)—Controversy surrounds Nevada Assemblyman, now running for Senator and longtime rancher Pete Goicoechea due to his sponsorship of A.B. 329. The bill would redefine wildlife for purposes of access to water to mean any free-living creature that walks, slithers, flies over, or crawls on Nevada soil—except for wild horses and burros. Advocates believe the bill could zero out American wild horses and burros in Nevada, where most of them currently live.
Wild horse preservation group, Protect Mustangs, questions Assemblyman Goicoecha’s motives in sponsoring this bill, given that he has received $674,591 through Federal contract funds between 2000 and 2009 for “Wild Horse and Burro Control Services”. Goicoechea’s son J.J. is the president of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. Is Mr. Goicoechea representing the Nevadans who elected him or special interests?
“We are concerned native wild horses would be wiped out if A.B. 329 is passed,” explains Kerry Becklund, director of outreach for Protect Mustangs. “Indigenous wild horses belong to all of America and must not be removed or killed because special interest groups lobby to prevent them from drinking water in Nevada.”
A.B. 329 reads:
Section 1. Chapter 532 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows:
As used in this title, unless the context otherwise requires, “wildlife” means any wild mammal, wild bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, mollusk or crustacean found naturally in a wild state, whether indigenous to Nevada or not and whether raised in captivity or not. The term does not include any wild horse or burro.
Recently at the January 2012 Legislative Committee on Public Lands Hearing, wild horse photographer Cat Kindsfather represented Protect Mustangs, and testified that based on modern science, wild horses are an indigenous species that deserve access to water in Nevada, along with other wildlife.
According to scientific findings in 2010, Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. and Patricia M. Fazio, Ph.D updated their research Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife proving wild horses are indigenous.
The preservation group seeks transparency and answers. Why is a Nevada Assemblyman who was contracted and paid by the federal government for “Wild Horse and Burro Control Services” sponsoring A.B. 329 to deny the native species the right to drink water in the State, and essentially the right to exist in the State, and what services did Goicoechea provide to the Federal program?
“Attacking wild horses and burros in ‘water wars’ goes against the American public’s wishes,” states Anne Novak, executive director for Protect Mustangs. “Besides healing the land, they are living symbols of American freedom who must be protected and preserved.”
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Media Contacts:
Anne Novak, 415-531-8454 Anne@ProtectMustangs.org
Kerry Becklund, 510-502-1913 Kerry@ProtectMustangs.org
Contact Protect Mustangs for interviews, photos or video
Links of interest:
A.B. 329: http://leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Bills/AB/AB329.pdf
Draft letter to Nevada State Engineer from Wildlife Commission against wild horses and burros drinking water: http://bit.ly/yaCNg3
Pete Goicoechea is running for Senator: http://bit.ly/zpKLAX
J.J. Goicoechea, President of Nevada Cattlemen’s Association & rancher complains wild horses: http://bit.ly/zraapE
Science proves wild horses are native: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562
Contracts for Wild Horse and Burro Control Services (FY 2000-2009) http://bit.ly/xVlVm5
Opposition to A.B. 329 (Video at 2011 hearing) http://bit.ly/zlCiU3
Protect Mustangs’ website: http://www.ProtectMustangs.org
Protect Mustangs is a Bay Area-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.
Outrage over secret documents planning to kill or slaughter 50,000 native wild horses
Nevada mustang © Carl Mrozek
Preservation group asks for pro-slaughter activist to be replaced on national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Panel
WASHINGTON (February 10, 2012)—Protect Mustangs asks Secretary Salazar, overseeing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to replace the pro-slaughter appointment of Callie Hendrickson, for the ‘General Public’ position on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board with a neutral person. Hendrickson has a history of lobbying in support of slaughter and zeroing-out wild horses. Protect Mustangs is concerned that the BLM has given the green light to plans to kill and slaughter the more than 50,000 American wild horses taken off the range as revealed in secret documents including one found on Wikileaks.
“We are opposed to BLM’s outrageous decision to choose a pro-slaughter and anti-wild horse activist for the advisory board,” states Anne Novak, executive director for Protect Mustangs. “It is fiscally irresponsible to roundup and warehouse more than 50,000 wild horses but to slaughter and kill them is a heinous act.”
The preservation group and members of the public are gravely concerned the BLM is preparing to kill the 50,000 wild horses in holding according to secret reports from 2008 discovered by Dr. Pat Haight, President of the Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program’s FOIA research. The report reveals planning for massive wild horse sales to slaughter and euthanasia on an epic scale that will wipe out the American wild horse.
Protect Mustangs recently learned about a Wikileak document titled Federal Lands Managed by the BLM and Forest Service issued to the 110th Congress in February 2009 discussing how to “dispose” of wild horses.
“In destroying the last wild horses, the U.S. government’s BLM is continuing to destroy the planet,” states Michael Blake author and Academy Award-winner for Dances with Wolves.
Protect Mustangs wants the BLM to honor their promise of ‘a new direction’—not continue to break the public’s trust.
“More than 80% of Americans are against horse slaughter,” explains Kerry Becklund, director of outreach for Protect Mustangs. “Wild horses are a national icon—they are beloved by the public from coast to coast.”
By taking the majority of wild horses off the land at great taxpayer expense, BLM created a fiscal problem. Some ask if it was to ‘help’ big business’ land grab. Now the mustangs are in the care of the BLM and killing them or selling them to slaughter is not supported by the American people.
“BLM is going against the public’s wishes by cruelly rounding up wild horses in secrecy and denying media access,” states Novak. “Are they now moving forward to slaughter and kill all the mustangs they took off the range? If so, this mustang massacre must be stopped.”
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Media Contacts:
Anne Novak, Anne@ProtectMustangs.org, 415-531-8454
Kerry Becklund, Kerry@ProtectMustangs.org, 510-502-1913
Links of interest:
Secret documents reveal plans to destroy America’s native wild horses in 2008:
Feb 2009 Wikileaks doc Federal Lands Managed by the BLM and Forest Service issued to the 110th Congress discuss how to “dispose” of wild horses: http://bit.ly/Asouv2
Petition to stop horse slaughter: http://chn.ge/ykkbJe
Science finds American wild horses are native: http://bit.ly/wPExYA
Hendrickson, the activist against wild horses: http://bit.ly/x4PpVG
AWHPC reports on advisory board stacked against mustangs: http://bit.ly/ypkkSL
ASPCA & independent poll shows Americans against horse slaughter: http://bit.ly/Acbi6n
Twitter @ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Protect Mustangs is an nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.