Tag Archives: Mustang

Anonymous tip says wild horses are being slaughtered by the thousands

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We are sharing this anonymous tip in hopes legal action or rescue will follow to save the thousands of horses who are still alive.

#TakeAction to demand horse slaughter stop now!

Email Secretary Sally Jewell ( Secretary_jewell@ios.doi.gov ). The Secretary of Interior oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs. You can also write her a letter. Here is her address:

The Honorable Sally Jewell Secretary of the Interior

U.S. Department of the Interior

1849 C Street,

NW Washington,

DC 20240E

Please Contact your Congressional Rep  (
http://www.contactingthecongress.org/search.html ) to request they intervene on your behalf to stop the slaughter.

Join the movement to Protect Mustangs by liking the Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/ProtectMustangs Check the page daily and invite your friends to join the movement to protect mustangs!

We are working for the wild horses on Twitter too so Join up at www.Twitter.com/ProtectMustangs You can also join our Founder and Executive Director, Anne Novak, on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/theAnneNovak There is a lot we can do together to Protect Mustangs!

Please share this video so people will learn what is going on. Then they can demand change and legal action to stop the slaughter of thousands of wild horses!

Video Copyright Protect Mustangs, 2015, all rights reserved.  Photo copyright Christina Lynn Williams Photography

Go to www.ProtectMustangs.org for more information on wild horses.

Our non-profit mission is to protect and preserve America’s native and wild horses. www.ProtectMustangs.org

 

PM Lennox Face

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

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BOONE-June-6-2014-©SOA

Mounting concern they will end up unadopted and go to slaughter

For immediate release:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

# # #

Media Contacts:

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

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

Links of interest™:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Protect Mustangs on the web: www.ProtectMustangs.org

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

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

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

BLM delays responding to simple questions about the Cold Creek killings

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

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

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

Thank you for your patience,
Bren

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

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

Dear Ms. Beasley,

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

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

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

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

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

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

Hello,

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

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

This is what I found on your website:

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

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

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

Anne

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

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

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

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

Hello Anne,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for your patience.

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

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

Dear Brenda,

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

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

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

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

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

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

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

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

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

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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 . . .

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

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By Will Greenberg      August 14, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

URGENT: Prevent Salt River Wild Horses from Being Eliminated

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PM Salt River Wild Horses

Salt River Wild Horses group appeals to the global community for help

The Forest Service has issued a Public Notice (publicnotices.azcapitoltimes.com/search/detail.aspx?detail=10583672) stating the Salt River Wild Horses will be permanently removed beginning August 7, 2015.

These horses were virtually unknown until 2012 when photographer, Becky Standridge, documented a wild stallion named Champ (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SXbVw4qojg) rescuing a filly from drowning. Since then, this act of compassionate heroism has been viewed over 1.5 million times on YouTube and the Salt River Wild Horses have become one the most famous group of wild horses on the planet – with fans residing at least 45 different countries.

The Forest Service classifies the horses as feral and unauthorized (which legally permits them to be removed) because they were not included in the Census that followed the passing of the 1971 Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The Mesa Ranger District had three years to complete the Census. This period began with management that had decided to create a wild horse territory and ended with new management that redacted the decision and stripped the horses of their legal rights. Never the less, photographic evidence places the horses on the Tonto National Forest in the 1950s and printed documentation archives their presence back to the 1800s.

It has been said, “the horses have been there forever.” Forever may mean they are the descendants of the noble steeds that once belonged to the Spanish Jesuit Priest Father Eusebio Kino or of the U.S. Cavalry mounts that General George Crook and Fort McDowell soldiers used during their campaign to capture Geronimo. Either way, generation after generation after generation has been born, lived and died wild – they have a right to remain this way.

Recently, a rumor has been circulating that some of the Salt River Wild Horses have not been able to access water. This rumor is being used as one of the justifications for removing the horses, however, the premise is not true so the conclusion is invalid. These horses know where to find water; at the furthest extent of their home range they are only a few miles away from water, they have many routes to reach any location and they can travel distances in a short period of time. These horses have existed for a very long time without the intervention of man.

Rumor has it that concern over the horses becoming injured or dying is justification for their removal. This is absurd. Domestic horses are also at risk or being injured or dying. So are we. It is a fact, that in living we are all at risk but we don’t lock ourselves away or give up. It is wrong to eliminate the wild horses under the false pretense of helping them.

The Forest Service’s Public Notice states the horses may be “condemned and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of.” The removal effort alone will place the horses under undue risk of injury that may result in death. All the horses will suffer tremendous fear and all will loose their freedom. Despite the fact that horses do not have the facial muscles to express themselves as we do, they still experience emotions, suffer pain and cling to life just dearly as we do.

– – – EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD – PLEASE HELP – – –
We need all interested individuals, regardless where you live in the world, to call, email and/or mail the three individuals listed below. Also please contact as many Congressmen (www.contactingthecongress.org), Senators (www.contactingthecongress.org), Forest Service personnel (www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/contact-us), Arizona Department of Agriculture personnel (azdirect.azdoa.gov/AgencyView.aspx?Agency_ID=239), Arizona Game and Fish personnel (www.gf.state.az.us/inside_azgfd/agency_directory.shtml), BLM personnel (www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/directory.html) and the Media regarding your desire to preserve the Salt River Wild Horses. If you can think of anyone else that should be contacted then please do.

Neil Bosworth – Supervisor for the Tonto National Forest
602-225-5200
nbosworth@fs.fed.us
2324 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85006

Clay Templin – Forest Fire Chief/Fire Staff Officer
602-225-5220
ctemplin@fs.fed.us
2324 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85006

Gary Hanna- District Ranger
480-610-3301
ghanna@fs.fed.us
5140 E. Ingram Street, Mesa, AZ 85205

We need to contact everyone possible as quickly as possible. We need to contact so many people that even the people we contact in other agencies and states will begin calling the three individuals above to encourage them to resolve the issue.

We do not have all the contact information readily available for everyone so if anyone obtains helpful references then please add them to this post for others to reference.

Please refrain from sharing emotional comments on this post so that the contact comments will not become lost in the comments.

Now is the time to act on behalf of the Salt River Wild Horses. Time is of the essence. Champ’s life is at stake and so are the lives of all the Salt River Wild Horses. We can do this if you help.

Please be polite when expressing your comments and contacting people. Please express yourself using your own thoughts and words. Feel free to reference information in this post but please be sure to use your own words.

Please share this post with as many people as you can and know how very much we, and the Salt River Wild Horses, appreciate your support.

Reprint: National Treasures Saved From Slaughterhouse

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

Roundup results in death of 23 American wild horses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reprinted from Horseback Magazine

Petition to STOP Mustang Road Kill

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Please sign and share the Petition to Install Strieter-Lite to Prevent Mustang Road Kill

Petitioning Mr. Ismael Garza
Install the Strieter-Lite Wild Animal Highway Warning Reflector System in Nevada on Highway 50 E. and Other High Strike Areas

From Julie Keller:

Save Wild Lives by stopping tragic dusk to dawn wild horse and other wild animal-vehicle collisions! The reflector system is the most effective method of preventing these collisions with a 78% – 90% prevention rate stopping 4 out of 5 accidents that would otherwise occur. They reduce an estimated 800,000 yearly wild animal-vehicle collisions. Please go to www.strieter-lite.com for further information and statistical analysis based on extensive road test data. The reflectors are eligible for 80% FHWA funding under the TEA-21 hazardous elimination fund. They were successfully tested on Highway 50 E. in Northern Nevada for three years (2003-2006) then removed to widen the highway. NDOT was not able to replace them because they were inadvertently destroyed. Now many tragic accidents, especially with wild horses, are happening again. Due to their success in preventing these collisions, they need replaced and also installed in other high strike areas.

Please contact the Nevada Department of Transportation at (775) 888-7087 or email Mr. Ismael Garza, Assistant Chief Traffic Operations Engineer, at IGarza@dot.state.nv.us.

Thank you.

(Note from Protect Mustangs: Highway 50 E has the Pine Nut wild horses on one side and the Virginia Range wild horses on the other)

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

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PM Photo Wild Horses ©AdventureJournalist

The overpopulation myth is dangerous

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

France TV 2 reports:

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

Synopsis Translation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

BLM’s spin dominates news report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time to stand together

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

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

Many blessings,

Anne

 

Anne Novak

Executive Director

www.ProtectMustangs.org

Contact@ProtectMustangs.org

 

Links of interest™:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No excess wild horses in the Pryors

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PM PZP Betrayal

 

PZP is a risky pesticide. Will it ruin the treasured herd?

By Marybeth Devlin

The issue underpinning the use of PZP and the continuing cycle of removals of wild horses from the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is: Whether there are excess wild horses. No, there aren’t. BLM creates the illusion of an overpopulation by administratively setting the maximum herd-size below minimum-viable population. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature determined that, if a herd were managed carefully per a stud-book, it could sustain itself genetically at a minimum of 500 individuals. Compare that number to BLM’s maximum: 120.

In fact, according to the latest genetic analysis, the Pryor Mountain herd is evidencing “a general trend for a decline in variations levels of the herd.” The recommendation was to “increase population size.” Yet, BLM stubbornly insists on its own failed approach of artificially limiting herd-size, declaring that it disagrees with the scientific “interpretation.”

But can the range accommodate more horses? Yes. By way of comparison, BLM allots 38 acres per cow or calf when setting the stocking-rate for livestock grazing. Thus, the 33,187 acres that compose the Pryor Mountain habitat can support 500 to 873 horses. When the WHR is restored to its original configuration, 44,920 acres, the high-bound can be increased to 1,182.

As for PZP, numerous independent studies have disproved the old theory that PZP merely blocks sperm attachment. In fact, PZP’s mechanism of action is to alter ovarian function, causing inflammation of the ovaries and cyst formation. PZP provokes an auto-immune response, wherein the pig-ovary-derived PZP antibodies attack the mares’ ovaries, resulting in dystrophy of those reproductive organs. Despite being hyped as a non-hormonal contraceptive, PZP causes “markedly depressed oestrogen secretion” in mares treated for just three consecutive years. The latter finding was disclosed by Dr. Kirkpatrick himself 23 years ago. PZP-use is associated with stillbirths, altered ovarian structure and cyclicity, interference with normal ovarian function, permanent ovarian damage, prolonged breeding season, and unusually-late birthing dates. A particularly troubling finding suggests that PZP can be selective against a certain genotype in a population.

PZP is touted as reversible; however, a recent study warned that just three years of treatment, or administration of the first PZP injection before puberty, may trigger infertility in some mares. Thus, only two PZP injections could be viewed as relatively safe, but it appears that even one injection is risky. The researchers warned that inducing sterility may have unintended consequences on population dynamics by, ironically, increasing longevity while eliminating the mares’ ability to contribute genetically.

Most pertinent to the Pryor Mountain herd is a longitudinal study on three herds treated with PZP — Little Book Cliffs, McCullough Peaks, and … Pryor Mountain. The researchers found that the birthing season lasted nearly year-round: 341 days. Out-of-season births put the life of the foals and the mares at risk. That same longitudinal study found that, following suspension of PZP injections, there was a delay in the mares’ recovery of fertility that lasted 411.3 days (1.13 years) per each year of PZP treatment. Thus, mares injected for four consecutive years (per BLM’s “prescription”) would be expected to take 1,645.2 days (4.51 years) to regain reproductive capacity. If disaster were to befall the Pryor Mountain horses, even if PZP were stopped immediately, it would take years for the herd to recover, if ever.

PZP has neither stopped nor slowed the roundups. Only lack of holding space has done that. Even the Pryor Mountain herd, injected for decades with PZP, is facing removals again this summer (per the usual three-year cycle) in addition to an intensified PZP “prescription” to be administered per an “equal opportunity program” eerily similar to Communist-China’s one-child policy. What’s ironic is that, for all the interference, BLM has achieved basically the same — or worse — record as has been attained the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros. ISPMB complies with the “hands-off” minimum-feasible management approach stipulated by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. ISPMB’s two wild herds grew 8.73 and 5.08 percent, respectively, without PZP and without removals. Pryor Mountain’s most recent report — reflecting management with PZP and with removals — grew by 8.26 percent.

BLM needs to get out of the way of Nature. Let the Pryor Mountain herd find its own appropriate population level.

(Note: Beware of petitions pushing PZP. Be sure to read everything you sign these days especially the fine print!)

Please donate to Protect Mustangs’ Legal Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/mustanglaw2016 to help the voiceless in court. Thank you!