Is your representative in Congress pushing for America’s wild horses to lose their federal protections?

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Protect Mustangs

Stop elected officials who want to ruin the 1971 Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act!

READ the shocking letter written last year by elected officials who seem to be supported by special interests groups: http://www.wylr.net/guest-opinions/347-letters-to-the-editor/5887-letter-to-the-editor-from-u-s-senators-and-representatives

Notice the following points in their letter:

These elected officials call the wild mustangs just “horses” most of the time not “wild horses”. Obviously, this is a constructed subliminal move to wipe out the WILD ones that are to be protected since 1971. [Note: Be sure to always refer to mustangs as wild horses]

Members of Congress, elected by the public but who seem to serve special interests, seem to make false claims of: “overstocking” in HMAs, failure to “dispose” of horses and burros, significant ecological “damage” to riparian areas, “overgrazing” and “compromised water” resources, etc.

We know the public has been telling these elected officials the truth for years so why aren’t they listening? Are they getting paid off?

They also claim “adoptions have “fallen almost 70 percent” in the last 10 years. Is this true?

Is this why the BLM makes it so hard to adopt wild horses due to the worst customer service in America? Do they want the adoption program to fail so they can kill them all?

The BLM always wanted to “dispose” of our cherished wild horses & burros. Sterilization is the next best thing in their eyes. They NEVER wanted to use PZP. They label return-native wild horses as “INVASIVE SPECIES” aka PESTS as you see in their letter. Just like the PZP Pesticide applicant classified them in their 2012 PZP application.

The signers of the letter seem to falsely claim: “Improper management compromises equine health, habitat conservation efforts and allows for resource degradation and encroachment by invasive species that will affect wildlife, livestock producers and recreationalists for decades to come.”

What about the cattle and sheep at more than 100 head of livestock to 1 wild horse that is grazing on public land? Do they think the American public is so stupid to buy into the myth that range degradation is the fault of wild horses?

Contact your elected officials across America to let them know you want your voice in Congress to stand up for what’s right, stand up for the 1971 law, keep America’s wild horses federally protected and never give them to the states!

The letter to Neil Kornze, the Director of BLM, was signed by the following elected officials from the Republican Party:

Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)

Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)

Steve Daines (R-Mont.)

Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)

Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)

Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

Dean Heller (R-Nev.)

Mike Lee (R-Utah)

John McCain (R- Ariz.)

James Risch (R-Idaho)

Reps. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)

Mark Amodei (R-Nev.)

Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)

Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.)

Raul Labrador (R-Idaho)

Steve Pearce (R-N.M.)

Adrian Smith (R-Neb.)

Chris Stewart (R-Utah)

Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.)

Now in April 2016 Rep Chris Stewart’s plan has gained momentum as you see in the video below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uPFMAE49NM

Links of interest:

Letter to BLM’s Neil Kornze asking for the states to grab control of America’s federally protected wild horses & burros: http://www.wylr.net/guest-opinions/347-letters-to-the-editor/5887-letter-to-the-editor-from-u-s-senators-and-representatives#sthash.allOgrdU.dpuf

PZP Application calls wild horses and burros “PESTS” to get the pesticide approved: https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/pending/fs_PC-176603_01-Jan-12.pdf

READ the Associated Press article from 2014: Rep. Chris Stewart’s bill seeks to allow states to manage wild horses http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765656593/Bill-seeks-to-allow-states-to-manage-wild-horses.html

Contact Congress: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

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

Rep. Stewart (UT) uses the rare skinny mare and foal photo from Cold Creek, NV. to push for state control of wild horses. Do they want to slaughter the American mustangs?

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Protect Mustangs

May 25, 2016

April 27, 2016

Well this is politics isn’t it?

Wildlife advocates see an attempt to bypass a congressional ban on selling animals for slaughter (Salt Lake Tribune): http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/politics/58190806-90/horses-bill-wild-stewart.html.csp

#Truth

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

Lies, subterfuge and PZP

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Protect Mustangs

Forcibly drugging wild mares with PZP at the Carson Prison

By,

Carl Mrozek

Unfortunately, the secret mandate to turn our public lands into vast oil, gas and coal fields–interspersed with millions of cattle under Bush–Cheney has continued unabated under Obama with geothermal fields, plus solar and wind farms being added to the mix of revenue generating initiatives, many on lands reserved by law for primary use by wild horses and burros.

Even as their herds diminish under constant assault by all of these special interests on public lands, wild horses continue to be scapegoats for degradation of public lands due to overpopulation, by the BLM which over-counts then by at least 200% while greatly exaggerating their rate of population increase–based on optimal conditions and zero mortality.

BLM’s solution to this fabricated overpopulation explosion of wild horses and burros has been massive roundups which are now being replaced by large-scale birth control with PZP (porcine zone pellucida) which results in sterilization after multiple applications. While their tactics have grown more sophisticated, BLM’s overall management program is much the same: Management for Extinction–only slower and less visible than before. Many herds have achieved balanced population levels with little or no management but today all the $$ is on fertility control, short-term and sterilization, long-term–not on natural population control, because this won’t eradicate the herds as ordained by the power brokers in DV. Alas if we don’t wake up, expose and oppose the lies and subterfuge re: the widespread use of PZP soon, our iconic native wild horses may join blue and bowhead whales in the waiting line for extinction–sooner than later.

Carl Mrozek’s nature clips are seen often on CBS Sunday Morning News. He is currently making a documentary on Wild Burros.

Palomino Mustangs on CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/nature-wild-palomino-horses/

Pine Nut Wild Horses on CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/nature-wild-horses/ (BLM tried to roundup and decimate this herd but Protect Mustangs stopped the roundup in court)

Red Rock Wild Horses on CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/wild-horses-of-nevada-50087668/ (BLM removed them)

Cold Creek Wild Horses on CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/wild-horses-of-nevada/ (BLM rounded them up and took them away)

BLM Fakes Population Growth to Wipe Out America’s Wild Horses

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Protect Mustangs

The feds’ mustang population “data” is a fraud

By Marybeth Devlin

While pretending to rely on the assumption that herds grow 20% a year, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) posts numbers up to 8 times higher than that to justify roundups, which are pre-scheduled on a rotation-basis, seeming to target particular herds. For instance, the Agency recently claimed that the famous Kiger herd in Oregon grew from 21 horses to 156 horses in just four years — an increase of 643%, which equates to a yearly average increase of 160%, which is 8 times higher than the 20% BLM supposedly uses. [1] Such growth is biologically impossible. Kiger is not an isolated example, although it is the worst found so far. Here are some other phony figures on population-growth recently claimed by BLM to make it appear that gathers were necessary:

Blawn Wash (UT)
297.4 % increase in 3 years, averaging 99.1 % per year

Fish Creek (NV)
80% increase in one year

Green Mountain (WY)
281% increase in four years, averaging 70.3% per year

Stewart Creek (WY)
311% increase in four years, averaging 77.8% per year
But herd-growth is unlikely to reach even 20 percent a year. It is important to understand that the birth-rate is not the same as–and should not be equated to–the population growth-rate. Here’s why: Horses die. An independent study reviewed BLM roundup-records for a representative sample of four herd management areas composed of 5,859 wild horses (Gregg, LeBlanc, and Johnston, 2014). While the researchers found an overall birth-rate of just under 20 percent, they also found that half of foals perish in their first year of life. Thus, the effective foal-to-yearling survival-rate is just 10 percent. Further, adult wild horses also perish. They succumb to illness, injury, and predation. Their death-rate must be taken into consideration as well. But BLM ignores mortality–foal and adult–in its population-estimates. Given the 50% foal mortality-rate, and the 5% or higher average annual death-rate of adult wild horses, herd-growth could not increase 20% a year, and a herd-population could not double in 4 years–refuting yet another BLM myth.

Stealthily inserting bogus birth-rates into the data, wrongly conflating birth-rates with population growth-rates, and failing to factor in mortality-rates–that is how BLM creates the false impression of a population-explosion. But “cooking the books” is not the only way BLM falsifies the population-picture. Another ruse BLM employs is restricting maximum herd-size below minimum-viable population (MVP) size. Then, whenever a herd is made to appear–via fictitious figures–to exceed the arbitrary management level, BLM screams “excess!” and declares an immediate need for mass-removals and sterilizations. It should be noted that more than 70 percent of the herds are “managed” below MVP.

BLM also fails to consider another factor limiting herd-growth–stochastic events–which are random catastrophes such as wildfires or contagious diseases that suddenly wipe out mass-numbers of herd-members. Stochastic events can result in no-growth or even negative growth.

Now BLM is distributing grant-money to universities and researchers to study more ways of dealing with the phantom overpopulation. All manner of sicko experiments are being carried out on the wild horses, such as treating them with endocrine disruptors and sterilizing them surgically. Why? Because BLM is a corrupt agency. It invented this counterfeit crisis to create a sense of urgency, which will pressure Congress to give the Agency extra money to “solve” a non-existent problem.

TAKE ACTION: Sign and share by email the Petition to Stop the Wild Horse and Burro Roundups and Slaughter here: https://www.change.org/p/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-amp-burro-roundups

Contact your elected officials to make them aware of BLM’s fraudulent population claims to get funding for wild horse roundups and warehousing at great taxpayer expense: http://www.contactingthecongress.org

Click “Like” https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs for updates and alerts

Visit www.ProtectMustangs.org for more information and click on the donate button help fight the injustice! You can make a difference.

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

(Photo by BLM. Roundup paid for with your tax dollars.)
Addendum:

[1] Using simple division to calculate the average increase is how most people would “do the math”–dividing the percentage increase (643%) by the number of years (4). Expressing the average that way is readily understandable. However, another way of calculating it is what is called the “compound annual growth rate” (CAGR). Per that method, herd-growth can be likened to compound interest that you earn on a savings account; except of course that horses do die, which complicates the computations. But for now, let’s assume that horses never die, because that’s the assumption that BLM makes.

Using the free, online CAGR tool linked below, you would enter Kiger’s beginning population–21–and its alleged ending population–156–and the number of years that had passed–4. Then press the “Calculate CAGR” button, and the tool will compute the compound annual growth rate. For the Kiger herd, the CAGR is 65%, which is “only” 3.25 times higher–instead of 8 times higher–than 20%.

Here is the tool to compute CAGR:

http://www.miniwebtool.com/cagr-calculator/?present_value=100&future_value=200&num=4

Here are the other herds cited and their CAGRs. Fish Creek stays the same because its growth is just for one year.

Blawn Wash (UT)
38 = Population-estimate 2012
151 = Population-estimate 2014, including new foals

297.4 % = Percentage increase in three years
99.1 % = Simple average annual growth-rate
58.4 % = Compound annual growth-rate (CAGR)

Fish Creek (NV)
256 = Population-estimate 2013
461 = Population-estimate 2014, before foaling season (January)
80.1% = Percentage increase in one year

Green Mountain (WY)
258 = Population-estimate post-gather at the end of 2011
982 = Population-estimate in 2015 — including that year’s foals*

281.0 % = Percentage increase in four years
70.3 % = Simple average annual growth-rate
39.7 % = Compound annual growth-rate (CAGR)

Stewart Creek
124 = Population-estimate post-gather at the end of 2011
509 = Population-estimate in 2015 — including that year’s foals*

311.0 % = Percentage increase in four years
77.8 % = Simple average annual growth-rate
42.3 % = Compound annual growth-rate (CAGR)
* BLM’s population-modeling criteria said foals were not included in the AML. Evidently, they were.

Further Insight into Calculating Population-Growth

At the link below, you will find a discussion posted by the University of Oregon, providing a comparison between the simple average and the compound annual growth-rate methodologies for calculating annual percentage population-growth.

As will be readily apparent, the simple average approach is “straight-line” and … simple. Forgive yet another pun, but the average person can easily understand it and “do the math.”

The compound annual method, on the other hand, is extraordinarily complicated to compute, which is why the online tool is almost a necessity.

What is important is that both are legitimate ways of describing the data.

http://pages.uoregon.edu/rgp/PPPM613/class8a.htm

It should be kept in mind that population-growth estimates must consider births and deaths, not just births. That’s one reason why the Gregg et al. study was so important — it established, per BLM’s own documentation, a slightly-less than 20-percent birth-rate and a 50-percent foal mortality-rate. So, a wild-horse herd growth-rate of, for example, 65%, would have to mean a birth-rate that was much higher than 65% to offset foal deaths (50%) and adult deaths (5%).

PZP Study Raises Concerns for Use on Wild Horses

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

The War on Wild Horses

By Laurie Dixon of Horsetalk

Behavior Changes not Considered in Past Studies

Research indicates the long-term horse contraceptive, porcine zona pellucida (PZP), extends the breeding season in wild horses, raising concerns over the social consequences of the drug on herds.

PZP, which is derived from pig eggs, is increasingly being used in wild horse herds in the United States in a bid to slow down the growth in numbers.

Research published in the open-access journal, PLos ONE, reported on a study of wild horses living on Shackleford Banks, in North Carolina, covering four years before contraceptive management to eight years after contraceptive management with PZP.

The Princeton University researchers studied the foaling data, and found that since the contraception programme began in January 2000, foaling has occurred over a significantly broader range than it had before the programme.

“For a gregarious species such as the horse, the extension of reproductive cycling into the fall [autumn] months has important social consequences, including decreased group stability and the extension of male reproductive behaviour,” the researchers wrote.

“In addition, reproductive cycling into the fall months could have long-term effects on foal survivorship.

“Managers should consider these factors before enacting immunocontraceptive programmes in new populations. We suggest minor alterations to management strategies to help alleviate such unintended effects in new populations.”

The authors noted that while physiological effects of PZP had been well studied in horses, little was known about PZP’s effects on the scheduling of reproductive cycling.

They said recent behavioural research had suggested that horses receiving PZP extended the receptive breeding period into what is normally the non-breeding season. Their research into the Shackleford horses suggested this was the case.

Their study data centred around 65 births from 45 mares in the four years before PZP’s use by the National Park Service on the Shackleford horses, and 65 births from 45 mares following its use.

The researchers, Cassandra Nuñez, James Adelman and Daniel Rubenstein, from the university’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, noted that immunocontraceptive management has become increasingly popular as culling programmes were seldom well-received by the general public.

In wild horse societies, the harem is the core social group, consisting of usually one, but sometimes two or three harem males, one or several females, and their offspring.

Harem males will sometimes fight to acquire mares from other groups, but stallions almost always retain their mares.

In temperate environments, food availability is lower during the fall and winter months and free-ranging horses will alter their activity to maximise food intake and reduce energy costs. Mares are typically not ovulating at this time and sexual behaviour in males is largely absent.

“On Shackleford Banks, increased reproductive behaviour in the post-breeding season by mares has resulted in increased male attentiveness,” the authors noted.

“Such behaviour (by males) has been shown to restrict the movement of females, thus reducing their grazing efficiency.

“The occurrence of this behaviour during a time of year when animals typically increase group spread to acquire adequate forage, represents a change in behaviour fundamental to the animals’ survival,” the researchers said.

“Offspring conceived during the post-breeding season are likely subject to decreased resource availability as lower quality forage can affect mares’ ability to produce sufficient milk.”

The researchers said breeding in the Shackleford herd normally occurred from March through August, with most births occurring in April and May.

“After contraception management, foaling occurred over a broader range of months than before contraception management,” they noted.

On average, current PZP recipients gave birth 3.36 months later than did pre-contraception mares.

Mares that had received PZP earlier in their lifetime, but not during the year of conception (prior recipients), gave birth 0.90 months later than pre-contraception mares on average.

Non-recipient mares that never received PZP themselves, but gave birth after the general population was managed with PZP, gave birth 1.01 months later than pre-contraception mares on average.

This translated into current PZP recipients giving birth 2.34 months later than non-recipient animals and 2.46 months later than prior recipients.

“This study provides the first evidence that mares treated with PZP can extend ovulatory cycling beyond the normal breeding season.

“This suggests that populations of wild ungulates can vary in their response to similar contraceptive treatment. Careful consideration of baseline population dynamics should be made prior to treatment in order to fully assess possible PZP effects.”

They continued: “Because feral horses are highly social, such changes can have cascading effects on other group members and throughout the population.

“Our research has shown that after contraception management, PZP recipients both attract and initiate more instances of reproductive behaviour and are more often the harem male’s nearest neighbour during the fall/winter, indicating that group spreads are reduced.

“Such changes represent an increase in energy expenditure and a potential decrease in nutrient intake during a time of year when sufficient energy reserves are at a premium.

“Moreover, early foal development in unmanaged populations typically occurs during the spring and summer when resources are plentiful. Offspring born in the fall/winter months face nutritional and thermoregulatory challenges not experienced by their counterparts born during the normal foaling season, potentially making developmental benchmarks difficult to achieve.”

They noted that such predictions are not consistent with data from Assateague Island, where a study of mares showed increased survival, only minimal physiological side effects, and no behavioural or demographic changes.

“In addition, foal survival does not differ between foals born in or out of the normal foaling season. However, on Shackleford Banks, recipient mares change groups more often, elicit and receive more instances of reproductive behaviour, and receive more harassment from harem males.

Click (HERE) to read the full story.

Cross-posted for educational purposes

Red Alert: America’s wild horses are disappearing! Staff lawyer needed ASAP

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

It’s URGENT to hire a staff lawyer quickly so we can get the most out of the legal genius and save America’s wild horses in court before they are killed! Click here to make a tax-deductible donation today: https://www.gofundme.com/mustanglaw

The lawyer will be the only paid professional at Protect Mustangs. The rest of us are volunteers because we care so deeply about America’s wild horses and their right to freedom.

Most organizations are paying their Presidents and Executive Directors big salaries. They pay other staff good salaries and benefits too. At Protect Mustangs it’s different. We are here for the wild horses not for the paycheck.

As you know I’m deeply committed to protecting America’s mustangs so I donate all my professional time as do our other wonderful volunteers. Sadly pro-bono lawyers won’t donate enough time to take a big case through the end. And we want to pound BLM with more than one lawsuit that will really protect wild horses.

Time is running out . . .

Mustangs are being persecuted and forced off their legal land because greedy people want the resources and don’t care about wild horses. Roundups are cruel and deadly. Afterwards wild horses are traumatized even more by being ripped apart from their families that they love. Once mustangs are offered for adoption 3 times by the feds and not picked–they can be sold to slaughter because the Burns Amendment made it legal. This is heinous!

Today is a special day of giving. Please help America’ s wild horses survive and live in freedom with a tax-deductible donation to our legal fund to hire a staff lawyer. Click here to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/mustanglaw

Protect Mustangs is a boots on the ground organization saving mustangs with a great track record of 3 out of 4 successful legal actions that have saved thousands of wild horses. (Pine Nut, Wyoming and Fort McDermitt). Now our hands are tied without our own lawyer on staff because there is so much to do!

You can change that.

If you want to make a difference and you want to save America’s wild horses then make a donation to our legal fund right now by clicking here: https://www.gofundme.com/mustanglaw

Together we can turn this around!

For the mustangs,
Anne

Anne Novak
Volunteer Executive Director
www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs

P.O. Box 5661

Berkeley, Ca. 94705

Protect Mustangs is dedicated to the protection and preservation of native and wild horses

H.H. The Dalai Lama wisdom

Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council to Meet in Battle Mountain Aug. 14

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

ELKO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet at 9:00 a.m., Friday, Aug. 14 in Battle Mountain, Nev. at the BLM Battle Mountain District, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain. Members of the public and media are cordially invited to attend.

The RAC advises and makes recommendations to the BLM on public land management. Discussion items will include, but are not limited to, drought, rangeland health; livestock grazing and term permit renewals.

This meeting will include a field tour and members of the media and public wishing to accompany the RAC on the field tour will need to travel in high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles and provide their own food and water.

The public may present general written and/or oral comments to the RAC beginning at 9:15 a.m. The public comment period will last approximately 30 minutes dependent upon the number of comments. Written comments can also be submitted to Greg Deimel, Public Affairs Officer (gdeimel@blm.gov), Elko District Office, 3900 E. Idaho St., Elko, NV 89801, telephone (775) 753-0386. An agenda is posted at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/res/resource_advisory/northeastern_great.html.

Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, or those wishing a printed copy of the agenda, should contact Greg Deimel no later than Aug. 13, 2015.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management formed 24 RACs in the western States to provide advice on the management of public lands and resources. These citizen-based groups provide an opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds and interests to have a voice in the management of the public lands, and to help improve their health and productivity. RAC recommendations address all public land issues, including: land use planning, recreation, noxious weeds, and wild horse and burro herd management areas.

From a BLM press release

Secretary Jewell speaks about connecting young adults to public land at University of California at Berkeley March 26th

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

Is anyone going early with signs to protest the abuses to our public lands?

Secretary Sally Jewell Photo by BLM

BERKELEY, CA – On Thursday, March 26, 2015, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will discuss the future of the National Park Service and the importance of connecting young adults to America’s public lands as part of the University of California at Berkeley’s annual Horace M. Albright Lecture in Conservation. Albright was a key supporter of the creation of the National Park System and the second director of the National Park Service.

President of the University of California Janet Napolitano and historian Douglas Brinkley will join Jewell in a panel discussion on “America’s Two Best Ideas: Public Education & Public Lands.”

This event is part of UC Berkeley’s initiative—America’s Best Idea: The Next 100 Years—a partnership with the National Park Service and National Geographic Society to support national parks and protected lands for future generations.

The discussion will be webcast live and archived for future viewing.

Who: Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior
Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California
Douglas Brinkley, Historian

What: Panel Discussion on “America’s Two Best Ideas: Public Education & Public Lands”

When: Thursday, March 26, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. PDT

Where: Wheeler Hall, UC Berkeley Campus 2222 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94720

Media: Credentialed members of the media must RSVP by 12:00 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, March 25 to Ann Guy at (510) 301-2646

BREAKING NEWS: Judge temporarily blocks the roundup and forced drugging of beloved herd from THE MISFITS starring Marilyn Monroe

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

For immediate release:

Anne Novak, Executive Director, Protect Mustangs; 415.531.8454; anne@protectmustangs.org
Jenni Barnes, staff attorney, FoA’s Wildlife Law Program 720.949.7791; jenniferbarnes@friendsofanimals.org
Mike Harris, Director, Wildlife Law Program; 720.949.7791; michaelharris@friendsofanimals.org

BREAKING NEWS: Judge temporarily blocks the roundup and forced drugging of beloved Nevada herd known from THE MISFITS

Government cannot rely on a five-year-old environmental analysis that ignores allegations of pesticide dangers

RENO, NV (February 11, 2015)—U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks has granted Protect Mustangs and Friends of Animals a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) roundup and permanent removal of 200 wild horses in the Pine Nut Herd Management Area (HMA) and the roundup of another 132 wild horses so that an estimated 66 mares can be given the drug PZP, an EPA approved pesticide, as a form of birth control. These wild horses belong to the most famous horse herd in NV–the one featured in The Misfits starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe–which helped pave the way for the Wild Horse & Burro Act of 1971. This herd now faces possible obliteration, despite the Act and advocates are fighting to stop a travesty with attorneys Michael Harris and Jennifer Barnes from Friends of Animals Wildlife Law program and attorney Jennifer Spencer from Cavanaugh-Bill Law Offices in Elko, Nevada

“Today is a milestone for America’s wild horses who have been scapegoated for range damage and forcibly drugged with PZP in experiments for decades,” states Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs based in San Francisco. “They should never live in zoo-like settings on public land. That’s not freedom. Wild horses are a native species who contribute to the ecosystem. They belong here.”

Hicks said that with the proposed Pine Nut roundup, which was slated to begin Feb. 20, 2015, the BLM has failed to satisfy the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and other federal laws that are applicable.

“Accordingly, the court finds that the public interest will be best served by enjoining the BLM’s proposed gather, at least until the court has an opportunity to fully consider the merits of plaintiffs’ claims,” Hicks said.

“We are delighted that the Court agreed with Friends of Animals and Protect Mustangs that BLM is obligated to fully evaluate under NEPA each and every proposed round-up,” said Michael Harris, director of Friends of Animals’ (FoA’s) Wildlife Law Program. “In relying upon a stale Environmental Assessment from 2010, BLM has not met its duty to fully inform the public about the impacts associated with its plan to permanently remove more than 200 wild horses from the Pine Nut Range, and to dose dozens of mares with the fertility drug PZP. It is time for BLM to evaluate the harsh reality that PZP has long-term detrimental effects on wild horses.”

“I would say this is a major victory for wild horses and reflects rising concerns about rounding up and drugging wild horses with PZP,” added Jennifer Barnes, staff attorney with FoA’s Wildlife Law Program.

“I’m grateful that the wild herd I’ve been studying for 50 years has received justice in federal court today.” Craig Downer, director of ecology and conservation at Protect Mustangs. “This is an opportunity to prove our case to restore the herds.”

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

# # #

Links of interest™:

February 11th Court order granting preliminary injunction: PM Pine Nut Order Granting Preliminary Inj.

US judge temporarily blocks wild horse roundup in Nevada (Associated Press) http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/02/11/3640649_us-judge-temporarily-blocks-wild.html?rh=1

US judge “troubled” by mustang roundup planned in Nevada (Associated Press) went viral: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/02/09/3636398_us-judge-troubled-by-latest-mustang.html?rh=1

Lawsuit targets Nevada wild horse roundup (USA TODAY) http://usat.ly/1yNrjLy

Latest suit to block Nevada mustang roundups targets drugs (Associated Press) went viral: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/02/01/3622737_latest-suit-to-block-nevada-mustang.html?rh=1

Jan. 26th Press release: Protect Mustangs & Friends of Animals file lawsuit to stop Pine Nut Mountains roundup: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=7806

Wild-horse activists kicked out of federal meeting in Nevada, (Associated Press) went viral: http://bit.ly/1zHGrjY

Activists split on US agency”s plans to treat 250 mares with fertility-control drug in Nevada: (Associated Press) went viral: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/28/activists-rip-blms-plans-to-remove-750-more-mustan/

Forum on PZP: http://on.fb.me/1DfKqSJ

EPA Pesticide fact Sheet for PZP: http://1.usa.gov/1zKMiWy

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

ProtectMustangs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProtectMustangs

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

A brief history of wild horses in the news: http://bit.ly/1LsjGEz

Join the open forum: Using PZP on federally protected wild horses and burros, is it safe?

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

The open forum on PZP for federally protected equids is held on Facebook here and everyone is welcome: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForumPZPWildHorsesBurros/

Statement:

“If the good people of Nevada choose to use PZP to manage their wild horses on state land it’s up to them because that is a state issue. Americans across the country are concerned PZP isn’t safe and don’t want their wild horses and burros on federal land to be given the restricted-use pesticide hailed as “birth control” but known to sterilize after multiple use. If PZP advocates can prove PZP is 100% safe for native wild horse and burro herds, won’t sterilize them, ruin genetic variability or cause behavioral abnormalities then it could be considered as a management tool. Until then other holistic management tools must be examined. It’s time for a freeze on roundups, drugging and removals for scientific reevaluation. We need to get it right for our icons of American freedom.” ~ Anne Novak, Executive Director of Protect Mustangs

Protect Mustangs™

Forever wild and free™

Tag Archives: public land