BLM announces 12 million in budget for helicopter roundups. Share the petition to stop cruel roundups!

 

Protect Mustangs.org (Photo © Cat Kindsfather)

Protect Mustangs.org (Photo © Cat Kindsfather)

 

Watch what a roundup looks like:

Please sign and share the petition to defund the roundups: http://www.change.org/petitions/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups

It reads:

According to a press release from National Academy of Sciences released June 5, 2013, “The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) current practice of removing free-ranging horses from public lands promotes a high population growth rate, and maintaining them in long-term holding facilities is both economically unsustainable and incongruent with public expectations, says a new report by the National Research Council.” 

The NAS report states there is “no evidence” of overpopulation. Only tobacco science and spin backs up BLM’s population claim to justify roundups and fertility control/sterilizations.

We request an immediate moratorium on roundups for scientific population studies.

Wild horses are a returned-native species to America. Rounding up federally protected wild horses and burros has been documented as cruel. Warehousing them for decades is fiscally irresponsible. Clearing mustangs and burros off public land–for industrialization, fracking, grazing and the water grab–goes against the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act put in place to protect the living legends of the American West. They must never go to slaughter.

We request you defund and stop the roundups immediatly.

There is no accurate census and the BLM figures do not add up. We request population studies for each herd management area (HMA) and each herd area (HA) because we are gravely concerned there are less than 18,000 wild horses and burros in the 10 western states combined. More roundups or fertility control/sterilizations will wipe them out because the majority are no longer genticaly viable herds.

Wild horses are not overpopulating despite spin from the forces that want to perform heinous sterilizations in the field. Humane fertility control could be looked at as an option only after scientific population studies have been conducted for each HMA and each HA. Right now it’s premature.

Field observers have noticed a worrisome decline in wild horse and burro population since the BLM’s rampant roundups from 2009 to this day.

Kindly allow returned-native wild horses and the burros to reverse desertification, reduce the fuel for wildfires and create biodiversity on public land–while living with their families in freedom.

Press Release: Calling for a moratorium on roundups and Flag Day protests announced

© ProtectMustangs.org may be shared

For immediate release:

Protect Mustangs calls for a moratorium on roundups 

Protests planned nationwide on Flag Day including outside Feinstein’s San Francisco office June 14th

SAN FRANCISCO (June 8, 2013)–Protect Mustangs calls for a moratorium on wild horse and burro roundups as well as nationwide protests on Flag Day June 14th. The California-based native wild horse conservation group says there are no “excess” wild horses or burros and want all the native wild horses and historic burros to be returned to the wild. They just announced the Flag Day rally outside Senator Feinstein’s office building at One Post Street, San Francisco from 11:00 – 12:00. Feinstein is on the Appropriations Committee who doles out millions of dollars to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for cruel roundups and removals.

“Stopping the roundups is one thing all the advocates can agree on,” says Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “During a moratorium, scientists can undertake accurate independent population studies to learn how many are left on each area of the range. We need to revamp outdated appropriate management levels to give native wild horses and historic burros the correct share of the rangeland designated for therm by the law. Livestock could go elsewhere but stockpiling more than 50,000 wild horses and burros is nuts.”

In light of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on wild horses and burros lacking data for an overpopulation claim, Protect Mustangs calls upon Congress, President Obama, Secretary Jewell, The Appropriations Committee and especially Senator Feinstein for an immediate halt to roundups and to return the 50,000 wild horses in government holding to the more than 30 million acres of herd management areas in the West with a hold on fertility control. The native wild horse conservation group calls on the Department of Interior, Congress and President Obama to acknowledge wild horses are native, implement holistic land management and reserve design thus creating a win-win for wild horses to help the ecosystem and reverse desertification.

“With the gluttony of roundups and removals, wild horses reproduce at a higher rate than normal–to prevent extinction,” explains Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “We need more studies to establish what the normal reproduction rate is and discover truths under the BLM’s alleged overpopulation claim on the more than 30 million acres of public wildlands designated for their use. Today there is no scientific proof of overpopulation to merit fertility control or roundups.”

“They have no data-driven basis for gauging how many horses or burros a particular HMA can support, states Carl Mrozek, filmmaker of Saving Ass in America. “In practice BLM treats all habitats as being pretty much the same, and as resource poor, by requiring 1000+ acres/ horse or burro. This is a joke.”

In 1900 there were 2 million wild horses roaming in freedom in America. Today native wild horses are underpopulated on the range. Advocates estimate there are less than 18,000 left in the ten western states combined.

Protect Mustangs is a California based conservation group devoted to protecting native wild horses. Their mission is to educate the public about the indigenous wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.

“The roundups must stop now and the BLM’s fiscal irresponsibility must stop as well,” states Novak. “The public is outraged. We want native wild horses and historic burros to live in the wild–unharassed by the agency charged with their care.”

# # #

Media Contacts:

Anne Novak 415.531.8454 Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

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

Links of interest: 

Washington Post: Independent panel: Wild horse roundups don’t work; use fertility drugs, let nature cull herdshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/independent-panel-to-recommend-changes-in-blm-wild-horse-program/2013/06/05/b65ba772-cdb3-11e2-8573-3baeea6a2647_story.html

Information on native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

NAS Press release June 5, 2013: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=13511

NAS Report: Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program: A Way Forward http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13511

No proof of overpopulation, no need for fertility control http://protectmustangs.org/

Appropriations Committee members: http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/about-members.cfm

Wild burros of Airizona Black Mountains on CBS: http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/tag/carl-mrozek/

Princeton University: Wildlife and cows can be partners, not enemies, in the search for foodhttp://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S32/93/41K10/index.xml?section=featured

Gone viral~ The Associated Press, March 24, 2013: Budget axe nicks BLM wild-horse adoption center http://www.denverpost.com/colorado/ci_22862206

US property exposed to wildfire valued at $136 billion says report: http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2012/09/17/u-s-property-exposed-to-wildfire-valued-at-136-billion-says-report/

Horseback Magazine: Group takes umbridge at use of the word “feral” http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/19392

Protect Mustangs in the news: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=218

Protect Mustangs’ press releases: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=125

Gov’t hotshotting wild horses exposed!

Stop the cruel roundups where they hotshot wild horses and burros just because they can. Sign and share the petition!

http://www.change.org/petitions/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups

Meet with your elected officials and ask that they stand up and say NO MORE ABUSE!

Request Mike Pool, BLM Acting Director, shut the Owyhee roundup down. Email: mpool@blm.gov Phone: 202-208-3801

Thank you Stephanie Martin for witnessing the roundup. We are very grateful you were there to document this horror.

Stephanie Martin is making a short film called Wild Horses and was at the Owyhee roundup.

Petition to De-Fund the roundups

Anne Novak with friendly wild horses. (Photo © Irma Novak)

Please sign and share the Change.org petition to De-Fund the roundups.

Wild horses are a native species to America. Rounding up federally protected wild horses and burros has been documented as cruel. Warehousing them for decades is fiscally irresponsible. Clearing mustangs and burros off public land–for industrialization, fracking, grazing and the water grab–goes against the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act put in place to protect the living legends of the American West.

We request you de-fund the roundups immediatley.

There is no accurate census and the Bureau of Land Management figures do not add up. We request an independent census because we are concerned there are less than 18,000 wild horses and burros in the 10 western states combined. More roundups will wipe them out.

Kindly allow native wild horses and the burros to reverse desertification, reduce the fuel for wildfires and create biodiversity on public land–while living with their families in freedom.

 

Petition Letter

De-fund the Roundups

Wild horses are a native species to America. Rounding up federally protected wild horses has been documented as cruel and fiscally irresponsible. Clearing mustangs off public land–for industrialization and fracking–goes against the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act put in place to protect the living legends of the American West.

[Your name]

Protect Mustangs calls for nationwide peaceful protests to stop the roundups


Protect Mustangs Calls for Peaceful Protests to STOP the Roundups and STOP the BLM from selling wild indigenous horses to kill-buyers

It’s time to organize peaceful protests (large & small) and candlelight vigils so NO MORE wild horses will die from roundups, be tortured by the helicopters or sold to kill-buyers for delicacy meat abroad. Spread awareness in your communities and let your friends, family and neighbors know they can contact Congress if they don’t like their tax dollars used to fund cruel roundups.

Ask Congress to find a way to work WITH the wild indigenous horses to create biodiversity on the land–a win-win for wild horses, livestock, landowners, tourism and energy development on the New Energy Frontier.

“Show me a real independent headcount before we talk about fertility control,” says Anne Novak, executive director for Protect Mustangs. “There aren’t enough wild horses left on the range any more. The BLM will continue to roundup wild horses to treat mustangs with fertility control. Roundups have been deadly so far. Roundups are NOT the answer. Biodiversity is the answer.”

Join us to call for a moratorium on roundups.

“More than 52,000 indigenous wild horses have been captured and are in government holding,” explains Novak. “Selling ‘excess’ wild horses to kill-buyers is a heinous act and must stop now as well as the gluttony of roundups.”

If you don’t like the cruelty and deaths at roundups contact your senators and congresspeople and request they stop it now. Congress approves funding for roundups. YOUR tax dollars are paying to wipe out America’s wild indigenous horses.

 

Links of interest:

AP reports & Protect Mustangs speaks out against the gluttony of roundups: 3,500 Wild horses going to loose their freedom starting October 1st Federal roundup of wild horses burros starts today http://www.lvrj.com/news/federal-roundup-for-wild-horses-burros-starts-today-172056591.html

ProPublica reports: All the missing horses: What happened to the wild horses Tom Davis bought from the government  http://www.propublica.org/article/missing-what-happened-to-wild-horses-tom-davis-bought-from-the-govt

Brutal report for day 1 of Nevada’s Antelope roundup. Two horses die. AWHPC video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3ppBnbr7g&feature=youtu.be

Day 3 of Antelope roundup. Foals are terrorized by the helicopter and chased too long on their tender hooves. AWHPC video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N9LDAwZqyU&feature=youtu.be

Why are empty stock trailers pulling into BLM holding facilities when they are closed on Sunday at sunset?

Report from Robin: Rally to Stop the Monster Helicopters

Robin Warren, Youth Campaign Director for Protect Mustangs with her mother Denise Delucia at the Sacramento Rally to Stop the Roundups. (Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved.)

Robin Warren, Youth Campaign Director for Protect Mustangs, speaks at Sacramento Stop the Roundups Rally. (Photo © Irma Novak)

Robin Warren, Youth Campaign Director for Protect Mustangs, speaking at Courthouse Rally July 10, 2012 (Photo © Lea Harney Dudum, all rights reserved.)

Stop the Roundups Rally, July 10, 2012, at 2 p.m. Federal Courthouse, 501 I Street, Sacramento, Ca.

We got there a half hour early to meet with two other horse advocates: Debby Coffey and Garnet Pasquel. They were very nice. Garnet gave me a button and they both signed my petition. We had brought signs from Las Vegas for American Wild Horse Advocates since Garnet flew and we were driving. Everyone liked the signs we brought.

After we had refreshments we went across the street to set up. A lot of people came to help and a lot of people brought signs. People really liked mine that said “Helicopters are Monsters”. The spectators also liked the one that said “Honk for Horses” because they kept honking. News reporters came and took pictures and video. – people from the TV and the newspaper.  One reporter asked me some questions.  They said they were only going to take a few pictures but once they saw all the people who came they stayed a while longer and took many more pictures.

It was about 45 minutes before the master of ceremonies, Jetara True-Love, started introducing the speakers. Many great speakers spoke before me. My favorite was Craig Downer who spoke first because he had a lot of information. But it is not right for me to choose a favorite because I enjoyed every speaker.

I am so grateful that wild horse hero, Anne Novak, chose me to be the Director of the Youth Campaign for Protect Mustangs. There could be no greater honor. I am so happy that this happened because I thought I would always be in the background but now I am in the front with all the rest of the horse heroes. Another member on the Board of Directors of Protect Mustangs is photographer Cat Kindfather and she is also a hero of mine. Both Anne and Cat are so encouraging to me. I’m really looking forward to letting other kids know about the wild horses & burros so they can help too.

I felt like I was in Hollywood because I got to meet so many horse celebrities – my heroes. I got to close the rally with my speech. The microphone stopped working but everyone got close to hear me. When I was done, everyone was cheering for me.

The rally ended but not many people left right away. We all wanted to stay and talk. Many of us stayed together after the rally until the hearing, exchanging information, and encouraging each other.  Even though it was hot and a little longer than I expected I had the time of my life.  And, as everyone noted, the a few hours in the heat is nothing compared to what our wild horses are put through. I will never forget this day. I hope we made a difference for the horses. I hope everyone keeps rallying everywhere until the horses are once again free!

Sincerely,

Robin Warren

Youth Campaign Director for Protect Mustangs

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