Shocking avoidance of simple question re: Strangles, deaths at national adoption and “processing” center


——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Shocking avoidance of simple question by BLM employee
interfacing with the public re: Wild Horses & Burros
From: <anne@protectmustangs.org>
Date: Fri, April 12, 2013 4:09 pm
To: “Beck, James” <j1beck@blm.gov>

Dear Jeb,
Is your new policy to refuse answering a simple question and direct us to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office? Is this an appropriate use of tax dollars? Is this how you, the acting facility manager, show transparency to the public?
I’m shocked at your response and your facility’s lack of transparency. I would like you to please respond to my simple question:
“How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1, 2013?”
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Anne Novak
Enclosed below is the previous email stream regarding the health of the native wild horses held in captivity at Palomino Valley Center, the nations largest processing and adoption center near Reno, which lead up to Mr. Beck’s evasive response.
Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
San Francisco Bay Area
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562 
Protect Mustangs on Facebook
Protect Mustangs on Twitter
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs
Protect Mustangs is devoted to protecting native wild horses. Our mission is to educate the public about the native wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.  
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: PVC reply
From: <anne@protectmustangs.org>
Date: Fri, April 12, 2013 11:20 am
To: “Beck, James” <j1beck@blm.gov>

Dear Jeb,
How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1 2013?
Best,
Anne Novak
Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
San Francisco Bay Area
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562 
Protect Mustangs on Facebook
Protect Mustangs on Twitter
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs
Protect Mustangs is devoted to protecting native wild horses. Our mission is to educate the public about the native wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.  
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: PVC reply
From: “Beck, James” <j1beck@blm.gov>
Date: Fri, April 12, 2013 10:58 am
To: <anne@protectmustangs.org>

Anne, nothing has changed at Palomino Valley since our talk last Friday. We currently have some upper respiratory illness and cases of strangles at the facility. The PVC staff along with the contract veterinarian have been closely monitoring the situation and the horses have responded to treatment and are improving.
Shipment for adoption purposes or to other facilities is 3 to 4 weeks depending on pen location and negative culture results. At this time there are no plans to ship to long term pastures from PVC. Broken Arrow does not have any respiratory illness or strangles events at this time.
Thanks Jeb

James  (Jeb) Beck
Acting Facility Manager
Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center
775-475-2222
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Info request re: Outbreak at PVC
From: <anne@protectmustangs.org>
Date: Fri, April 05, 2013 3:05 pm
To: J1Beck@BLM.gov

Dear Jeb,
Kindly inform me on the outbreak at PVC. I have been hearing rumors and would like the official statement.
Sincerely,
Anne Novak
Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
San Francisco Bay Area
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Protect Mustangs on Facebook
Protect Mustangs on Twitter
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs
Protect Mustangs is devoted to protecting native wild horses. Our mission is to educate the public about the native wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: latest question
From: “Beck, James” <j1beck@blm.gov>
Date: Fri, April 12, 2013 2:20 pm
To: <anne@protectmustangs.org>

Anne,
Please forward your latest request for information to the Nevada state office, Freedom of Information Act coordinator. The main number is 775-861-6400.
Thanks Jeb

11:20 AM (2 hours ago)

to me
Dear Jeb,
How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1 2013?
Best,
Anne Novak
Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
San Francisco Bay Area
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454
Read about native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562 
Protect Mustangs on Facebook
Protect Mustangs on Twitter
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs
Protect Mustangs is devoted to protecting native wild horses. Our mission is to educate the public about the native wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom

James  (Jeb) Beck
Acting Facility Manager
Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center
775-475-2222

Stress + Snow = Strangles

Freedom Lost & Hell Begins (Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved)

Freedom Lost & Hell Begins (Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved)

Protect Mustangs™ is against winter helicopter roundups especially because the extreme stress of the whole ordeal weakens the mustangs’ immune system and makes them vulnerable to upper respitory infections such as strangles (equine distemper).

“You can’t chase wild horses with a chopper, trap them in the freezing cold while they are covered with sweat, terrify them for days and expect them to resist an outbreak in a crowded facility,” explains Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs™. “I’d like to see the mustangs’ welfare come first for once.”

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the strangles outbreak in Rock Springs: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Illness-postpones-Rock-Springs-wild-horse-adoption-4217503.php

Here is some information about strangles:

Wiki on strangles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangles

American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement on Strangles

 

Equine distemper due to stress and chill from winter roundups.

 

Stallion & Sweaty Mustangs Trapped at Calico Roundup (Photo © Cat Kindsfather)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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