Complete BLM Press Release Below – Editorial Comment to Follow
Terrorized and Frozen, the Horses of the Calico BLM Roundup - Photo by Kurt Golgart/Bureau of Land Management
Reno, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Winnemucca District has concluded the Calico Mountains Complex gather north of Gerlach, Nev., with 1,922 excess wild horses removed. The gathered horses were transported to the Indian Lakes Road holding facility in Fallon, Nev. where they are being prepared for the BLM’s adoption program or for long-term holding pastures.
Based on aerial reconnaissance by the BLM, an estimated 600 wild horses remain in the Complex, which is within the appropriate management level range of 600 to 900 established for that area. In late spring, the BLM will conduct a comprehensive post-gather inventory of all the herd management areas (HMAs) in the Calico Mountains Complex and the surrounding area.
“The gather went well, despite the weather-related delays we experienced throughout the operation,” said Gene Seidlitz, BLM Winnemucca District Manager. “By reducing the populations now, we can avoid the potential for an emergency gather situation later this summer.”
The BLM will continue to offer the public observation days by appointment only to view the horses that have been transported to the Indian Lakes Road Facility near Fallon. To participate in a guided tour of the Indian Lakes Road Facility, please contact the BLM at 775-861-6586.
Thirty-nine horses have died since the gather began: seven at the gather site and 32 at the facility in Fallon. Most of the deaths were horses that were in extremely poor body condition because of the lack of forage on overpopulated rangelands. These animals either died or were euthanized by the veterinarian on-site at the Fallon facility.
The Calico Mountains Complex encompasses 550,000 acres of public and private land and includes five herd management areas: Black Rock Range East, Black Rock Range West, Calico Mountains, Granite Range, and Warm Springs Canyon.
The BLM manages more land – 253 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Yes the familiar story of millions of acres managed by BLM. One million acres in Colorado, soon to be the target of assault against the burros… to leave 100 sad souls behind – a few rare droplets in an ocean. Another chapter of tears, havoc and heartbreak.
The suffering inflicted must end. Please keep the pressure up – do not forget the horses at Fallon right now… their despair, their broken spirits… do more protests, share the news – BLM is on a big distraction manouvre until the next attack.
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BLM was looking so bad that it was a better Public Relations move to stop than to go on. They have plenty of Horses. Next week the “Processing” begins; gelding, freeze branding and maybe PZP. All done with the practiced disregard for the horses with the experienced cruelty and abuse. Combined with what they still are facing in Fallon, they will have drugs and dangerous operations to survive. No wild horse can ever be prepared for what BLM and Contractors will do to them. mar
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The release fails to mention the facts-the horses died because of broken legs, broken necks,forced feed changes, late term abortions and because their hooves fell off, not because of overpopulation. Once again the BLM puts out their own screwed up version of the truth.
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I hate to be rude, however, one way to “get the word out” about the nastiness and brutality of the BLM roundups is to “spread it around” on Facebook. In a few short weeks, the manure spreading season will come to Missouri. In honor of those great moments of yesteryear, where horsedrawn vehicles spread manure on the fields, may I suggest that you post in Facebook on as many large, public associations (Like The White House, Ken Salazar, Joe Biden and large organizations that may not have ANY THING TO DO WITH POLITICS, GOVERNMENT OR HORSES, like any groups you can think of, alumni groups WHAT HAVE YOU. Be sure when you are doing this, you have several “versions” of your post in order to “vary” what you are posting or the Facebook INSTANT GOD OF REVENGE will contact you for posting “too quickly” on various groups’ sites and you will have a red face. So do a few each day, over the course of the day, in a few different versions. Just include the # horses that died, etc., or whatever you want to say. You can “join” the group, post the comment on the wall or start a “discussion” and then “Leave” the group.
It sounds lame, but more eyes will see the truth about this massacre….
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very good idea to post in facebook. Also good to post on any newspaper articles as many have done.
The BLM always says “The BLM will continue to offer the public observation days by appointment”
where are the 24/7 live cams BLM?? no need for the BLM to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on your sham public tours and the armed guards.
Get those 24/7 live streaming webcams on the BLM website so all the public can watch you and the mustangs 24/7!!
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Laura H. I am all for this. They should be made to do this. The helicopters should have video cameras, also. This is the age of video cams and it is so needed at all the facilities. We have the right to know what is going on as we are paying for this. How do we address this? Through the courts? mar
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I think this would be a great “Idea” to post on the DOI’s new website. This is the direct link to the sign-up page:
http://openinterior.ideascale.com/
Please read the terms and conditions, so our “Ideas” will be posted. I voted for and commented on “Please establish a hotline to report alleged violations”, and “Please end BLM’S culture of secrecy”, which I found particularly disturbing and disheartening since it came from a BLM employee.
The deadline for posts is March 19th, and there haven’t been many so far. I think we should submit a variety of ideas and comments on wild horse and BLM issues as soon as possible. And don’t forget to vote! I think they’re tracking e-mail signatures to prevent multiple votes from a single address. Still can’t figure out the “Agree” or “Disagree” displays, and have posted to that. Don’t know about multiple comments yet.
I’m working on the need to monitor horses once the captures are over. I’m suggesting the BLM employ existing devices and procedures used by hospitals.
I compose my long posts in “Word” and paste them in, because I want to be respectful, on point and clear, especially when contacting the government.
To paraphrase R.T., “It’s time to tighten our cinches and ride!”
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Manure spreading is essential for a strong “grass roots”.
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This is a great venture for those who can get through the face book jungle. Good luck, Janet, I know you will be getting read by many there. Go for it…mar
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Salazar has a page on Facebook…
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Can anyone tell me if the captive horses are allowed to live in any kind of natural family structure, or are they segregated for life now? I breaks my heart that foals and colts will not learn about being a horse from older horses.
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“Thirty-nine horses have died since the gather began: seven at the gather site and 32 at the facility in Fallon. Most of the deaths were horses that were in extremely poor body condition because of the lack of forage on overpopulated rangelands. These animals either died or were euthanized by the veterinarian on-site at the Fallon facility.”
I respectfully request the BLM disclose the true justification for the ‘reported’ 39 equine deaths. Please include manner of death, COLIC, FOUNDER, HEART FAILURE, BROKEN BONES, HOOVES FALLING OFF OF TINY FEET, ABORTION OR GUNSHOT.
Unfortunately these 39 deaths are only the beginning, for the 1900+ now in BLM “care” I say a prayer. How many more lives will be lost as the go through the ‘processing’ phase of their capture? How many more will die in transport? How many more will have to be euthanized due to “extremely poor body condition” or other round-up induced health problems?
I feel sorry not just for those in Nevada, but for all of us. The amazing Calico Mountain Complex with all its beauty and wonder will forever be known for its deadly horse round-up, just like Sheridan Wildlife Refuge. Very sad.
Those who lost their lives at “Calico” will go down in history with those who died at “Sheridan”, of course in the name of compassion.
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Kas, do you mean Sheldon?? mar
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oops yep-sorry- so much for my eloquent speech!
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i was thinking…if the horses are rounded up and then left in pens for the night? are they given feed in these pens? and if not; this means the horses are transported for 4 hours after not eating or drinking water for up to 24 hours;
then when the horses arrive at Fallon; some do not eat; due to stress; one of the reasons for the stress is: the long drive combined with no feed;
so the way Cattmoors conduct roundups: creates non eating in horses due to stress; then these horses lose weight; then the Cattmoors say; look told you they were starving; no Sue; you starved the horses by denying them feed and water; and then not giving them IV nutrients to get the horses to begin to eat; and leave them to perish in the open wilderness; in sand pits; on moldy hay; wet straw; you jerkSue!
anne white conn usa “promoting warmth; shelter; nutritous feed; pure water for all!
(wild mustang horses ! and we will not forget the horses abondoned in the pens !
left to perish ! due to malnutrion; due to over running and wrong type of hay; anne
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The BLM refuses to acknowledge any form of abuse or cruelty by themselves or their contractors. I watch my horses’ water intake diligently in winter to guard against colic. I NEVER radically change feed or pasture either, you just don’t do that! Sure, horses are thinner in winter, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it certainly doesn’t mean they are STARVING!
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Thankfully, the Calico capture is over, but the fate of the horses isn’t. As I see it, the next step in protecting and defending them and all wild horses should be another lawsuit.
One of the posts mentioned the BLM will no longer issue updates or information on the Calico horses (deaths, injuries, miscarriages, vet reports, etc.). We should demand (requesting has been so ineffectual) an ongoing and full accounting of every step they take! The president has promised “transparency”, and we should to hold him to it, no matter the cost or “inconvenience” to the BLM.
THESE ARE OUR HORSES! Our tax dollars pay for every part of BLM/USFS Wild Horse and Burro activities. We pay to run every U.S. government program, the salaries of all government employees (President to ditch digger) and subcontractors. We pay all expenses for public/private holding facilities, and on and on.
We should also have the right to independently observe, photograph, videotape, and record information whenever and wherever we choose, Salazar and BLM “rules” be damned. Until they leave BLM oversight THEY ARE OUR HORSES EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY!
I’ve gathered numbers and language from the Cattoor website, compared them with the BLM Updates, and found some interesting discrepancies. Still working on it. I’m confident that anyone with half a brain (present company and all wild horse defenders excepted) and a calculator would come to the same conclusions.
The difference is a matter of will. We have it and government agencies don’t. They remind me of the command by The Great and Powerful OZ, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
May the Great Spirit hold his horses in his hand, and rain down destruction on all those who seek to harm them!
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Somewhere in the back of my brain I remembered hearing the federal goverment has to ALLOW itself to sued? Does anyone know more about this, or am I totally off-base?
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You might ask Laura Allen of Animal Law Coalition
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I think the live streaming is a great idea. There are live cameras all over the Billings, Montana area. So we know they could do it if they wanted to. Advertisers could pay for them. Observers could watch an advertisement of some product to help pay for the cameras, etc.
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Are we better off now that we’ve emptied out the Calico hills and gulleys of wild horses? The hills are sad. They miss the horses.
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The horse death totals are not accurate as they do not include the aborted foals. Last I heard the count was between 20-30, I imagine that went up. That would make the total of horses killed by the “gather” over 60. Foals are generally born in the spring so their mothers were nearly due. BLM has provided absolutely NO evidence that the horse population in that area were starving or had poor feed, the pictures say otherwise. And yes, I’ve watched the news. There are always individuals in populations who may appear lean for a multitude of reasons. Ninety-nine percent of the horses I saw were in great shape. Did BLM implement birth control with animals left on the range?
It is important for the public to understand that wild horses live in family bands with an average size of around 7 animals, not in one giant herd of 3,000. This means that the horses were run pretty far and pretty hard for BLM to have collected as many as they did in such a short time.
BLM knows all about wild horses, you can read about just about every aspect of them on their website. BLM was completely aware that there would be a high mortality rate from this never-done-before winter gather and it appears that is precisely why they conducted this roundup now. They are hiding the actual numbers letting the public imagine that these were tiny aborted ‘fetuses’ as opposed to aborted near-term babies. I have heard that mares were being run with babies falling out of them and dragging. The gather was stopped because public outcry became too great.
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We have to remember, the BLM only tells us what they want to. I do not believe there are 600 horses left up there in Calico, they exaggerate the numbers for us not to see what’s really happening. They are destroying the wild horse herds, and we have to keep fighting till we get an accurate count. By them rounding them up and moving them, we will never know what they actually did and are still doing. I want to know, is there a way to get up to Calico, and see what’s left and how many are dead on the ground. I am serious and I don’t care if they are reading this. The BLM made a big mistake about telling America about the 33,000 they can’t feed, and round up more ? A big mistake with Madeline Pickens, about adopting the 33, 000, they do not have them any more. I want to know where they are. I want them to account for every wild horse and burro, in holding and free. We can not stop calling, writing and protesting. I trust none of them when it comes to horses, BLM, AQHA, Cattlesmans ASSo. and all the rest that have no love and respect for horses and make believe they do. They are not horse people.
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Me too! How in the world can they get away with hiding these publicly owned horses??? This CANNOT be legal. God, I wish I was rich!!!
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Why doesn’t Ms. Pickens take to the air over Calico and determine how many horses are out there. What’s she waiting for?
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Mustang33, I also have this feeling that there might not be 600 left in Calico. What if they went to round up more and found the numbers so low they stopped the round up? I don’t believe they stopped because of public pressure, which they always ignore anyway. How do we find out if there really are 600 wild horses left?
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Like I said before, we are going out to count them this year. All of the wild horses. They will get a file, a name and be part of a new registry for all the wild ones. We need to help stop the gelding at Fallon this week, please ask everyone to help stop the “Processing” of hundreds of stallions at Fallon. mar
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I think they have been sending wild horses to slaughter for years, and they are re cooping, they are determined to make the wild horse extinct and make money in the process. We would have to go up those mountains in a group, and search the whole area. By horse back and 4 wheeler, and plan on camping out for a few days in the snow and cold. Every time they do a round up, be right after them, at the holding facilities and where they came from. Do our own count. I know this is hard, most of us have our own farms, ranches and work. If we get a search party together count me in.
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What about the new food safety rules by the EU? Well, they are NOT new rules – they just decided they had to enforce them because our USDA – which has the same rules – has never even tried to enforce them. Anyway, how can the BLM legally sell ANY of these horses since you might say all the mares have had PZP which puts them out of the food chain. I’d bet all the geldings get bute post castration, not to mention other times as well. These two drugs alone are enough to remove ALL of them from then food chain.
We need to publicize this because it doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s mind, and it IS important!
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There must be a “back door.” Japan consumes huge amounts as someone on this blog pointed out from Canada to Japan; eaten raw within 3 days. . .
Also don’t our US regs take effect later than EU regs. or something. . .
Later.
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