By R.T. Fitch ~ volunteer president/co-founder of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Nevada to be Branded “Animal Cruelty State” in Court of US Public Opinion
3 week old foal being dragged with baling twine by developers hired security at Ag. Dept. bait trap – photo by Bo Rodriguez
“Yesterday we ran a brief story with photos of a 3 week old foal being abused at a Nevada Department of Agriculture bait trap on private property. As the day progressed Reno area advocates began to write and comment on what they had witnessed and we corrected a few errors in the story but the point and the problem never shifted or dimmed. The concern and anger generated by the photos fueled the biggest number of hits this blog has ever seen in a single day; thousands and thousands of concerned Americans logged in. Frustration is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
This, folks, is beyond serious. We at Wild Horse Freedom Federation are currently working a behind the scenes legal project to shut down the BLM‘s rapid desimation of wild horse & burros on federal public lands. We are not chasing individual roundups with TROs as they just don’t work and we have abounded access and humane care issues as, at this rate, they are only a distraction and moot as there won’t even be any wild horses if we do not stop the roundups and do so quickly. But our hearts are torn to pieces over what is happening to these Virginia range “state” horses as these captives go directly to auction and can end up in the hands of kill buyers within just a few days or weeks. This is the fear and this also the reality. These true wild horses are facing a death sentence, right now.
Please spend a few moments and read several of the comments that folks have made and then make a call or fax as outlined below. Maybe with enough heat, even from outside of the state, Nevada officials will listen and enter into productive talks, with the knowledgeable advocates who are speaking below, and seek a humane solution versus slaughtering these horses for human consumption abroad.
Thanks to all those who care and lend their voices to those who cannot speak for themselves.” ~ R.T.
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Bo Rodriguez says:
“The foal was three weeks old, an the developers DiLoreto and Damonte are responsible for this also. They have allowed an continue to allow Nevada Department of Agriculture to trap horses on their properties. I have photos of them there at the trap an heard Mr Damonte say he didn’t care for the horses, an wanted them all gone. Tom DiLorreto said he followed states guide lines to the tee. But as you can see, the state must have changed its policy of handling animals humanly to do what you have to, to get rid of it an get the money from the kill buyers as fast as you can.
I did not enjoy taking these photos of the three week old foal being drug around by a piece of bailing twin, it was a long and traumatic for both protesters and horses.
There has to be a better solution.”
Sue says:
Quote by Damonte ….”If I had it my way , all of these horses would be DEAD .”
Pretty strong , evil statement. The trap was set on Louie Damonte’s property with his permission.
Seems some people have a hate for these horses.
This was the horses home before it was theirs.
The news was there most of the day, yet the only channel that gave any information about it was channel 4.
Something must be done…these horses cannot speak for themselves, so we have to be their voice.”
NV Kate says:
According to the state these horses because they live on now privately owned land are considered ‘estrays’… and because they are estrays they can be sent to slaughter legally if you can stomach that!
God Bless you Bo Rodriguez for taking these photos!!! had I been there I would be in jail right now! Bo I want to encourage you to send copies of your photos to the HSUS…. Arnold Baer abaer@humanesociety.org, Beverly McGrath BevDDAL@msn.com , and the Nevada HSUS state rep Holly Haley hhaley@humanesociety.org. The next legislative session we had better have something more concrete than we did the last time, and it’s possible their legal dept may want to press charges for animal abuse.
I’ve been lobbying the state for the last 6 years trying to get some protection for the so called estrays . Beverly McGrath found a sponsor for a bill last year that would have done that, but it was pulled at the last minute due to something an advocate recommended to the sponsor, I still curse the individual for that but damn it horses that live in checkerboard areas (mixed private and public land) are considered estrays even thought they are wild and we MUST find a way to protect them as well! As it stands now, they have NO PROTECTION what so ever!”
Kelly says:
“The mother was trapped in the pen with the rest of the herd at this time, the stallion and three other mares had broken out of the pen after being confined most of the day, the baby got out as well. They ended up putting the baby and the mother in a separate pen for the night, kept the rest in the first pen, and the stallion and the other three mares spent the night trying to get to the rest of the family. this morning they were ALL taken away by the Nevada AG department, mother and foal had a “personal trailer””
Ellen Holcomb says:
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
http://gov.nv.gov/contact/governor/
Office Phone: (775) 684-5670
Office Fax: (775) 684-5683Nevada Dept of Agriculture Director Jim Barbee
Office Phone: 775-353-3600
Office Fax: 775-668-1178
Steve Stapp says:
“Jim Barbee has promoted himself to GOD. He doesn’t have a ‘public’ email and will not accept calls. He doesn’t want to deal with the horses, the advocates, the residents or anyone. Call the Gov. office and ask to speak with Ms. Jordan Grow…she’s the liaison between the Gov and the Ag Dept and has access to Jim B. She’ll listen and give you lip service but on two occasions she has gone to Barbee on my behalf and offered our proposal. He can’t tell her to go away because she works for Sandoval. He just tells her his answer…”NO” !”
Related Articles
- Nevada Ag Dept Wild Horse Roundup Sparks Debate in Reno (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Press Release: BLM Colorado Investigating Wild Horse Deaths (rtfitchauthor.com)
- AA Investigation: Mexico Horse Slaughter Plants Continue to be Non-Compliant with EU Standards (rtfitchauthor.com)
- BLM Reneges on Promise to Return Native Wild Horses to their Rightful Range (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Please Oppose Blm’s Devastating Plan for Wyoming’s Red Desert Wild Horses (rtfitchauthor.com)
- BLM Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board Member Endorses Horse Slaughter during Public Session (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Infamous BLM Advisory Board Wild Horse Hater Tries to Spin the Truth (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Exclusive Photos: Reno Residents Riled Over NV AG Dept Wild Horse Cruelty (rtfitchauthor.com)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I have phoned!!!! Cross posted on my Timeline Wall. The horses deserve respect and dignity!!
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Boycott NV tourism until the wild horses are left alone.
Private land owners can fence their property to keep the horses off .or go back to where they came from. Wild horses are the best thing NV has and the only reason to visit it.
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I agreed with you.. we need to boycott NV tourism.. I wont go for sure.. I was going to go… never…. till something is done…
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Call…wait a while…call again…wait a while…call again…wait a while…Get the idea? Let’s terrorize them like they terrorize foals…Pagans!
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That’s exactly it. It will feel to them that they are being nibbled to death by a duck. I hope they finally will get the picture. Not only pray for the horses, but pray for the evil hearts so they are transformed somehow to a feeling of peace and respect for the horses.
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how can any one hurt a such a majestic animal .. this is sick .. what a shame ! you call your self ADVANCED CIVILIZED NATION ? AND DO THIS ?
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Email was sent direct to Governor Sandoval from me this morning !!!! I will call and call again and again !!!!!!
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Did anyone call M.Pickens? Funny how you never hear of her helping when it is needed!
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She’s in bed with the BLM and has no time for piddly little ole state horses.
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Steve and Marge you are EXACTLY RIGHT!
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Marge, this is not part of her eco-resort ($700 bucks a night) plan…so it ain’t happening.
Last week on CNN she referred to the alleged Paiute horses as being BLM horses. Well of course they were not and there is no verification that they were actually Paiute horses as they came from a rescue. She is totally disengaged from the issues and comes across embarrassingly uninformed.
There is no help coming from that direction.
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The fact that M.Perkins has an ulterior motive to “saving” the Wild Horses is disgusting. Greed. I’m so very sorry that people can’t have integrity, honesty, true compassion, and empathy for the horses. She’s like having the fox watch the henhouse.
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Did anyone video/ get the tail # of the helicopter? Can lodge complaint with FAA for harassing animals with aircraft.
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Birth Control is not a difficult option! Humanely round up horses, sort them by gender, geld the studs or implant hormones in mares, and release them. Hire wranglers not hit men and control the populations!
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Thank God for Bo Rodriguez ! Activist like him are what will save these wonderful, free, beings, and ultimate save whats left of this country!
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I called the Governor’s office yesterday & left a message for him, and called the Dept of Ag & left a message for them. Lets everyone give them heat, I live in Nevada, Las Vegas & this is despicable.
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called Barbee’s office and got his secretary. She did not want to listen to what I had to say but offered an email address for this specific issue….. or you can leave a message on their ‘horse hotline”…. the email address is horse@agri.nv.gov and I suggest flooding it with your emails.
When I told her I was outraged at the handling of the horses and asked her why they weren’t doing anything about she hung up on me!
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Please follow and read this link… this is how the Dept of AG handled the round up at Sheldon in 2006…NOTE GRAPHIC WARNING there is a photo of a less than 1 month old baby hog tied and left in the desert heat (triple digits) because it couldn’t keep up. They did this to more than 15 babies!
Susan Pohlmans Wispering Winds rescue (of OR) was out there monitoring this round up. She and her group rescued 23 babies, most hog tied and left in the heat. While they worked feverishly trying to save these babies from dehydration, seperation from mama and the hear, any injuries they sustained, the wranglers were back at the traps laughing about it! Of those 23 babies only 16 survived this ordeal! Here is the link
http://www.newsreview.com/reno/horse-traitors/content?oid=70607
And your right if you figured the outfitter was that did this round up Catoors, and Sun J….. IT IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE that the Dept of AG/FWS etc are allowed to get away with this!
it’s been documented time after time after time and they are still allowed to get away with this!
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Your Damn right its absolutely unacceptable, and an abomination , it has got to be stopped !!!!!! I have had enough of this crap years ago, but nothing stops them??????? What can we do that will work???????
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Take a couple of minutes to sign the petition and be certain to add a comment so that it counts:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6931/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12192
PLEASE OPPOSE BLM’S DEVASTATING PLAN FOR WYOMING’S RED DESERT HORSES
Public Comment Deadline: December 7, 2012
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Dotted all I s crossed all the T s , sad but true It does nothing !!!!!!!! History repeats itself !!!!
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CALL THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE….go to the top.
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I’ve just got off the phone with a fairly high ranking member of law enforcement who is looking into whether these land owners overstepped their bounds handling these horses rather than Ag Dept employees.
I do know it’s against the law to use an aircraft to harass or chase humans or animals. So if it is true that the helicopter was used (the BLM has privilege) and eyewitness’ will testify I’d have them call the FAA and file charges immediately. If anyone has any video footage of same the guys gonna pay!
“The Federal Airborne Hunting Act prohibits shooting or attempting to shoot any animal from an aircraft while airborne or using an aircraft to harass any animal.”
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These roundups are inhumane and wrong on so many levels. I will call on Monday. This should be in the mainstream news. These are our wild horses. They are a symbol of American freedom. It blows my mind that our government agency treats them this way!!!!
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Never stop sharing this information as people have to see the information to make a change for Americas domesticated and wild horses, donkeys and mules. Video and photos seem to tell the story the best. Keep up the great work. I am sorry to see this abuse and I share on my blog the best I can to help spread the truth of this madness. Still can’t beleive this is happening it is just so sad how deep greed and money will travel. Again, thank you!
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Where are the DAMN Animal Cops for Nevada? Why aren’t they are all over their asses up there? Sure you can get them to get a search and seizure in Houston, Phoenix or NYC for the rednecks, gangstas’ and whatever, but for these persistent animal abusers that consistently get away with blatant animal abuse like no one is watching and no one cares. It is hideous and pornographic and I am sick to death of it. Where is the justice for this baby who could have had his neck broken so easily? It makes me sick!
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Reblogged this on angelfarm and commented:
Please be active in your denouncement of the tragedy of the Nevada Wild horses….Call ,write and share the information with others!
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Wild Mustang Robin thanks you for sharing about what’s happening to Nevada’s wild horses! Awareness is key. More horses will be at the livestock options this holiday season.
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