Equine Welfare Press Conference and Rally to take place during opening day of BLM advisory board meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City – The Cloud Foundation, Respect4Horses and Wild Horse Freedom Federation will hold a special press conference, during the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Advisory Board meeting, focused on addressing the BLM’s mismanagement of America’s vanishing wild horses and burros; the BLM Slaughtergate debacle; the European horse meat scandal; and the status of Oklahoma bills for legalization of previously banned horse slaughter within their state.
Where:
Sheraton Oklahoma City, One North Broadway, Oklahoma City, OK
When:
Monday, March 4th, 2013 at 12 noon – 1 PM, Rally to follow.
Who:
Ginger Kathrens – Emmy award winner and Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation
Lisa Friday – Board of Directors of the Cloud Foundation
R.T. Fitch – Author, writer, blogger and President of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Simone Netherlands – Founder and President of Respect4Horses
The BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is currently comprised of many publicly avowed horse slaughter proponents, who at prior meetings and during other public venues, have stated that the “proper” way to manage wild horses is to send them to slaughter. Although BLM management denies any link to slaughter associations, recent investigations have revealed that one known slaughter trader (kill buyer) purchased over 1,700 wild horses and burros from the BLM and no longer knows where they are and yet another BLM long term holding contractor has been documented selling American wild horses to another known kill buyer.
“BLM simply cannot continue to run the train off the track,” explains Ginger Kathrens, whose involvement with wild horses goes back to 1994. “BLM needs to look at humane on the range management of wild horses and burros before it’s too late.”
America wants answers and the Equine Advocacy groups will be demanding both transparency and accountability during the press conference and the BLM board meeting.
Likewise, in the midst of the raging European horse meat scandal, through which it has become apparent that the horse slaughter industry has deceived consumers for years by disguising tainted equine flesh as beef, Oklahoma’s legislators are fast tracking several bills to legalize and invite that same predatory business back into the United States with full knowledge that the bulk of the BLM’s wild horse long term holding facilities are located within their state’s boundaries.
Coincidence?
“Not likely,” says R.T. Fitch, president of Wild Horse Freedom Federation.
“Over the past several years the BLM has been stacking the deck with pro-slaughter appointees to the Advisory Board,” says Fitch. “They are deliberately ripping large numbers of wild horses and burros off from their rightful land in an effort to create an artificial fiscal emergency with the only available relief valve will be to slaughter the horses. The plan of ‘management to extinction’ is apparent to even the least informed American layman.”
“The horse slaughter industry is ridden with fraud from the beginning to the barbaric end,” states Simone Netherlands from Respect4Horses. “They not only disguise the cruelty, the carcinogenic drugs, lie to former horse owners, to the American public and falsify documents, they simply disguise their entire end product!” Netherlands continues, “Horse welfare organizations have been wondering why the demand for horse meat seemed so high, but now we know, they simply have been disguising it as beef for years. We urge the USDA to start testing our own food supply here in America, there is no guarantee that the same thing has not happened here.”
Lisa Friday from the Cloud Foundation adds, “America’s wild horses are losing what they value most at the hands of the BLM: their freedom and their families. Now… potentially their lives.”
To date the BLM has stockpiled in excess of 50,000+ wild horses and burros in costly short and long term contracted holding while leaving only an estimated 20,000 on their Congressionally designated rightful land.
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Respect4Horses (R4H) is a horse welfare organization whose goals include providing information and documentation to educate the public, the media and legislators in order to promote changes in legislation in regards to current horse welfare issues such as horse slaughter and the roundups of our last remaining wild horses and burros. www.respect4horses.com
Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) is a registered, Texas non-profit corporation with federal 501(c)(3) status. WHFF puts people between America’s wild equids and extinction through targeted litigation against governmental agencies whose documented agendas include the eradication of wild horse and burros from public, federal and state lands. www.wildhorsefreedomfederation.org
The Cloud Foundation (TCF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of wild horses and burros on our western public lands with a focus on Cloud’s herd in the Arrowhead Mountains of Montana. www.thecloudfoundation.org
Click (HERE) to download Press Release
Related Articles
- Breaking News: Wild Horses Sold to Kill Buyer by BLM Contractor (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Update: Citizen Investigation Exposes Evidence of Wild Horses Sold to Slaughter by BLM Contractor (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Fresh allegations of wild horses going to slaughter (horsetalk.co.nz)
- Wild Horses sold to Kill Buyer by BLM Contractor (ppjg.me)
- Fresh Allegations of Wild Horses Going to Slaughter (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Bureau of Land (mis)Management excels at manipulation training (ppjg.me)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I only wish I could attend. Although it seems these public meetings are often held to satisfy the law but what the public thinks is of no matter at all. They don’t listen. They act as if they have all the answers even though 40 years of ignoring science and abusing and killing thousands of animals doesn’t bode well for their collective intelligence.
Ultimately We the People are responsible as we have allowed them to get away with their criminal activities so long they now feel it’s withing their rights to continue. Congress, who we elect, on the whole has few members that know jack squat about horses much less wild horses and burros. By the way…too often we forget to mention or even think about the burros. I’m just as guilty as anyone. According to the BLM’s last census there are now less than 6,000 remaining in the wild. Compare that to the Yellowstone Bison now numbering 4200 (and about to have a couple of hundred more killed in the next few months…thank you Montana Ranchers) and you find the numbers to be considered ecologically extinct.
Is this what we have to look forward to with the horses? Of course, if we don’t get someone’s attention who will stop this madness.
{ On a side note – Call me a conspiracy nut but I feel the push right now for these last few roundups that gleaned way too many horses in combination with Oklahoma’s attempt to ramrod slaughter legislation is just way too coincidental. I think Sally Jewell is going to be handed a clean plate after Salazar fulfills his maniacal plan to eliminate the wild horses off public land. He’s already in deep muck so he’ll take the blame rather than hand off the political nightmare to Ms Jewell. Notice he’s sticking around until the end of March…possibly giving others involved the time necessary to complete the mission.}
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6000 Burros left in the wild? probably closer to a couple hundred. I wouldn’t put any cred in blm’s numbers as there are not 38,000 wild horses left either.
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I agree with you completely, Steve. The special interest groups will not be happy until our public lands are destroyed and all the wildlife is gone – nothing but cows, sheep, oil and gas rigs, etc. to look at. Things are getting worse. The wild horses and burros, the wolves and buffalo all in the crosshairs. All this legistation that takes place behind closed doors without public input is becoming an everyday occurrence. Special interests run the show and the citizens be damned. My faith in humanity gets tested each day. The government – they could care less. We can’t give up – though some days its hard. Supported lies and corruption are hard to fight. I hope Ms. Jewell will make a difference, but that remains to be seen.
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good……..this is what I suggested after attending a BLM advisory board meeting in Arlington in 2009……I felt the BLM is only having these meetings to “appear” as if they care….and everything we wild horse advocates suggested went in one ear and out the other…….These BLM advisory board meetings are worthless…..I wondered why it took so long to see this,,,,,I love you guys for your perseverance…….and dedication to the horses……may there be a million people at the rally!
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Thank you. Shared.
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Good job. Right to the point, well written and researched with documentation.
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The BLM has ONLY allotted 1 HOUR of public speaking time at this NATIONAL meeting!
I have written to Joan Guilfoyle, Mike Pool, Dean Bolstad & Sally Spencer to request additional time, but have not yet received a response. If any of you have the time to address this lack of public comment time on a meeting paid for by taxpayers (including travel & per diem for the Advisory board members, and the travel, lodging and food and salary of BLM employees), PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES OR NEWSPAPERS.
1 HOUR for PUBLIC COMMENT TIME SHOWS HOW LITTLE THE BLM CARES ABOUT THE OPINIONS OF THE PUBLIC.
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Has anyone found the published minutes to the last meeting when a couple of the board members said things that they probably regretted stating in front of the public? I would like to see the video and read the minutes of that meeting and then bring those “special” statements to the attention of the board at this meeting and face to face ask them when do they propose to start the up-front slaughter of our wild ones (verses the recently discovered “back-door” sales to slaughter).
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the “board” members do not meet criteria nor do the stampedes, therefore they are not legit. but that’s kleptocracy for ya. corrupt to the core. What media will be present at press conference/rally?
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My question precisely, LNorman: How many local, state and national media outlets have been invited to the press conference/rally? I hope DOZENS show up, including the international daily papers, the TV networks and the major cable channels. We’ll be sending our best thoughts to you and the horses on Monday.
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This urgent alert and call to the protest rally is excellent! The Dept of Interior and the BLM, as well as the US Forest Service and the Dept of Agriculture have displayed the depths of hypocrisy and ignobility in how they have failed to fulfill their true duties under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. In the process they have cynically set up the beautiful returned native horses and burros for miserable torture, enslavement and murder. This is not only a crime under US law but a sin under all life’s universally Higher Law, and those pathetic individuals who have done this, and there are many in on this black crime, shall have to answer for all the wrong they have done. Today we just lost the last of the Deer Run Road herd of wild horses just east of Carson City, all due to this continued negative conspiracy of the so called powers that be, the officials in power who have sold their souls for a position and to fit in with a corrupt establishment. We tried everything but they would not listen, would not exercise Section 6 of the Act to set up a win win benign cooperative agreement with all the great majority of wild horse loving people who live in and around there. Surely none of this shall stand the Light of Day! Craig C. Downer, author: The Wild Horse Conspiracy, available on amazon.com
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I don’t know what to say anymore except that I am so disgusted with those who show no respect or concern for our iconic wild horses or the people who support them. This is truly a sad time in our country and as always, the innocent suffer. It’s time to right this wrong that’s been going on for far too long. I pray that commonsense and the dignity for all will prevail, before it’s too late. My heart-felt thanks to the many wonderful people who have been fighting this tragic battle to free these beautiful and majestic creatures. All of you continue to amaze me with your determination, compassion and respect in supporting our beloved wild horses and burros. I will continue to be a voice, as well. Thank you.
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Horse Advocates HAVE A MUCH BETTER SOLUTION. STOP ALL ROUND UPS. CREATE PROTECTED HORSE SANCTUARIES IN VARIOUS STATES THAT ARE MONITORED BY OUR EXCLUSIVE, TRAINED HORSE ADVOCATES, VETS, AND HORTICULTURALISTS, ETC. TIME HAS COME TO STOP THIS BLOODY HORSE WAR AND ASSAULT ON OUR BELOVED EQUINES. THE TIME HAS COME TO PUT IN PLACE NEW POLICIES THAT HELP OUR WILD HORSES FROM BEING ROUNDED UP AND DESTROYED. WE MUST DO THIS FOR THEM. IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF MONEY, TIME, PATIENCE, LOVE, UNDERSTANDING THE TERRAIN OUR HORSES LIVE, EAT, SLEEP AND BREATHE IN TO SURVIVE. WE CAN HELP THEM, WE CAN DO THIS AS A GROUP. LET US HELP THEM NOW.
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You know, it is really sad that when people offer up suggestions to compliment the strategy to end this and either questioned heavily or ignored completely. So I will put this suggestion here:
You should include form BLM people every chance you get! And if they are not willing to discuss it in an open forum, you certainly can give handouts for all to read. A former employee, Stan Olmstead regarding the many problems he witnessed and discussed: . http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/2012/10/09/farewell-message-that-blm-has-lost-its-way/
Additionally, a comment made by a woman under a video of Mike Pool, Acting BLM Director should be thoroughly vetted as well. She is a former employee with BLM in Redding, CA and a successful claimant under the Federal Whistle blower Act and would make an invaluable witness. With my background in law, the more witnesses that can attest to the mistreatment of our Wild One’s, mismanagement of Federal lands, or evidence of squander funds gives more credibility to the issue at hand.
I wish nothing but good luck to those that are pursuing any means necessary to stop the slaughter or our wild and domestic horses.
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