Horse News

Despite Slaughter of Wild Horses, No Prosecution of BLM or Rancher Involved

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H. Sterling Burnett as published on The Heartlander

“…he became the largest buyer of wild horses in the United States…”

BLM Captives; Freedom Lost ~ by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

BLM Captives; Freedom Lost ~ by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Just two weeks after Ken Salazar was selected by President Barack Obama to become the 50th Secretary of the Interior in 2009, the Bureau of Land Managment (BLM), an agency within the Department of Interior (DOI) sold and began shipping horses to rancher, and reported Salazar associate, Tom Davis, who in turn, in violation of the law resold them to slaughter houses in Mexico for horse meat.

A report released by the DOI’s Office of the Inspector General in late October, concluded the BLM did not follow the law in selling 1,794 horses to rancher Tom Davis. The sales were conducted through the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Program – the program established to protect, manage and control the wild horse population.

The BLM sold horses to Davis between 2008 and 2012 for roughly $10 a horse. The agency lost money on the transactions since they spent tens of thousands of dollars on transport. By contrast, according to Davis he resold “loads” of 35 horses for as much as $4,000, making $2,500-$3,000 profit on each sale, despite signing a contract with the BLM agreeing not to send the horses to slaughter. With the volume of horses Davis purchases he became the largest buyer of wild horses in the United States.

The Inspector General’s report states, “During our investigation, Davis admitted that most of the horses that he purchased through WH&B ultimately went to slaughter. We determined that BLM did not follow current law while managing WH&B. According to the report, the BLM did not follow its own policy of limiting horse sales and ensuring horses sold were not slaughtered.

The slaughter of horses for meat violated a congressional ban on the practice as well as BLM policy.

Despite the Davis’s reported ties to Secretary Salazar, the IG’s office “determined that this matter did not warrant further investigation.” The IG did refer Davis’ conduct to both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado as well as the State of Colorado Conejos County District Attorney’s Office. Neither office chose to bring either civil or criminal charges.

According to the report, WH&B marketing specialist who approved the sales to Davis received “exceptional or superior” reviews, complete with bonuses between 2008 and 2012…(continued)

Prologue by R.T. Fitch ~ president/co-founder of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

“Sorry, not to sound jaded, but the above information is nothing new and we volunteers at Wild Horse Freedom Federation are making a sincere effort in not slipping into “We Told You So” mode.

Back in 2013 our own Vice President and Director of Wild Horse Affairs, Debbie Coffey, uncovered rock solid evidence, in the way of paperwork, receipts, etc.. of the BLM selling wild horses to known kill buyers (Click HERE to read report) and the entire story was just swept under the carpet by the Feds.

Terry and I, along with many other equine advocates, made a point to be present at the very next BLM Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting to speak on and to present said evidence to the board and the BLM, see video below, and again…nada.

What does it take to get the members of Congress to wake up and smell the BLM’s BS, collusion and criminal activity?  The time for a Congressional Investigation is long past due.

If you are not emailing and writing your Congressional representative on this topic, please begin to do so.

If you are writing and politely prodding, continue with your efforts.

We are not just cheerleaders, here at SFTHH or at WHFF, but instead we are the gatherers of information and the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves.

If ever there was a time to ‘KEEP THE FAITH” and continue to plow forward, this is it…don’t give up; you are not alone and every little effort matters .

Feel free to utilize the reports and documentation supplied on this site, we are a storehouse of information on this topic.

Keep after it, my friends, we need to make this happen.” ~ R.T.

For More Stories and Information on the BLM selling wild horses and burros to slaughter click (HERE)

Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs

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11 replies »

  1. The BLM is just waiting until this blows over with the public – those few who even know or care about these wild horses and burros (YES burros were sold to Davis also) need to continue to apply pressure via media and legislators and legal actions and word of mouth too. People often ask “what can I do”. One thing we can do is to make a big stink about this illegal selling of OUR wild horses and burros to slaughter and keep up the stink. The BLM Wild Horse an Burro “management” need to be in prison for this – all of them from the top of the D.C. pile down to the office staff and wranglers who all knew exactly what they were doing.

    It would be anomalous to infer that by authorizing the custodian of the wild free roaming horses and burros to “manage” them, Congress intended to permit the animals’ custodian to subvert the primary policy of the statute by capturing and removing from the wild the very animals that Congress sought to protect from being captured and removed from the wild. Moreover, the statute expressly provides that BLM’s “management activities shall be at the minimal feasible level . . . .” It is difficult to think of a “management activity” that is farther from a “minimal feasible level” than capture and removal and sale to slaughter.

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  3. The most recent assault

    Oregon
    From AWHPC

    Whole Foods Beef Supplied by Ranchers Behind Massive Oregon Roundup

    By providing a commercial venue for CNB beef products, Whole Foods is financially
    endorsing and contributing to this unnecessary and inhumane removal of iconic
    mustangs from our public lands.”

    In addition to Beatys Butte, CNB suppliers also hold permits in other Oregon-based Herd Management Areas that saw horse roundups this year. In total, 2,000 wild horses – nearly half the state’s remaining wild horse population – will be removed from public lands in Oregon this year.

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  4. Comments needed….this ISN’T going to blow over

    Oregon Wild Horse Roundup Spurs Debate
    ARTICLE
    NOVEMBER 19, 2015
    http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20151119/news-briefs/oregon-wild-horse-roundup-spurs-debate#.Vk4ngNd7V4o.facebook

    Michael Silverman, a spokesman with Whole Foods Market, says, “This is a complex issue, and we believe that the best way to reach a compromise is for the activists, ranchers and government officials involved on the ground to meet face-to-face to ensure all sides are heard and that all parties can collaborate on a solution.”

    Silverman says that Whole Foods also encourages people to express their concerns to the BLM.

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    • Wow – 20% reproduction rate & removing them doesnt slow it down! Sound familiar? Plus are there ANY predators left there? No mention of them – but lots of prey animals – could it be that’s the problem? Makes you wonder.

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  7. One of the things I would suggest is to call your rep and senator and tell them about the PEER White Paper that I mentioned and where it can be found in the archives of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Horses to Slaughter, anatomy of a Coverup within the Wild Horse & Burro Program of the Bureau of Land Management this was published in 1997. Make it a point to even send them a copy of it because the staffers may not bother to look for it. Its about 35 or 40 pages. All of this time the wild horses have been shipped to slaughter every time there was a round up that’s where they went. They keep a few hundred so the public can see them as a front. A few years ago packages of horse meat was found in super markets in cities in the EU marked with advertising as grass fed wild horse meat from the USA. The reason no one noticed them on the slaughter trucks is because they were not freeze branded with the BLM logo that is how is was covered up. Sometimes a BLM horse with the freeze brand was seen but only a few that I know of which proved that the adopted BLM horses did end up slaughtered. I would also strongly suggest contacting the FL congressman that is investigating the slaughter.
    His name Rep.Vern Buchanan this was on this blog last week don’t just talk about it give this man some powerful ammunition to try to stop this and possibly force the BLM to tell the public just where are the 50,000 horses they claim to be boarding all over the country?? Maybe hold some feet to the fire with this information. I’m sure the BLM have their paid trolls that watch sites like this but too damn bad. I already made my call make yours when these politicians get back to DC after the holiday.

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  9. Continuing to slaughtered America’s Heritage is as ridiculous as allowing America’s Vets to continuing to become homeless and not receive proper medical care! These horses deserve justice! The farmer who bought and resold them for meat needs to pay financially as years of incarceration! The government bodies that allowed the law to be broken should pay as well!. Why? Because it’s the law!

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  10. The slaughter of horses is horrible thought considering they ‘ve been here along time such beautiful animals to do this too is inhumane and sad since so many people would love to have them and they treat them badly to slaughter these poor animals how sad to think humane needed these animals at one time and now they don’t

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