Press Release from The Cloud Foundation
Emmy Award Winner Ginger Kathrens of The Cloud Foundation - Photo by R.T. Fitch
COLORADO SPRINGS (Cloud) — The Cloud Foundation objects to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) severe limitations placed on viewing of the wild horses captured in the controversial Calico Wild Horse roundup.
Despite the enormous cost to the American taxpayers and the controversial nature of the roundup, the BLM and the Department of Interior (DOI) are denying requests for independent humane observers during the processing of nearly 1900 mustangs over the next few months in preparation for their long term holding or adoption.
During this dangerous time for the mustangs, the public will be denied an opportunity to view BLM running the animals through alleyways and into chutes where they will be freeze-branded, inoculated and neck-tagged.
“I’ve
been watching the processing of mustangs on and off for 15 years. What is the big deal this time?” Asks Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation, “There’s something very wrong when it’s easier to crash a party at the White House than go view our wild horses being freeze-branded in Nevada. Makes you wonder if there’s something to hide out in Fallon?”
Forty-nine horses have died as the result of the roundup. This does not include the 30 plus mares who have aborted their late-term foals in the feedlot style corrals in Fallon, Nevada. The four percent death rate is over eight times the BLM expected level for a helicopter roundup. Foals are now being born in the pens and the public is not permitted to confirm young, sick and old animals are being humanely treated in a timely fashion.
BLM says that the shut down of the facility is a safety issue due to the horses being continuously in facility alleyways during the preparation process. Given the high level of interest The Cloud Foundation asks BLM to figure out a way to safely allow the public to observe.
“Processing our wild horses in secret does nothing but promote suspicion on the part of the public who simply request to have independent representatives present to verify that our horses are being treated humanely,” said Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist and Nevada wild horse advocate. “Denying American citizens the right to watch over their horses is a very disturbing trend, and simply throws fuel on a spreading fire.”
All 1922 wild horses were captured in the 40-day dead-of-winter helicopter roundup which stopped weeks early and over 600 horses short when BLM discovered fewer wild horses than anticipated in the huge 500,000 acre Calico Mountains of northwestern Nevada. The horses are now being housed at a cost to the taxpayer of approximately $75,000 per week while the death toll continues to rise. One stallion was euthanized on Monday, however, vet reports are now being withheld so the official reason for killing the stallion is unknown.
Despite Wild Horse and Burro Chief Don Glenn’s promise that the public is welcome “anytime” to view the roundups, the BLM conducted the Calico roundup with limited access.
Now BLM has repeatedly denied official requests from the Cloud Foundation and others to allow even two members of the public to be present during processing of horses which began February 15.
Ed Roberson, Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning with the DOI told The Cloud Foundation in an email last week not to worry about the horses as “we have a licensed vet on site during the prep work to ensure humane treatment.” Given BLM’s reticence to release vet reports from Fallon this is no consolation to the concerned public.
By disallowing access to any independent humane observers, BLM’s “bunker” mentality appears to have trumped any requests for transparency. “If American citizens are willing to travel to Fallon, Nevada to check on and observe wild horses that have been removed from public lands against the public will by a federal agency, why is this access being denied?” asks RT Fitch, Texas author of the popular book “Straight from the Horses Heart.”
Meanwhile the captured Calico wild horses, many still with swollen joints and injuries from being run over sharp volcanic rock by helicopters, stand in pens without windbreaks. “Topography credited by the BLM as a natural wind break is a joke. I’ve been to Fallon and I’ve seen the conditions these horses are exposed to—no cover, no windbreaks except for some of the ‘hospital’ pens”, explains Terri Farley. The celebrated children’s author of the Phantom Stallion series, based on the Calico mustangs, visited the holding facility on February 11th with a professional photographer whose photos will soon be posted at http://www.thecloudfoundation.org.
To combat the continuing roundups of America’s wild horses and burros, Nevada is planning two protests in coming days to gain the attention of a visiting President Barack Obama.
On Thursday, February 18th, protestors will unfurl over 50 banners along Las Vegas Boulevard calling for a stop to the roundups which will remove half of Nevada’s wild horses this year. On Saturday, February 20th the public will gather in Carson City, Nevada to further protest the tax-payer funded destruction of America’s Wild Horses and Burros.
According to Wild Horse and Burro Chief, Don Glenn, the facility is charging the government around $5.75 per day/per horse. That amounts to over $10,000 taxpayer dollars per day to house the mustangs. The cost of the Calico roundup alone was at least $1 million and holding of horses will cost taxpayers additional millions.
While nearly 2,000 Calico mustangs languish and die in Fallon, thousands of privately-owned cattle still graze the Calico wild horse herd areas, bringing in revenues to the BLM of around $40,000 per year. The cost to administer the grazing program for the Calico area is six times this amount based on the national average for the program as calculated by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO reported that yearly revenues from the national public lands grazing program are $21 million per year, while the costs to administer the grazing program are $144 million per year, resulting in a yearly loss to the American taxpayer of $123 million. This taxpayer subsidized grazing program is often referred to as “welfare ranching” due to the small fees charged to livestock permittees. The rate is currently the lowest allowed by law—$1.35 per cow/calf pair per month.
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
A vet is on hand? As in one? Singular? To process 1900 traumatized wild horses? Millions to the Cattoors, yet one vet.
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Let’s face it, the so called vets that are hired by the BLM are there just to cover the departments behind and do little else to the well fare of these animals. I have seen one of these vets action during the Pryor Mtn. roundup this last fall. He was sitting and poking the horses with a pole in the squeeze chutes until he saw the humane observer taking his picture. They then barred the observer from working there anymore.
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A “licensed vet?” You mean the one shown on video sitting right outside the holding pen with wild horses JUST CHASED for miles by helicopter, separated from herds, injured, in terror? That one? The one who poked and poked these horses with a stick through the fence and thought it was funny? This one? I will never forget that smile on his face. Yes, real fun, vet!
I call it sadism. Cannot see the terrible trauma these horses have and are experiencing. Cannot give the minimum of humane care even psychologically.
To Jerry Cook, I saw your above post AFTER I wrote mine. We wrote alike. I did not delete it as it was the first thing that came to my mind reading of the “good vets” that will so-call, treat the horses humanely. And what about the foal lying there for hours in agony with no hoofs? And putting injured horses on the trailer right away for the ride to Fallon? And mares aborting with great difficulty. Left to lie there w/prolonged labor. And red bag sack that the foal cannot get out of. WHERE WERE THE VETS!
We don’t have that many photos/videos due to BLM restrictions, but the ones we do have are mostly horror. A white horse fighting not to get on the trailer. Freedom escaping through barbed wire. A stallion evading the chute and capture but risking it calling out to his mares just captured. And Cloud! Released but still herding his mares, waiting, wanting the rest of his family released. And then, the video showing the sickening images of the black foal, injured, but walking into the chute. But not enough for Cattoor. Needed to swoop the helicopter down over and over again as the foal tried so hard…walk then run, walk, run. This is jail time for Cattoor! And where were the vets?!
*And Ed Roberson, with the DOI, told the Cloud Foundation, “…not to worry about the horses…” !!
Apologies, vented this AM. Just is, sometimes it really gets too much. And now this brooha, lies about vets and the most irrational reasons for no observers. Maybe just is the animals are in real bad shape. Suffering. How many more left alive?!
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Will this article be published in any publication R.T.? I mean, beside on-line blogs.
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Morgan, it is a press release and it would be hopeful that it would be picked up by mainstream agencies. Sometimes yes, sometimes no…we can only hope but I try to spread such releases around so that they get as much exposure as possible.
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R.T.
Thanks for helping me understand. If wishes were fishes, we’s all have a fry. But my wish would be that we could make this paticular press release front page news nationwide. The AP press, yah know?
I read all the banter back and forth on all the blogs. I add my own words too. Sometimes I write encouraging words to bring wisdom or urge others to actions. Sometimes my words are hastely written to knock someone off their misguided soapbox of ignorance. However, at the end of the day, my heart’s desire remains focused on one thing alone – freedom.
I had the most lovely dream last night. Ginger Kathrens was on national TV announcing the release of all the Calico Mustangs. The gates of the prison pens were opened as Ginger spoke and shouts of glory were whooping up the air as we watched the stampede of Mustang with the scent of freedom in their nostrils.
I can barely keep composed thinking of it. Please dear Lord. Let it be so. Your creation cries out to you with pleas for Your rescue.
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Morgan,
That is a beautiful dream from a beautiful lady about another beautiful lady releasing beautiful horses…it doesn’t get any better than that!!
Thanks for sharing.
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I agree. When I toss and turn at night imagining beautiful horses going to a horrific fate, I will replace it with this image.
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It has been asked on another blog if the vet is a horse vet or a cattle vet. I’m a novice on this subject but apparently there is a huge difference.
Actually the whole BLM scheme of things is absolutely pathetic. They just announced they did no know wild horses roamed – EeeGads! Wild horses roaming – who knew? Who knew – everyone but BLM apparently!
These are the BLM wild horse EXPERTS?
More like this definition – expert:
ex – a “has been”.
spert – a “drip under pressure”.
Result – too little too late.
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Love your definition!! ; )
They are horse rustlers. Nothing more.
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The BLM does not give a hoot about the mares that lost their foals. They don’t care about anything but the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$~BLM~You and the rest of the monster’s that are committing these horrific act’s to GOD’S Creature’s~Oh You Will Reap What You Sew………I hope I can watch when it is YOUR TURN TO BURN
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It can be handled with grace and style. Here is a link to a video of us processing out wild horses.
Patricia
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Thanks Patricia. Obviously two caring individuals.
I know you can’t answer this – but why doesn’t BLM put up camereas? It would ease our minds so much to know they are not hurrying and making a bad situation worse. They have lied so much and contradicted themsleves so much we are past being able to believe them any longer – I don’t know the answer how to fix this, I just know its broken and needs fixing. The silence and secrecy just fuels our angst.
That was a pretty gentle wild horse. Is that one of those chutes that hydraulically closes in on them? Thats not so bad, but its the noise those make to add trauma.
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In my state, there is a law in the books that any equine enterprise has inherent risks and anyone that participates does so at their own risk and can’t sue the enterprise. In addittion, competent equine facilities also have clients, etc sign releases regarding same, lawsuits, damages, etc.
It would be a very simple matter of the DOI/BLM having “observers” sign liability releases….IF, they really wanted to be transparent.
As to the one vet….that has been bugging me for more than a few days. One vet and 1500+ horses. Talk about incompetence, stupidity and a clear cut attempt to loose as many mustangs as possible! Sanctioned equicide, pure and simple.
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That is a wonderful picture Morgan and I so wish my dreams had been so happy, but I spend most of my nights trying to get pictures out of my mind of our horses and what they are suffering. It is what keeps me going in a way, determined to try to make some difference in the grand scheme of things.
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