(The News as We See It) by R.T. Fitch ~ author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart“
Let the Suffering Begin!
HOUSTON – (SFTHH) The BLM’s much contested Twin Peaks stampede began amidst a cloud of controversy on August 11th in Northeastern California. The aerial assault is scheduled to last 6 weeks with a total of 2,000 wild horses and burros set to be placed behind bars to endure a lifetime of imprisonment and potential sterility. Setting the stage paranoid BLM officials over reacted by calling in county Sheriff Deputies and Federal Rangers in the advent that a passive equine welfare advocate might “do something” to disrupt the roar of helicopter blades and stampeding horses. Much to their chagrin, nothing happened.
Click (HERE) To See Hector Amezcua’s Complete Slide Show
BLM Helicopter stampede contractor David Cattoor, (“The United States of America vs David Cattoor” where Cattoor plead guilty to the count of “Conspiracy” and also a second count of “Using Aircraft to Capture Wild Horses, Aiding and Abetting”), had his pilot fire up the company helicopter at 0730 hrs and commence with the destruction of our native wild horse herds.
Pay no mind to the fact that Cattoor has made millions from the BLM by stripping our public lands of their native wild horses, but Dave actually made a comment to Sam Stanton of McClatchy Newspapers on the opening day of wild horse destruction.
“They’ve got to be managed,” said Dave Cattoor, the Utah-based contractor in charge of the roundup. “They’re just totally wiping themselves out.”
Thanks Dave, we appreciate your one sided and highly slanted input but your wife and normal mouthpiece for your company walked all over herself, last week, with rumor, untruths and innuendo regarding the trumped up lie of the Owyhee roundup being conducted as an “emergency” due to “lack of water”. Now we should listen to you, NOT!
Virtually every single, independent photograph or video of the wild horses that are harassed and assaulted by the BLM and their contractors has proved to be healthy and in excellent condition. That is when independent photographers manage to exercise their First Amendment rights and are allowed to be on public land watching their publicly owned horses being brutalized by a publicly funded private contractor hired by an out-of-control federal government agency. That has not happened much, as of late.
According to reports about 130 formerly free wild horses were jammed kicking and biting into the trap and pens prior to the conclusion of the first day of the dastardly deeds. Reports indicate that Cattoor called the activity off early due to high winds in the area but there is no direct report that the high winds were generated by an excessive amount of BLM PR generated hot air.
Two seated Federal Judges allowed the destruction of this herd to proceed without comment or any indication as to basis of their decision.
The BLM indicates that they will leave 500 horses on the tens of thousands of acres at Twin Peaks but if they perform as they have in the past the U.S. public will be lucky to see any equines remaining as the BLM has no policy for scientific integrity and cannot manage grade school math.
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I just cannot believe this continues and lets put the blame where it lies on the Federal Judges who “allowed the destruction of this herd to proceed without comment or any indication as to basis of their decision.”
God help us all.
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It is absolutely sickening. To see the sweat covered horses being driven, to see the sad foals with hanging heads. Why, Why can’t something be done. This is why Tea Parties are started. Out of absolute outrage.
Our letters and donations have to help somehow, but its going to take something very special to happen.
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AND Congress. All who have stood silent and let this happen need to go.
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I’d like to know how many “observers” were allowed and who they were. Also how many were turned away and why. And as to the “safety” issue, the folks observing the capture of that one horse didn’t appear to perceive or be in any danger from any of the mustangs in the picture – nobody “running for cover”.
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R.T. – Thank’s for keeping us updated. And Hector – thanks for the photo slide show. I hope there was “a minimum of fuss” (Hector’s captions) for the sake of the American Mustangs, but there was certanly “some fuss”, as his last two photos show.
Now these magnificent animals will be “processed for adoption” – where there will be plenty of “fuss” and the predictable accompanying deaths.
I sure hope the good horsemen and women of California and the surrounding states step up to adopt their region’s American Mustangs. Obviously, it didn’t have to be this way, but this is the way it is and regular folks are left to deal with the aftermath.
Yet another sad and unnecessary chapter in the long and increasingly longer history of the demise of the American Mustang.
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Evidently there was allot of “fuss” in the traps and trailers. How many more mustangs must be kidnapped or die to satisfy the government’s “hidden agenda?
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/08/11/1388840/us-roundup-of-wild-horses-begins.html
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If I remember correctly, not much media was allowed. Maybe ONLY this reporter, Sam Stanton. Maybe he was viewed and screened by the BLM as one of those believing BLM LIES.
Well! He sure wrote what he saw…and backed up by FACTS! The hell and horror. The corruption. Lies…
Bravo Sam. Keep going back!
(There is a comment section to his article 🙂
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“They’ve got to be managed,” said Dave Cattoor, the Utah-based contractor in charge of the roundup. “They’re just totally wiping themselves out.”
This bloody liar should have his mouth washed out with soap. How’s that for a violent response? This is conflict of interest and stupidity asking this creepy guy anything! And when we have less than 10,000 will they still be telling the world they are overpopulating and in danger of starvation and thirst?
mar
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For starters, the Catoors are supposed to be working for the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Program.
They have no standing to speak to the American public wild horse and burro advocates in support of this program. Their only standing and connection here is one of financial connection to the program. They are working for the Program. This makes any of their comments hopelessly biased and not worthy of consideration in any kind of debate or conversation.
To the extent that the wild horse and burro advocates continue to directly attack this contractor, instead of continuing to speak through our proper and legal channels to those who are in a position to actually initiate change (decision-makers) we are failing the wild horse and burros and we are also, IMO, wasting valuable time and energy.
If the wild horse and burro activists bring lawsuits, record the activities, insist on First Amendment rights and write letters, make phone calls, demonstrate, etc., while continuing to educate ourselves on the issues, facts, etc., (which are dreadful enough) then how can the wild horse and burro advocates be seen to be “wierdos, breaking the law.” But to attack the Catoor Livestock Company?
What’s the point? So they are the bringers of death. The program allows for these deaths; either as part of procedure, published expectation, or by custom. These laws and procedures are on record. This relatively small but extremely expensive branch of the Department of Interior is perpetuating a program has been seen to be many things, mostly negative, and, to coin a term used by Madeleine Pickens, “financially illiterate.” But the livestock contractors and the Program are entertwined profoundly, like siamese twins to each other, and as such, represent just a small and very destructive portion of a greater putrid body.
Change will not come by listening to or spending any more time chasing after and vilifying the livestock removal company or companies. Unwelcome consequences to this “tack” could emerge to blow up in the faces of the wild horse and burro advocates. This is an observation only and only my opinion.
I am growing to believe it is time to cease focusing on the livestock removal contractor(s) and turn to something that makes sense! The livestock removers will never do more than protect their own interests. Not worth another page of news or another iota of vehemence, IMO. WHAT THEY DO (rather than what they fail to be) needs to be brought forward, as is being done so fantastically by the wild horse and burro advocates who are in the field, creating valuable video, photographic and journalistic records.
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I have a question. Didn’t the judge in this case allow the roundup to proceed because “In allowing the roundup to proceed August 9, the judge said he was satisfied with precautions he believes BLM will take to protect the horses. BLM has said the horses will walk slowly, not run, and water and nutrients will be available. It is not clear how the helicopter typically used to terrify and stampede the horses during a roundup, will instead now encourage the animals to walk toward the holding facilities.”
In Hector’s photo above, those horses AREN’T walking slowly. They are running at full speed. How about it? If BLM assured the judge this wouldn’t happen, and we all knew it would, can we not go back to court now with this? Or at least release this photo to the press with the BLM’s lies, the idiot judge’s ruling that he bought such a ridiculous lie, and let the manure hit the fan of public opinion?
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Your guess is as good as mine, Robin. It’s not the first time by any means, Shepard (sp?) flat out perjured himself in Laura Leigh’s case by testifying that the “gather” was an emergency and if the BLM wasn’t allowed to continue 70% of the horses would probably die. How’s THAT for a whopper?
I don’t understand how they get away with it either. I’m truly beginning to wonder if our Judiciary is compromised too.
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I ran across this telling quote by Sue Cattoor last night on a National Geographic site —her take on wild horse behavior, her opinion of them as merely livestock, and the reason they are in such “bad shape.”
The gather was ordered by the BLM and run by Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc. With BLM budgets tighter, there’s less money to pay for such operations. [??!!] That’s affecting horses on the range, says Sue Cattoor: “Many are in bad shape because they’re out of food and water, and that gets me frustrated.” So does a common misperception that wild horses, left on their own, will migrate around the West like wild buffalo. “There are fences out there, so horses are not really free to roam. And they’re creatures of habit. They stay in one area. They’re not deer or elk or cougars,” Cattoor says. “They’re different. They’re livestock.”
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/wild-horses/farlow-photography
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I think the only time the mrs C sees wild horses they are afraid of her or dead on the ground.
All her pictures of wild horses they are running away or exausted in the capture pens.
She must be deaf from the sounds of wild animals crammed in horse trailers and rusty old metal pipe corrals.
Or like with the black horse Freedom, escaping her pressure.
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What a tool –
“There are fences out there, so horses are not really free to roam. And they’re creatures of habit. They stay in one area. They’re not deer or elk or cougars,” Cattoor says. “They’re different. They’re livestock.”
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I just finished reading the powerful story on the Mustangs by Alexandra Fuller for National Geographic. The linked pictures were beautiful.
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There are observors out there? And there are people who have watched over these horses for many years?
Do they have a website and is anyone doing checks for photographed horses that go ‘missing’ between their range and the final BLM holding pens?
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Yesterday there were about 12 observers out there, our good friend Leslie Peeples was one:
“We’re trying to figure out a way to stop it,” said Leslie Peeples, a horse trainer who recently trekked to Washington, D.C., to lobby for an end to the roundups.
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Of course Dave Cattoor blamed you for the deaths in Owyhee. Who else would he blame? Don’t forget, he and Sue are tried and true ‘horse lovers’, so they would NEVER do anything to hurt the horses. Of course, they don’t know the definition of accountability so what else would you expect from them? You really don’t think they’re going to step up to the plate and admit what they’ve done so late in the game now, do you?
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Does anyone have the names of the judges? I think it would be fitting to post them publicly.
And to the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, if you stood by as your own country’s official Constitution was raped, if you stood by as this illegitimate government robbed these horses of their rights and robbed the American taxpayers of their rights, you are going right on top of the pile as fully accountable for the loss of this nation’s principles. How dare you sell them out. How dare you sell us all out.
Judges’ names, anyone?
The Sacramento Bee has long been on the dogpile of worthless one-sided storytelling, that is no shocker. The locals find that “newspaper” laughable. A waste of good trees.
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Can the feds deputize the local law?
Here’s some judges’ names from http://animallawcoalition.org
(cut & paste – hope you don’t go crosseyed trying to read they are just snippets)
The names are already public domain on these rulings by now, right?
*****
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an emergency motion to stop the Twin Peaks wild horse roundup.
In doing so, the Court of Appeals upheld a denial last week by U.S. District Court Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. of motions filed by Plaintiff In Defense of Animals for an emergency stay, temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop the roundup.
*****
Laura Leigh is hoping U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks
Update July 28, 2010: Late yesterday, U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks denied a motion asking the court to hold Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, BLM Director Bob Abbey and Nevada BLM Director Ron Wenker in contempt of the court’s earlier order requiring BLM to allow Plaintiff Laura Leigh, a journalist, author and artist, access to the Tuscarora roundup.
*******
Update July 15, 2010: Judge Larry Hicks has issued an injunction prohibiting BLM from proceeding with the Tuscarora roundup.
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I’m still planning a community prayer ceremony for August 28. Asking friends and family far and near who can’t make it to at least set aside some quiet time on that day — light a candle, offer up a prayer to honor the lives of our wild horses and burros.
May all our prayers be answered in a good way.
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Sadness. Anger. Regret it was not stopped. Worry for the lives of the wild ones ripped from their home. Incredulous at this violent method on that terrible rocky ground. Fear for the lives that will be forever changed. Anxiety for those injured. My apologies to Epona for this is so wrong. mar
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Add to this … wisdom, clear vision, fairness and compassionate choices to inspire our decision-makers toward right action. If they’re going to make decisions on our behalf, at least I want them to be good, solid decisions made in the spirit of honesty and transparency and with the true best interest of the horses and burros at heart.
At this point, I can’t see a clear path ahead. I don’t have the answers, but I do know I personally need a healthier perspective on the entire situation, because right now I’m feeling angry and disappointed and helpless. I just need to shake some of this negativity off, like a horse standing up after a good roll and shaking off the dust.
Since I don’t know exactly how everything could or should turn out, I’ll ask for prayers to be answered in a good way.
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Drug cartels are confirmed to have taken over private ranches in Laredo TX, and I see little difference to responses by law enforcement and media: http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/003458.html.
Acts of war against our horses, against us all, taking place right under our very noses. Hm.
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Nancy Haug, BLM says “These horses are used to it.”
Really? How so?
That opens up an entire can of worms in my imagination – but I won’t go there.
Entire quote:
“They live out here in these conditions,” said Nancy Haug, the BLM district manager who spent the morning fielding questions from opponents and expressing concern at the notion that the bureau’s workers don’t care about the welfare of the animals. “These horses are used to it.”
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It means nothing, says nothing and accomplishes doubt in the mind of the public who do not understand.
This is the worst handling of any wildlife in this century and will not be forgotten or forgiven. mar
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OK, I’ll let those worms out of the can.
Are they “used to it” due to secret roundups, being moved around to support their “counts”, and buzzing (AKA recognizance)?
Was this a Fruedian slip from Haug?
Otherwise how could wild horses be “used to” something that happens only every 3 to 5 years?
I know we are not supposed to conjecture.
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Bravo, Roxy, for putting into words what SO many are thinking. There is much more to this story, the story of the horse hating terrorists of the BLM, than is commonly known….. at this time. But, like cream, truth always rises to the top and one day it will be fully known all of BLM’s criminal, unethical and immoral acts against the American Wild Horses (and other innocent wildlife). I cannot WAIT for that day to come and for the prosecution to begin….
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Looking at this from a strictly business side, one asks: How many cattle and sheep will replace the horses? (Unlike the horses, their replacements DO stay in one place and have been proven to do more damage to public lands, not according to “horse advocates” but an independent group, Western Watersheds.) Then look at the resulting economics: Further land leases by BLM = millions more taxpayer dollars to make up the difference between what is charged versus the costs of administration. More wild horses in temporary holding = further bleeding of the BLM budget. Then add in the roundup costs, their portended purchase of land in the East and Midwest for the Salazoos, overtime and means to transport said horses to Salazoos. And let’s not forget the costs of PR to sell this “load” to the public, LOL. And the increasing costs of “security” to keep BLM employees “safe,” rapidly becoming an onerous task in and of itself. Look how far ahead our country would be financially if we had an agency that could actually “manage” public lands and wild horses. Hard to believe anybody would buy this crock. The BLM are idiots and should not be running any of our country’s “business.” Don’t think I would want them or the Cattoors mucking out my stalls. We do not allow vermin like that on our property.
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Lenore – perfectly said. Copied and saved for future use.
Just saw a blog somewhere (can’t keep track) – apparently pro welfare cattle people are coining this term – “wild horse welfare”.
Huh? Ok, up to 1 billion dollars a year on cattle vs 45 Million on wild horses –
BOTH UNNECESSARY.
Get rid of the cattle and return the horses, stop helicopter roundups, conduct bait trapping only when scientifically necessary – no more welfare.
PS that is a B for billions – few jobs created and mostly exported for profits vs M for millions. What could be accomplished for wild horses and for eco tourism with just a portion of the $123 million dollar direct cost to cattle managment? Just 10% is $12.3 million – about what we spend on helicopter roundups – again few jobs created – use that for traps instead! 20% would promote tourism with the same BLM staff they have pushing their rotten agendas and maintain wells. Use the money from Salazoo to “purchase” migration paths (I’ve given up on using that to displace cattle ranchers – or match that “one time” amount and do both).
Traps – Cattoor moves gather traps like crazy already to avoid “observers”. “Said” they could not truck water to the horses. But guess what – did get trucks to water the horses. Factual evidence all over the desert of multiple trap sites and tire tracks.
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Debate time — Roxy you go first!!!
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What point for debate?
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Roxy, just admiring your debate skills!
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Another obvious problem with the Salazoos is that after spending ALL those millions of tax payer dollars to buy this land on which they plan to put sterilized horses – even separated by sex too – what are they going to do after all the horses die maybe only 20 years or so down the road? I’ve been asking this question ever since this absurd plot was hatched, and so far I haven’t had any sort of answer.
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You’re so right, Lenore. It’s just a business deal to so many people, in and out of government. All of the money that’s being spent now on round ups, PR etc. will most likely be made back by livestock leases or energy interests monopolizing our public lands. And, of course, we’ll continue to pay our taxes.
It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission. The BLM is not interested in our permission. But once the horses and burros are inbred and dying out, they may say, “Oh, sorry… We didn’t know that would happen.”
And, at that point, it’s way too late.
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Nora, in reality BLM will not let the horses go extinct. They have already stated they are prepared to put horses back.
But here is the rub, here is the scheme, here is the scam:
They will pay to put “wild horses” back in the mix. They have stated so. How will that occur? They will buy them with our tax dollars from the few breeders that are out there breeding “wild horses”. Then they will pay Cattoor and Cook with tax dollars to truck them out and return them.
BLM continues to put cattle on land where they have removed horses to keep us all at odds – thinking while we are fighting each other we will not see the shell game.
All the sex ratios and roundups result in compensatory reproduction. BLM knows this – they have always known this – the aggressive removals will only result in excess breeding.
They play “dumb and dumber” with their ridiculous Press Releases, PR refined web site, unfounded reports of “starving” horses, junk science, recorded statements and news opportunities so that we will spend our time “catching” them instead, showing their faults, again, omstead of seeing the schemes. Why else would they continue these practices, this embarrassment? They haven’t cared because we were only a rag tag bunch of what they could coin “anti gather advocates” and they have had the cattle industry and hunters coining us as just “tree huggers” and horses as coach roaches.
So what is the scheme (the taxpayer scam)? PERPECTUAL HELICOPTER ROUNDUPS IN INFINITUM! Chaching!
Well, sorry, but we are able to multy task, we are able to see the dumb and dumber act, we are able to see through the cattle/hunters vs horses.
And how do you spell B A C K F I R E!
First, the public did not allow BLM to kill off the horses in holding – horses that could be put back on the range when needed – so the breeders will not get millions for those horses they are breeding after all. Instead the public is demanding horses in holding to be returned and a moratorium on further gathers.
The cattle vs. horses has only brought to light the exorbitant taxpayer cost of welfare ranching – and the public are not liking that revelation.
Dumb and dumber has not covered up the facts investigated and brought forth – no fly zones, 1st amendment violations, unnecessary cruelty for profits only, truck tracks and evidence of traps where they say they cannot get trucks to, missing horses, unexplainable horse numbers – as much as 400 to 100 from year to year according to their own charts, unexplainable science of 20% growth – where their own chart numbers do not support this. What else? There is much more.
Pack it up BLM and get out of town!
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spelling errors – multi task for example – sorry.
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No worries about spelling errors, Happens to the best of us. 🙂
Putting horses back on the range … I hope you’re right that mustangs will be re-introduced from captivity, because the way I’m looking at the picture, there doesn’t seem to be enough genetic viabiltity being considered in the HMAs. The junk science that goes into stripping these horses off the land is the same junk science that may very well lead to inbreeding and a dying off trend.
Also, re-introducing horses isn’t simply a matter of letting these horses loose in an area. I was thinking about the complexities of re-introduction. Once they’ve been in captivity — especially long term holding — there are all kinds of social behaviors as well as physical changes that need to be undone. Feet come to mind. Horses that have been on soft ground in captivity may or may not adapt to rough terrain. I’m thinking specifically of younger horses who have been in captivity since 6 months of age and are now 4 or 5.
Digestion is another issue. Transitioning from hay and grain back to range grasses and brush will be a challenge. It can be done, but it’s not an overnight proposition.
Added to that, how will they know how to survive without the guidance of older horses who know the territory? The entire social structure, once shredded by humans, is not so easy to re-establish in the wild.
Not saying that it can’t be done. Not trying at all to sound like a pessimist. Just looking at the mess that’s been created and the difficulties presented for these animals if the idea of reintroduction is considered as an option.
I think of the money spent to get rid of wild herds. The money spent responsibly re-introducing them to the wild would be just as significant.
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Nora, then we must get behind Pickens plan! That must become a reality. What haunts me on equal ground as the helicopter roundups are the thousands of depressed souls in holding – just a final blow to real life after the roundups.
New Mexico maintains HMAs of 100 or so, they use water traps and reduce to 50 or so, while keeping bands together (and hopefuly elders in the mix). I had posed the issues of genetic viabiltiy to them and they indicted that they would add horses back in as necessary. I believe other BLM agencies have said the same thing. I have asked where these breeding horses will come from. I have not recieved an answer. So I am left with three possibilies. 1) They will come straight from gathers in other states or 2) They will be purchased from wild horse breeders. 3) Mares could come from holding and stallions would come from other states or from breeders.
New Mexico says they can do water trapping insteaad of helicopters becuase their HMAs are so low, about 100 to begin with. I say 1000 horses on the Nevada range are just 10 groups of 100 horses, 2000 are just 20 groups of 100.
As to return to the wild, I would expect a higher than normal mortality rate – but they did adjust once in history already. To the mortality rate – and I may be totally alone – they woud die in the wild, in freedom, where they belong, as nature intends – not withering away in prison.
What are your thoughts on what to do with the ones in holding?
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I will accept no other goal than to return the land to the wild horses, and the horses to the land, a temporary preserve-not managed by the BLM-is acceptable to me as a “temporary” measure until we can get this all worked out through congress-which is where it will happen..the BLM will NEVER return those horses on their own..Then I want the BLM removed from the care of the horses and the land..the DOI does not seem to be in control of anything..so clean house, make the DOI a deptartment of scientists, rather than career ignoramouses, to oversee and control the BLM..This administration stated they were going to bring Science back to decisions that are made, and I am holding them to it..I am sick of “pay to play” politics..as long as there are older mares left to return with herds-releasing can and will be sucessful, -you can tell a lead mare..there are no marks on her hide..she rules supreme, if you want to see some nasty battles put just 2 herd leaders with their groups in a pen, I have seen mares go at it with nearly the same ferocity as a stallion to defend their territory from another mare.
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I’ve given a lot of thought to the questions of what to do with all the horses in holding facilities, as well as managing horses and burros on the range. First, there are no quick, easy answers. IMO, turning the captives loose right now — especially those in long term holding — without adequate transition measures is not an option. These animals have been weakened by captivity. Letting them die in the wild without giving them some kind of fighting chance seems cruel to me. They’ve also become accustomed to some level of human care, mostly in the area of feeding. If returned to the wild without a “return to the wild” transition plan, they might suffer and die needessly — or go looking for people to feed them, which will create another set of problems.
So, here are some thoughts. I really don’t know how workable they are.
* First, remove WH&B management from the BLM. This agency is a failure where wild herds are concerned and is not trustworthy as a steward of wildlife.
* Next, assign a better team to take on protection of this protected species.
* Implement a moratorium on all round ups until the issues of horses and burros are examined by ecologists, etc.
* The National Academy of Sciences may be able to direct accurate environmental assessments as well as a real census of the remaining herds in the wild. We need to know how many horses & burros actually exist in the wild and what their true population rates and behavior patterns are in relation to other species. We can’t proceed with any kind of meaningful plan until we have good numbers and data to work with.
That’s a bit of a start…
Horses & burros in holding …
* Adoption of some of these animals is not entirely out of the question, though I think the current program is totally inefficient and needs to be overhauled.
* Exploration of returning many of these animals to the range. How can this be done? How do we re-introduce a wild species back to the wild? What does transition look like? Are there ranches willing to serve as temporary havens for transitioning horses and burros?
* Preserves may be a solution, temporary or permanent, depending on the needs of the individual horses. One thought comes to mind: There is property all over the Western states that is not being used for livestock. It’s fenced, has adequate forage and water sources. Ranchers/property owners may be willing, for a tax write off per horse or burro, to allow small mixed herds on the land. Designate these as preservation herds that can’t be sold, remain under the jurisdiction of whatever program manages wild herds, and are allowed to live out there lives in an open space with plenty of room to move around. I think that older horses currently in holding may be good candidates for this kind of situation.
While in general I don’t care much for the zoo-type preserves proposed by Salazar, I think that there is some merit in sanctuaries or preserves for some of the horses in holding. But rather than a large bureaucractically controlled zoo, why not allow private land owners to host small herds. For instance, I can think of two large parcels here in GA — fenced, good pasture, natural water sources — that aren’t being used for livestock, farming, etc. They could be tax-deductable homes to small preservation herds — horses & burros that might not make it in the wild and that have demonstrated the metabolic ability to tolerate richer grasses that grow here in the southeast. Perhaps this more grassroots approach is preferrable to huge land tracts funded by tax-payers, especially if there could be a tax write off involved. If I had a large tract of unused land, I’d be open to hosting a herd.
Overall, I think that a many-pronged approach might work better than an “all or nothing” solution. When I hear the number 38,000 + in holding, that feels like something I can’t wrap my brain around. But break it down into smaller numbers, allowing for multiple possibilities, and there might be a lot of different ways of dealing with the issues.
One last thought: It’s important to remember that these horses & burros will create new families in holding facilities. These bonds, over time, become quite strong and shouldn’t be invalidated. To doubly traumatize these animals by stripping them from their new bonds with herd mates is something to be considered. When herds are rounded up, we talk about how to keep families together. Once they’ve bonded with other herd mates, perhaps we should ask how we can keep these new families together.
Like I said, these are just a few ideas … Some may be do-able. Others not so much.
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Nora, your plan looks very good and thank you for sharing it.
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Nora, excellent. Keeping this for when those nagging nay sayers come along saying we have no ideas or solutions.
Somewhere along the line I got the impression that we wanted captures returned.
We need to get Pickens plan on board and a few more like that one.
I don’t mind if she pays for her land purchases with the preserves at all – and then one day (soon!) those sterilized horses will not longer fill them up and she will be justly rewarded for her excellent idea and action.
Tourism will flourish, the roundups will stop, or at least diminsh and be replaced with water traps and gentle humane handling and processing, ONLY WHEN scientifically needed, etc, etc.
Did you all hear Gorrey on NPR this week? Whew! Madeline and Knapp took good care of him from my perspective, I wonder what the public was left with?
We should all goto NPR and blog when any nay sayers creeep in.
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Nora, one last question –
I thought all stallions in holding were gelded and mares and geldings held in separate confinement.
So, the only babies being born there should be from new already pregnant arrivals from roundups – and those babies quickly separated also, either to adoption or gelded and in with other geldings and mares separate. And I thought the same was proposed for Salazoos and for Pickens Preserve.
And I just don’t see that much draw for tourism with nonreproducing herds and no babies running around. So, it is never easy – is complicated as you suggest, requiring complex solutions.
Is that incorrect?
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Roxy — I think the ideas all of us can put together will show the nay-sayers that we really are solution-oriented, not just a bunch of disgruntled horse huggers.
If I had my druthers … I’d re-introduce horses in areas where the populations have been decimated by round ups. I don’t know what kinds of numbers that would be. Probably quite a few. But that may not be the best option for all the horses in holding, depending on health, age, gelding, and so on.
To be honest, I’m not sure exactly how horses are seperated in holding facilities, but I do know that some of them are there a long time together. Do they always keep mares seperate from geldings? Young horses seperate from older ones? Anyone know for sure?
Yes, stallions are gelded, but I think there are possibilities for mixing the herds with mares and geldings on preserves. I think it’s important to keep some of the more bonded horses together for stability’s sake. If young horses are gelded, there tends to be less fighting over mares and it’s easier to maintain a mixed herd. I’m not sure what the final picture would look like. Given enough space, horses will generally work out the herd dynamics on their own pretty well. Mares are good about laying down the law. 🙂
Tourism is part of the solution, I think. And I see what you mean about babies drawing crowds. But overall, I see preserves as places for horses that aren’t going to be able to be released or adopted — a safe haven, regardless of whether the public comes to visit or not. To me, it’s more about providing a safe space for them where they can breathe fresh air, roll in the grass and be horses.
Lots to think about. We definitely live in a world of possibilties.
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Nora, your plan is well thought out and I appreciate you sharing it.
On LTH, they do send sexed groups to each facility. I have no idea if there are any groups of stallions sent to LTH. I thought it was all mares or all geldings. When the mares foal after they’ve been in LTH awhile (coming there already pregnant), it’s pretty much up to the LTH contractor how to handle them but I know of one who doesn’t wean the colts off until they are 6 months or more. That LTH contractor seems to care about the babies and doesn’t try to wean them too soon – it’s a cattle ranch in the grasslands and they also have experience raising QHs.
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The return of horses to the wild is not as complicated as one might think..first of all the most difficult part would be in returning them to lands they are not familiar with, if you can use there brands to identify where they came from and get them back to that area..so much the better..the key is turning the old horses out with those younger ones born in captivity..thats how they learn when born in the wild..they copy and imitate their elders..wild horses do not forget how to survive..in new territory it may take some time to discover where water holes are where the spring grasses come first and where the best places are to winter..but they have instincts that we cannot begin to appreciate….do not ever underestimate the wild horses..they survived the ice age when no other species did…they survived man hunting them for food..never think they are not survivors because it seems as if our domestic horses could not survive without us..such is not the case..They donot NEED us..they need us to get out of the way so they can survive..I see no value to a transistional stage..trust me from my own experience..my mares never need their feet trimmed on high desert soil and rock ..unless they have an injury…at times in their lives they have needed trimming when they lived on irrigated pastures..they will toughen their feet right away in the dry arid climate..after i moved 34 head of horses to New Mexico..I could hardly get the nippers to cut the hoof wall nor get my hoof knife to trim the sole..in 6 weeks..they toughened up..My lead mare was born on a 300,000 acre QH ranch in desert country..they run out until they are 3 yr.olds..this mare knows how to thaw a hole in a pond so that the other mares can drink..she is not a mustang…but 3 years raised as a “wild”horse gave her skills that amaze me…she does not care for people-except for me and brings the herd when I call or whistle..no one makes a move until she does..As far as the adjustment to food…they won’t have any problems going from processed hay..grass or alfalfa to desert forage..going the other way is what upsets the gut..its too rich of a food source without a transistion..If the BLM was in charge of this process..I would expect it to be a disaster..putting your butt in a saddle has nothing to do with common sense about horses or herd behavior..Its finding a lead mare to go with each bunch you release..they will sort themselves in the wild…it doesn’t take a whole lot of dollars..just some common sense, just like my mare has.
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Sandra — Well, reintroduction to the wild is kind of hypothetical at this point anyway. But really interesting to talk about!
The reason that I think a short transition period might be good is to acclimate horses & burros to one another before release and to be sure that there aren’t any physical issues that need to be looked at.
Round up after round up we’ve seen the BLM and contractors err on the side of cruelty and bad judgment. If we were going to release these herds, I’d like to err on the side of compassion and sound horse care — just to show these idiots that there really ARE humane ways to to treat wild animals.
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Nora, absolutley – I had not considered “how” to reintroduce them, only that it needs to be done somehow.
See, these are the things that would come out of a Moretorium, time to discuss and perfect and then engage a few different “systems”, then come out the other end with “real” science based programs.
I hope we are all keeping track of all of our ideas. If I had the computer skills I would catalogue them – I think some one said they were doing that a while back.
I contend that BLM cannot be a participant – I’d gladly be proven wrong if it should turn out the other way – but for now I’ll just stay in stage III development of “angry” – like that movie guy “I am angry as hell and I’m not taking it any more!”.
Did find something just this week – maybe something in this for those that can stomach attempting to work with BLM (I only know what they say on the first page of their website – don’t blame me if they are really something other than what they imply please):
http://www.coffeepartyusa.com/
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The money that BLM makes is in the succession of people and jobs and becoming CEOs at big corps after helping them rape our lands through out their careers. The fees from cattle do not cover anything. That is a deficit.
The fees for the industries; mining and even Ruby pipe line DO NOT COVER THE COST OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS GOING INTO THE LEASING!!!!!!!!
BLM has made statements that they do not have the manpower to make inspections let alone assessments for each lease!! They have an internal document that says so. They use less science than we can imagine to make highly sensitive decisions that alter landscapes and remove our wild horses.
This is the Good Ol’ Boy system and BLM will employ sons and daughters and get them in with the industries and whatever it will take to keep loyal people employed.
The Agency rips us all off. They do not have the ability to do better and the manner they employ now is like a fraternity that takes care of its own. mar
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On American taxpayers’ backs, too.
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No fuss??????? I am sure there was considerable fuss among the horses, just not obvious to the BLM and their ilk. . Linda, you nailed it, and Lenore, too. This Dave and Sue Cattor… I’ll take a high road. Wild horses are livestock???? Do not roam? Where was she born?
Cattor Livestock Roundup – the name says it all, they are trying to justify their action so they can face themselves in the mirror. Picking up their paycheck, that’s all they are interested in… And for him to blame Laura Leigh for the death of the horses, that tops it all! I’ll shut up now before I slip off the “road”.
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Time for them to retire. . . what bounds defines their greed? Infinite?
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This is the Catoors “cash cow” and they are going to milk it till it dies..then they are going to retire and open a 3 strikes like facility-where they will continue to abuse wild horses..there are some things you just get addicted to.-wouldn’t be surprised to find out-they are or will be a longterm holding facility…because they care…and because Sue stated on her website..that she believes ” all excess wild horses should be humanely euthanized”
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IDA has a petition:
Oppose Massive Wild Horse Roundup In Wyoming’s Pristine Red Desert;
1,500+ Mustangs Targeted For Removal
Email us your comments by Friday, August 13;
we will hand deliver them to the BLM on Monday, August 16
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Signed! Thanks for posting!
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. . . and that’s 50% by BOGUS BLM numbers! They don’t have a clue. IN ACTUALITY IT MIGHT BE 100%
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The petition site has one too, from the ASPCA: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/517/697/713/
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I want to know how it is that BLMs so-called wild horse experts-the Catoors_ put 1 white Stallion in with a herd of mules and he was attacked by the group…anyone with an iota of horse sense or livestock sense or just common sense-would not have done that…My take- Sues stated prejudice against “white” horses..I think it was just like dog fighting-and they did it intentionally knowing it would be bloody and hoping the white stallion would be killed.
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How is it this kind of cruelty is going unpunished? Where is the sanity and courage of law enforcement to haul these jerks off to jail?? mar
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Where did she state this prejudice? I had not heard that but it’s an important point – goes to a possibility of motive.
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I picked up on it in one of her many convoluted tortured explainations of how the palamino mare died..it was in the first response I think to steven long that fitch posted here…She was dead wrong about the mare but it is a perception some people have about cremolas and call them albinos..is that they are blind.. as many have blue eyes-In the first place the mare was not a cremola, you cannot see the white markings on a cremola except when they are born, second they have pink skin instead of dark skin..which paints also have under the parts of their coats that are white..Its pure ignorance and prejudice..but an advocate who communicates with her also thinks the same thing..and now i wonder if that is where she got it from.
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This is a prejudice that these people have expressed openly. These are barbaric people. To act on such a thing they have to be looking for excuses to kill. Maybe it helps them justify the killing. But when you think of what they are actually doing, torture, they are just choosing their victims this way. This is murderous. mar
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“To act on such a thing they have to be looking for excuses to kill.”
Mar, I really don’t think so. I think they are just dumb and do not see horses as anything more than creatures that are in their way. With all their “knowledge” they have no real horsesense.
With them the eliminating of the Mustangs is no more than swatting a fly is to us.
I know its hard to see with all the frustration and anger we feel!!
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If a government agency committed these acts against another human being in a continuous pattern, we would not consider it an act of stupidity, but a cold calculating pathalogical act against a group of like individuals, thats genodidal, and prejudiced by nature, and yes, also reflects a lack of concern for the individuals being killed-like swatting flys..I have come to realise that giving them the excuse of stupidity, is in their favor….Stupidity-is not a legal defense-you don’t get to commit crimes because you are stupid..They know exactly what they are doing, and don’t care…as is the case when they pushed that mare over the cliff with the helicopter-because-she did not chose that route on her own…Even a domesticated horse would not have chosen that route, a Mustang, as savy as they are-NEVER-would have..and that was an intentional act of malice -not stupidity
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I would also like to point out-when you speak to prejidical people you will find -they have all kinds of prejudices-towards groups of individuals as well as animals, and frequently use racial slurs, in their commentary about races..it is a biased and twisted way of thinking that permeates every day of their life.
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Reposting Janet Ferguson here as there was no “reply” allowed where it was and this deserves our complete attention. Janet I hope you don’t mind.
First I want to say “Brilliant!” And a huge thank you for reminding us all to stay focused ans “spend” our time and efforts wisely.
I have copied and saved for future use and as a reminder to focus on the good fight.
Second, just for thought – I was a contract worker for a city for 8 years. We were not allowed to even talk to the press (and the press knows this). People were fired for doing so. If we were approached by the press we were required, under the same rules as any government employee, to contact our PIO.
Because we may not be the most knowledgeable – give wrong information. And because we would not be privy to any number of law suits going on at any given time that the court had ruled not to be discussed out of court.
I will “attempt” from now on to not waste time on Cattoor – but I am making no pledges.
Janet Ferguson
Aug 15, 2010 @ 15:01:32
For starters, the Catoors are supposed to be working for the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Program.
They have no standing to speak to the American public wild horse and burro advocates in support of this program. Their only standing and connection here is one of financial connection to the program. They are working for the Program. This makes any of their comments hopelessly biased and not worthy of consideration in any kind of debate or conversation.
To the extent that the wild horse and burro advocates continue to directly attack this contractor, instead of continuing to speak through our proper and legal channels to those who are in a position to actually initiate change (decision-makers) we are failing the wild horse and burros and we are also, IMO, wasting valuable time and energy.
If the wild horse and burro activists bring lawsuits, record the activities, insist on First Amendment rights and write letters, make phone calls, demonstrate, etc., while continuing to educate ourselves on the issues, facts, etc., (which are dreadful enough) then how can the wild horse and burro advocates be seen to be “wierdos, breaking the law.” But to attack the Catoor Livestock Company?
What’s the point? So they are the bringers of death. The program allows for these deaths; either as part of procedure, published expectation, or by custom. These laws and procedures are on record. This relatively small but extremely expensive branch of the Department of Interior is perpetuating a program has been seen to be many things, mostly negative, and, to coin a term used by Madeleine Pickens, “financially illiterate.” But the livestock contractors and the Program are entertwined profoundly, like siamese twins to each other, and as such, represent just a small and very destructive portion of a greater putrid body.
Change will not come by listening to or spending any more time chasing after and vilifying the livestock removal company or companies. Unwelcome consequences to this “tack” could emerge to blow up in the faces of the wild horse and burro advocates. This is an observation only and only my opinion.
I am growing to believe it is time to cease focusing on the livestock removal contractor(s) and turn to something that makes sense! The livestock removers will never do more than protect their own interests. Not worth another page of news or another iota of vehemence, IMO. WHAT THEY DO (rather than what they fail to be) needs to be brought forward, as is being done so fantastically by the wild horse and burro advocates who are in the field, creating valuable video, photographic and journalistic records.
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I want to say this-with emphasis- that photo of the palamino mare-perched precariously on that ledge broken and battered and yet still standing, followed by the photo of her dead at the base of the cliff-brought home to me and many others the nature of the fight we are in..Without the attack on Cattors by advocates on blogs..we would have never got that story or had those deaths recorded or developed more evidence…It brought Sue out in the open with wildly concocted and conflicting stories..that story with those pictures have allowed me to sell this cause to “many” people…so i strongly beg to differ.
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You mean like what Janet has said:
“WHAT THEY DO (rather than what they fail to be) needs to be brought forward, as is being done so fantastically by the wild horse and burro advocates who are in the field, creating valuable video, photographic and journalistic records.”
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here is the news story in Elko a man was arrested and charged (with explaination of the law) for not giving his dog food and water.
Why can’t the wittnesses of animal abuse by the contractors call the police? re stallion off loaded with mules and white stallion hurt bad from stallion fighting.
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_c64ac30e-a447-11df-96a8-001cc4c03286.html
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Laura, I know. That is part of the rub isn’t it? What a huge disparity.
Just keep posting about it.
I have added that to my ammunition depot of ideas.
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Sandra, my last sentence:
WHAT THEY DO (rather than what they fail to be) needs to be brought forward, as is being done so fantastically by the wild horse and burro advocates who are in the field, creating valuable video, photographic and journalistic records.
I feel we are in agreement on the necessity of recording and disseminating this information; however, the direct confrontations themselves with the contractors I find of questionable value.
Roxy, and Sandra, thanks for your remarks. Sometimes I just write to figure out what I think! Ex: on of my favorite saying from my grandmother, “Nana:” “Sometimes I don’t know what I think until I hear myself say it!”
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Janet, we are all “searching”. Sometimes desparatly so.
Your post was thought provoking.
Who knows where an idea will be born that will get us where we need to be.
I write many thoughts here to test them out before I take them to the main stream press blogs and so I always appreciate feedback. I have no orignial ideas either – I get all my ammunition from you ALL – priceless!
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I have it on good authority, the reason sue spoke out was in response to the direct verbal attack on them..up to that point we only had the dead picture of the mare..sue posted the live picture of the mare..How many horses have we seen both pictures of…alive and dead…we just hear they have been euthanized…my comment was in response to it being pointless to verbaly attack them…and I have not heard of anyone doing that in a face to face situation…but that wouldn’t surprise me either..she ever mouths off to me at an upcoming gather and I will be right in her face.
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and note in the news story Elko has “animal control”
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