BLM expands removal plan for young Pryor Mustangs
Cloud and family after release from BLM capture in 2009 ~ photo by Terry Fitch
BILLINGS, Mont. (April 5, 2012)—Yesterday, BLM issued their Decision Record to permanently remove up to 40 young Pryor mustangs from their home in the mountains of southern Montana. The bait-trapping operation would begin no earlier than June 4th and could continue until September 30th.
“Surprisingly, the removal decision exceeds the level they outlined in their preliminary Environmental Assessment,” states Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation. “Regardless of the nearly 10,000 comments sent to BLM requesting they proceed with caution, BLM has significantly increased the number of young horses to be removed. So much for listening to the wishes of the American Public.”
BLM’s Preliminary Environmental Assessment issued in December, 2011, called for the removal of 30 Pryor Horses in the 1-3 year-old category. This final Environmental Assessment ups the removal number to as many 40 young animals–two thirds of the young population.
BLM reports that they received only 1,000 comments, although it is likely they received 10 times that number. More than 4,000 comments were generated by American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC) alone, but were only counted as one letter because they used “a sample letter or talking points provided from internet sites.”
Thousands of comments came to BLM, asking that Cloud’s look-alike grandson, Echo (Killian) be allowed to continue to live free on the Pryors. Although Echo could be removed based on age, BLM has acknowledged his rare color and genetics, and has ranked him as a horse to be removed only if they cannot achieve their target removal numbers.
Links of Interest:
BLM Q&A on Pryor Bait Trap: http://on.doi.gov/HhwIpi
BLM 2012 Pryor Decision Record: http://on.doi.gov/HhwMpg
Final BLM Environmental Assessment: http://on.doi.gov/HhwLl4
BLM Sets Sights on Another Massive Removal in Cloud’s Herd (Foundation release): http://bit.ly/tFeuWZ
What is Bait Trapping? http://bit.ly/HhurdO
Stop the Fencing in of Cloud’s Herd – Foundation video: http://bit.ly/vO4kvw
Related articles
- BLM Officially Confirms Attack on Cloud’s Herd is Eminent (rtfitchauthor.com)
- BLM Proposes Another Wild Horse Removal from Cloud’s Herd in Montana by American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (socialactions.net)
- Erasing the Memory of Cloud the Stallion (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Help Protect the Pryor Wild Horses (thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com)
- Action Alert – Pryor Mountain Wild Horses (nickolesphotography.wordpress.com)
- BLM Puts Public in Holding (rtfitchauthor.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Can we as a group get together and get these horses that would be removed. There were other Pryor Mountain horses removed to a new range from the last BLM removal. What if everyone of RT’s followers contribute $5-$10.00 and Ginger or R.T go and adopt those horses. I for one would love Echo or I forget the black relative to Cloud. I would hope that that sanctuary that got the other horses would take these new ones and we would be able to save Cloud’s family members, etc. What about it advocates? I would be willing to contribute even more if it meant we could save Cloud’s family. Getting monies from all of us could make the difference. We can’t save all the 46,000 horses unless we get acreage like Madeleine Pickens is doing and get acreage all over the U.S. THis might be what it would take to save the 46,000 that the dasterly BLM has removed so far. We must start looking at ways to save these animals or they will be all lost to future generations of our citizens. We BETTER START LOOKING AT A BIGGER RESOLVE TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY, OUR IDIOT BLM WILL NOT BE DOING ANYTHING TO HELP SAVE THEM SO IT’S UP TO US. AND, IT APPEARS OUR PRESIDENT CAN’T BE COUNTED ON EITHER.
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Lynn,
A great idea if all else fails. I would be glad to donate some money to the adoption, but it is going to take a lot of it to provide a place for them.
Also, it just makes me scream to think that we are contemplating this kind of solution when they are RAPING our American horses and their herds.
They have no right to do so and I want to fight it as long as possible.
If they are going to use bait and trap, it is possible that the traps could somehow fall into disrepair or fall apart entirely, that way the beloved horses would not be trapped at all.
That might be a possibility, interesting isn’t it?
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Dear Lynne , I love your comments and solutions you are trying to make a viable answer , thats what we all need to do ……………..There is a way and we all better start thinking cause time grows very short………………… Petitions, phone calls, faxes dont work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You mean to tell me they have to now capture 40 young horses, when their original decision was 30? Why the change in numbers and what’s the real reason for taking away part of Cloud’s Herd?
The BLM are well aware how the American people feel about our wild horses and especially Cloud’s Herd. With all the land available for them to roam, it’s in-comprehensible to me they would break up this small group of horses that have been so loved, admired and followed, by so many,young and old. There must and has to be a way to protect them.
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Jean, I agree with you entirely. Hope we can come up with a solution.
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Why? Because they can.
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Based on Lynne’s good observation, what if all of us wild-horse-lovers across America were to band together into one massive non-profit federation for the purpose of (1) purchasing outright huge swaths of land in the Western states from sympathetic private citizens at reduced prices, (2) adopting each and every last wild equine (including those currently in holding) and (3) transporting them to “our” property, without asking the government for a single penny in reimbursement.
Are there thousands of us out there who could/would donate sufficient funds for such a sweeping rescue and rehoming operation? Perhaps this envisioned non-profit federation could raise money from eco-tourists to pay for operating expenses (property taxes, maintenance, tourist guides, guards, administrative costs). Maybe it could be set up as a land trust. Does anyone know anything about that legal entity, which allows land to remain undeveloped in perpetuity (I think)?
This would ensure that existing herds would never be broken up and their genetics lost. And it would guarantee that no more horses and burros would ever have to endure the emotional and physical pain of being chased down, rounded up, penned in, and separated from family and herd mates, not to mention stolen and slaughtered.
We can’t count on for-profit corporations to help us save the horses. We can’t count on legislators, government administrations or courts at any level to help us save the horses.
So it seems like the only thing left that we CAN count on is a non-profit organization headed by a passionate and scrupulously ethical individual (R.T. or his ilk), an organization whose members are dedicated to the welfare of these wild ones.
Are there enough of us who are committed to the idea that America’s wild equines have a right to live in peace on private land that is designated for their use? (This land would of course also inhabited by other wildlife who wouldn’t be subject to hunting and trapping.)
A pipe dream? Or a potential reality?
I’m sure there are other (more feasible) ideas out there, just waiting to be discovered.
For those of us who are sick of fighting with our government and losing each round, who can’t endure one more round-up, who see no reason to trust anything our government does to the horses now or in the future — what have we got to lose? We might as well try something new.
The Pryors and their brother herds are counting on our ingenuity, our wild imagination, and our definitive actions to save them.
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BlessUsAll: I’m with you. If I would have been lucky enough to win the MEGA LOTTO, we would have been on the first road to saving them. With land purchase and several tractors and horse trailers to move them, after vets looked at them (if they could get close enough to them). Then look for building a small hotel/restaurant for people to stay and eat and watch some of them in their natural habitat. Maybe a Hyatt would be willing to assist. One of the first places I would look at would be Michael Jackson’s home that would serve as the hotel setting and it’s acreage – it might have been up to 3,000 acres. Does anyone know how to get this started? And, we will need the assistance of the legal field, as we would need to subpoena the BLM for all records showing where the 46,000 horses rounded up is now. Any missing horses and the BLM would get sued for more than they could imagine. Selling our taxpayer’s property without our approval — gets ya big bad law suit. THis is one way to see the BLM is dismantled.
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BlessusAll,
I’m in, how about everyone reading this? Now all we have to do is the heavy lifting, getting the money, setting up some kind of organization, buying the land, acquiring the horses, and running the entire operation.
Wait, isn’t that what Madeleine Pickins is trying to do? See the kind of roadblocks she is encountering..
I am still in for the long run, but someone, somewhere has to get the whole thing started.
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I’m far from an expert on Mrs. Pickens’ formidable Save America’s Mustangs, greyfel, but I have the impression she is trying to get the BLM to pay for the cost of running her eco-sanctuary by charging the government a certain fee per head per year. In other words, she is subject to the BLM’s approval. She must have a good reason for doing it that way.
My thought was that if a private organization bought (or were given!) land, and adopted all the penned horses and all the newly gathered horses as soon as was allowed, the BLM couldn’t interfere.
I have a feeling that only humble, sincere appeals to divine intelligence, wisdom and power can solve this intractable, humanly unsolvable problem and destroy the evil motives that perpetuate it.
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Supposedly, when an individual buys private land that has public lands’ leases attached to them and the new leasee doesn’t want to run livestock (aka cattle) on it….BLM makes it very difficult for that owner to do what they would like (run equines like Ms Pickens, restore it like the Grennfire Preserve).
Just ask Western Watersheds Project.
DOI/USDA will bust their fannies helping a rancher run cattle, mine, fence off water sources from wildlife, cut down trees, etc; but if you want to NOT graze it, or DO repair of raparian areas, reintroduce native species, “rest” the land, etc they come down on you like a ton of bricks.
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BLM = GREED.
Ginger’s incredible documentaries have brought Cloud and his extended family right into the homes and hearts of many many Americans. Cloud and family have taught millions of Americans about nature and beauty. Cloud is my horse and he is your horse and yet he belongs to only himself … as mother nature intended.
Cloud is only one of many thousands of wild horses and burros who have Congressional law on their side to remain on their (and our) land. How many times have we cried at the knowledge and videos and stories of our wild horses and burros being tormented by our government? What have these beautiful creatures done to deserve that?
I will answer with one word … “money”.
Perhaps we do not immediately see the Pyror capture as money related but this capture is only a nasty example of the “big picture”. BLM/FS cares only about getting rid of our Wild Horses and Burros on their (our) land and they can only do this by pulling the blanket over the heads of Americans.
EA’s go on and on about “protecting the land” … and yet sell/lease our land to destructive mining and gas fracking etc.and how can any of us keep up! And our wild horses and burros are STILL thought of as “vermin” on our public lands by those who can make a buck (or a million bucks) off our land at the expense of our wild horses and our wildlife and our water and our land.
“Dirty Greed” is my explanation.
And now … back to Cloud and the thousands of OUR other Wild Horses and Burros on OUR land… this capture is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Ginger…….. what can I do? Tell me and I will do it!
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“Nothing dollarable is safe, however guarded.” ~ John Muir, Sierra Club founder, speaking at the 1908 Governors Conference on Conservation
My adaptation: “No one dollarable is safe, however guarded.”
Or: “No one on dollarable land is safe, however guarded.”
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“Nothing dollarable is safe, however guarded.” ~ John Muir, Sierra Club founder, speaking at the 1908 Governors Conference on Conservation
My adaption: “No one dollarable is safe, however guarded.”
Or: “No one on dollarable land is safe, however guarded.”
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I feel the same way about this EA and the pictures as I did when I saw the picture where there was a water hole destroyed by cattle that the BLM blamed on wild horses. Cows and horses have completely differently riparian behaviors, and for the BLM to have posted that picture on their web page expecting us not to recognize which species actually destroyed the pond or spring area was, frankly, insulting. Do they think that they are the only people who ever see the effects that livestock have on the land? Don’t they recognize that lots of us have the opportunity to observe equine and bovine grazing behavior?
What I want to know is how is it that the BLM can come up with what it calls an EA to remove wild horses, but it doesn’t bother to do an EA to re-issue cattle permits, even after losing several law suits based on their failure to perform EA’s resulting in the retirement of a large number of grazing permits. A few of these pictures had time stamps on them, but not GIS coordinates. At any rate these so-called heavily grazed areas of the Pryors make some of the heavily grazed by cattle areas appear lush.
Why is the BLM so pre-occupied about what they refer to as range health in this location when they allow cattle to graze grass to the nubs, and in some areas there is no top soil? I don’t understand why the BLM is perfectly content to let the range turn into a dust bowl due to excessive cattle grazing, but are so concerned about a small number of wild horses in a large area.
I hope there is enough video and photographic evidence that has been shot in this HMA in the time periods referenced in the EA to show a contrast with these canned photos.
Who did this HMAP? What is so sacred about it? A plan is a plan, and a plan needs to be flexible to allow for changing conditions and needs.
I would love to have these land managers identify grasses and plants in this area, as well as the species that consume them. This EA is not specific. The forms used to evaluate the different areas need to include the methods they used to arrive at the numbers and percentages they did, and each employee who contributed his or her expertise to this EA should be named. Original documents with employee signatures and dates.
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Dear BlessusAll,
You are correct, the Pickins effort does include charging the BLM a fee per head and justly so since the BLM is funded by the American taxpayer to persecute and entrap American horses and burros.
However, I agree, any organization set up to purchase,adopt and rescue wild horses and burros will have to be COMPLETELY separate from BLM and the U.S. government.
Again, I would be happy to donate money to fund such an organization. If all of the scattered horse warriors and different organizations were to unite, it would be VERY powerful. They would not need to disband or neglect their individual organizations, just become an active member of a new and united one.
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It seems to me if the number was increased to 40 from 30 another EA would have to be done. Am I right or wrong ?
Also count me in on any plan to help save our wild horses.
There are several sanctuaries that we can help also.
BTW my newborn, wild horse filly and her damn are doing just fine. Heidi is adorable. Corinna came from the Triple B roundup last Aug.
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It seems that after the success of the film War Horse,the Cloud Foundation, with the help of others could get the Cloud story out in front of the American people. So many do not watch PBS and do not know. I am always amazed at how oblivious most horse folks are.
The links for sending to the radio stations (or TV) were great ideas. It was mentioned that there were places to talk about ideas and not post here? Is there a place to send our email addy to get with this?
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I would be happy to donate money to help out our wild horses. And Greyfel, you are right….if all of us wild horse and burro advocates came together as one, it WOULD be incredibly powerful. What is it going to take to make that happen? How awful do things have to be to bring us all together?
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Since they are counting a letter and/or petition with hundreds of names on it, as one…. does that mean they count the complaints from 20 ranchers as one? Wouldn’t that be nice? But I don’t think they do their math that way.
So, we all have to robo write to the BLM everyday, changing individual words around so they are different letters? Ha! I’ll do it.
Every other industry counts each and every name as 10-15 voices. Well, not all of them, the FDA certainly doesn’t, but most do. I feel like strangling something now, maybe there are some weeds to pull!
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This is devastating. The BLM is lying as always.
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I would love to own a wild mustang. I would love to just adopt one & let it live it’s life in “freedom” in a sanctuary, I would love to just see, in person, a real wild mustang(s), in the wild, living in peace & tranquility, or running a race against the wind, or kicking up it’s heels & playing. How can we let our assinine government take these magnificent creatures away from us, & from future generations, our children & grandchildren?? How can we let them take away what belongs to no one person, they belong to themselves, & to all who see them, not for the taking, but for the pure joy of seeing!! We are only here for a brief time, we are only borrowing from the future, that future is not for us to destroy!!
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I think all of these ideas are great..Why couldn’t we secure the help of some movies stars and
entertainers??? They are always looking for non for profit agencies looking to aid our environment and other resources in this country. Its all in the organization. I wish Michael Moore would do a documentary on the abuse of the BLM with our tax dollars…There are many many of us out here who are on the edge of our seats because we do not know what shoe will fall first. Right now the
BLM is in the driver’s seat. They hold the money and the power…And this is what needs to change..Amen to the lottery player, I too played and was hoping for the big one..OK so lets see how
much money could come up with say if everyone chipped in $20 dollars…RT, do you know how many people are on your blog? There is a land company who has sent me information on land that is available in the Nevada area and I would say its really cheap..However, 20 or 30 acres is nothing when you are talking about thousands of horses…It would be a big task, but I know that we could get it done..For those of you out West check the open land out…Mrs Pickens has the right idea with a family oriented hotel with activities..but any time you ask the government to contribute, they will find ways to tell you NO. Its a shame they all give it to their rich rancher friends and the
hell with the rest of us…I’m in on the plan..
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Sign me up also
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Greyfel, ARlene, BlessUsAll, Gail: We all agree that the getting of the land, saving the horses, and starting santuaries as Madeleine Pickens is doing is a new start to work on. Madeleine Pickens wants to get paid for the horses she’s taking. This might be the card that is holding the whole thing in limbo. These are our horses, so we take them, asking no money in return. THe costs the BLM incurred so far is at their expense and they are not going to get reimbused for them, but no more expenses will be existing once we take them. THe only condition we need to be very strict and hide, is that when they sign the horses over to us as the legal owners, we serve them with subpoenas to substantiate where all the horses are now and that we want to clarify that they are still breathing and not being harmed. I think a major hotel, example Hyatt, might want to help at each location to run the operation of the hotel and restaurant. I really think we can make this work. We will need to see if we can get Michael Moore to help and any other celebrity we can think of, such as BOb Barker, Doris Day, and Betty White for example. We definitely will need lots of money, but like I said with all the horse lovers that follow R.T.’s blog, and the addn’l people making up the 80% of people objecting to slaughter, I think we could make this work, along with the your ideas of land purchase and not being a part of having the BLM approve everything. I really believe this will work and I would hope that the other non-profits that are trying to save our beloved equines would also join us in starting this new non-profit foundation. THey would be an additional member and retain their own identities. R.T., WHAT DO YOU THINK. NOTHING ELSE HAS WORKED. i’m all for this as are the girls above and I firmly believe if we got $20-$25 (or more) from each of our horse lovers, we defihitely could make it work. Come on guys, lets get ur done. WE can’t wait much longer or we will be left without one mustang to love and admire. Simone, could you help also, and Habitat for Horses would you be willing to help. I believe a western singer adopted a horse from you, maybe it was Willie Nelson. Could he help us in this endeavor to get other movie stars to assist – maybe with appearances all across the country as a way of getting additional funds and support. Then we need realtors to help with the aid of getting good land at reasonable prices or as a donated land. Let’s all of us put our heads together with all we know that could help and I think we could get ur done. God will only help those who help themselves.
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In addition, we will need to start a way to save those domestic horses as well, the beautiful race horses and older horses that end up at the slaughterhouse. This will be a major undertaking but I know with all the expertise and the hard work of many involved, we can do it. We are all committed to our beautiful equines and I firmly believe that God will be looking over us and helping us all along the way.
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It could work, All here will help Lynne, we can save them . I know we can !!!!It must be an all out effort , The way to save them is to take them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please all here we need input !!!!!!
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Dear Lynne , this site is monitored by the BLM is there somewhere safe and secure to input this?????
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Soooooo, I’ve found some other people who are as idealistic — or crazy? — as I am. Good!
Yes, there sure are enough celebs who love horses.
Yes, there are also enough people in this nation who want the wild horses to be alive and free.
I can see why the idea of a big hotel chain is appealing, but could we find one or more ethical, enterprising whipper-snappers who know the tourist/restaurant/lodging business and who are ready to leave a big enterprise and start their own venture from scratch? (And could we insist they leave beef and steak and burgers off the menu?)
Once we had the land secured (either donated or purchased), I wonder if we could mount a huge nationwide campaign announcing that any wild-equine-lover can adopt a horse or burro for whatever price the BLM sets. This could be advertised as the way each caring American could ensure that our wild horses are never wiped out or domesticated. Perhaps the BLM could be persuaded to go along with this plan, since they seem so intent on getting all the equines off federal land. (Or would they want to “keep” some of the herds or individual horses as “national treasures”?)
I’m no mathemetician, but if there are (supposedly) 36,000 in holding pens, could we find 36,000 people to adopt a single horse or burro? I think we could. If this is a right idea, then the legalities could be worked out, wherein a person would own a horse but would contractually agree to keep the horse with his/her herd on the property we have allocated for this purpose.
I have ZERO idea how many acres we’d need for the various herds.
But I know there exists out there all the expertise we would need help in, from wild-horse-loving celebrities to land trust experts to marketing whizzes to financial wizards to legal eagles to restaurant-and-motel mavens to PR princes to friends in Congress and the Administration.
Love of the horses and burros would have to be the main motivator for anyone joining this effort. Those in it for money or fame or power or pride or kicks would not be welcome. The stellar qualities the horses exude — loyalty, courage, innocence, modesty, persistence against all odds, and so many more good characteristics — would have to be the hallmarks of whoever is running this undertaking.
It’s tempting to think “no, that wouldn’t work” or “no, we don’t have the wherewithal or the power,” but I’m going to resist the urge to naysay.
Should these preliminary even whimsical ideas be aired in the public domain? Well, transparency and openness need to be front and center. We can’t be accused of the very secrecy that we rail against.
Dear BLM, if you’re reading this, are you salivating at the prospect of being relieved of the duty of “managing” all the wild ones, who some call “vermin”?
Arlene, there are a number of ways to continue conversing privately, and I’m sure someone knows how to set them up technologically. There’s something called The Box that I’m on with another group, and it works well. It allows everyone to post notes that can be seen only by authorized viewers/commenters. The thing is, there would need to be one person who can vouch for the integrity of everyone who wanted to part of such a group.
Lynne, I’m sure we’re all with you on saving the domestic horses. I’m also sure the racehorse owners and QH owners would love to have us take their responsibilities off their hands — for free — especially if the slaughter option comes to a resounding end. But would that mean we’d be incentivizing them to continue to churn out foals?
I know who we need to get this idea rolling: Declan!!!!! 🙂
R.T., maybe you’ll weigh in with us here or with someone privately as to how you think we should proceed?
I’m gonna go ask some “holy” friends to pray to support us!
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2 must see videos are located here be sure to watch the first the second one is at the end you can then click on illegal horse racing on the desert…………………..
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2012/04/05/20120405arizona-wild-horse-rescue.html
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Arlene, the stories about the wild horse saving a filly from drowning and about the woman who takes videos and still photos of all the wild horses there are beautiful.
I couldn’t seem to find the story about illegal horse racing in the desert on the videos, but I did find something on that subject by Googling –http://www.kvia.com/news/30697287/detail.html.
Underneath the story are LOTS of “new” to me names of passionate anti-slaughter people who would probably love to learn about R.T.’s blog!
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Dear Blessusall, After watching the horse saving another horse, a xcreen comes up click on Arizona rescue , one of the horses rescued was tattooed under his lip turns out he is Barbaros half brother ………..try it again !!!! well worth watching !!!!!
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2012/04/05/20120405arizona-wild-horse-rescue.html
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Ah, yes, Arlene, I found it. I Googled for the direct link: http://www.azcentral.com/video/786984851001 — what a lovely outcome to a cruel, brutal, deadly form of entertainment. Thanks for sharing!
To be honest, I can’t be a fan of any “sport” that makes humans money from the blood and sweat — the big heart and strong spirit — of our animal friends. 😦
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You can sign me up for a donation-luv you guys and your determination. Silly me, I thought as Americans this was our country – what was I thinking? If 80% of Americans are against this shouldn’t that be the end of the conversation? We do elect senators and congressmen to represent us, why don’t they stand up for us where it counts? I know,greed – how very pathetic and sad.
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From the most recent EWA newsletter, this I-Team article and comments below it explain that Nevada is unreceptive to wild horse eco-tourism: http://www.8newsnow.com/story/17337110/i-team-horse-sanctuary-faces-lengthy-delays
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