Unedited Press Release from the BLM
BLM Gather of Wild Burros to Begin June 6
BLM Prisoner ~ by Terry Fitch
Yuma, Ariz. – The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Yuma Field Office plans to begin gathering 350 burros from the Cibola-Trigo Herd Management Area north of Yuma, Arizona, on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The gather was announced earlier to begin on June 4.
BLM expects the gather to last two weeks. The gather is part of ongoing management to maintain a healthy population of wild burros and horses on public lands in balance with their environment.
All gathered animals will be examined and, if needed, treated by a veterinarian. All animals will be transported to the BLM Ridgecrest facility and made available for adoption to citizens willing and prepared to provide good care.
Public viewing is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. on June 6. Public observation will continue throughout the gather. All attendees must drive their own four-wheel drive or high-clearance vehicle. Also, observers should dress in accordance with weather conditions and bring plenty of food and water.
This gather will cover an extensive area, so the gather operations will be mobile and fluid. The trapping and holding site locations will change as the gather progresses and the meeting locations for the public observation opportunities will also change. For details on the gather, public observation opportunities, and other important information, visit BLM’s website at www.blm.gov/az.
The gather was scheduled to begin on April 9 but was postponed because of an Appeal and Petition for Stay to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA). The IBLA denied the Petition for Stay on April 30.
Contact:
Lori Cook, 928-317-3243 or cell 928-246-8560
Deborah Stevens, 602-417-9215 or cell 602-828-1436
Related articles
- Experts Urge BLM to Halt Massive Arizona Burro Roundup in High Desert Heat (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Government Transparency and Public Process on Wild Horses and Burros Jeopardized (rtfitchauthor.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
BLM is one cruel agency!!! These animals are on public lands…. Are they yours to destroy and imprison. NO!!!
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It’s widely known that “BLM” stands for the Bureau of Livestock & Mining. It’s about giving access, not restricting or protecting lands or animals. It’s a sham. It’s time people started arriving by the hundreds and thousands to these sites — could you imagine laying down our bodies so the trucks taking the horses to slaughter in Colorado can’t move. This is about the rights of animals to be free ot cruelty.
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I can’t think of a thing in my life that has made me feel more helpless than the cruel way the BLM treats America’s wild horses and burros! They plow through the law with total disregard and treat the horses and burros in their charge as though they were vermin! They ignore the will of the people and lie about the reasons they are exterminating the herds! I cannot understand how an agency of the United States Government can behave so abominably and not have to pay for their crimes!!!
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I agree, Sue. As we continue to follow this nightmare, I too, feel so very helpless, angry and sad. They continue to round up our wild horses and burros at an alarming rate and nothing seems to stop them. Yes, these magnificent animals do belong to the American people, why then are they allowed to take away our rights and the rights of our equines to exist and run free?! They call this management? What a total disgrace and insult to people’s intelligence!
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Is the BLM’s sole purpose in life to destroy horses and burros that are on the
protected lands appointed to them by Congress? Is this the only way Bureau
of Land Management employees supposedly earn their salaries we pay them as taxpayers?
Is the new Director taking the same low road the previous Director took in destroying
helpless Mustangs? What a loathsome and contemptible agency the BLM is.
This country has fallen to an all- time low.
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Does the BLM ever relocate burros? Why not? They are so sparsely populated at this point, I would think this would be the only option for them to consider.
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I hope that some of the people who usually follow these roundups are able to go and be observers. They are allowing public observers and media observers. The media will get more access. All of the information needed to participate is on the BLM website.
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http://weatherforyou.com/reports/index.php?forecast=zandh&pands=yuma%2C+az&Submit=Get+Weather
Weather for Yuma, AZ on Wednesday June 6th: High 101; Low 73.
What kind of idiots run a desert roundup in Summer in the Southwest?
There’s cruel and stupid, then there’s depraved indifference, which seems to be fairly standard when the BLM deals with wild equines, but more so with wild burros.
Which is the primary reason the Act insists on Public observation – to ensure some standard of humane handling and care is administered.
But that doesn’t negate the fact – this is a VERY bad idea.
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Seems to be a big disconnect here between Federal Departments.
DOD has strict limitations on training activities for reasonably hairless humans with gear. But DOI doesn’t have to follow similar reasonable protocols because the majority of living participants for extraneous activities (roundups) can IGNORE bio-life protection science because they are animals??????
Don’t insult my intelligence! They (DOI/USDA) are there to remove, kill and/or make the wild equines disappear.
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p.s. DOI ain’t cancelling the specious and fraudulent roundup…….they are “delaying” it for 48 hours.
ASSHATS!
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This administration has been such a disappointment in its leadership of the BLM. In spite of that, I fear the alternative may be worse. I still cannot grasp how these “gatherers” of burros and horses morally justify to themselves what they are doing.
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One thing not mentioned in the press release – part of the roundup will only be accessible by boat and you have to bring your own boat.
Carl Mrozek will be attending the Cibola-Trigo roundup but still needs someone with a boat – this would be in the Colorado River between Yuma, AZ and Blythe, CA. The BLM has said an air boat would be best.
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Poor burros. If people only knew how precious a burro is more would adopt. Cattle farmers here keep them because they protect the calves from coyotes.
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The BLM are a bunch of cruel heated idiots….my BLM donkey had to have been the most abused animal ever. After two years, she still will only eat out of my hands and let me touch her ears. She flinches at every move…LIKE SHE IS READY TO BE SMACKED. SHE WILL BE ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES TO BE LOVED AND WILL GROW OLD WITH NO ABUSE, NEGLECT OR FEAR FROM ANY HUMAN!! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO TREAT AN ANIMAL!!
I HOPE ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE ROUNDUP IN THE HORRIBLE HEAT ROT IN H*** FOR THEIR ABUSING WAYS!
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the B-L-M, the Brutal-Lawbraking-Monsters, the Nazis in this country, the SHAME of America. the Thiefs of the American History, the Liars to the American public the Betrayers to the Burros and the beautiful Wild Horses. I Vomit, when I think of the b-l-m. I Cry when I think about the Burros and the beautiful Wild Horses. How can we let this Evil happen, right in front of our eyes ??!!. The BLM are only Stewards of THAT which the Public seems important enough to be PROTECTED, instead of beeing DISTROYED. Their Evil will be punnished at their end, how they will regret their doing, when they go !!!! We will NOT pity them. At least I don’t!.
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WHAT ABOUT THE WILDFIRES IN ARIZONA AND ALL OVER THE WEST? The air will be polluted with smoke and will make this horrible roundup even more sickening for the people and the animals.
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Exactly what extractionist are these few burros impeding? These wildfires (largest in AZ history blazing right now) will become the norm as the land is void of wild horses/burros which consume dry brush and compost soil helping it to retain what little moisture there is in these arid ecosystems.
Every single wildfire burning right now is in an area that stripped of wild horses/burros or their populations are too low to be beneficial to the land. Reap what ‘ya sow.
If anyone close to this HMA really cares about these benevolent creatures, BLOCK THE TRAP PENS, FILE INJUCTION, OR OTHERWISE DISRUPT THIS THEFT. THIS IS ILLEGAL (THERE ARE NO EXCESS BURROS) AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PROCEED. STEP UP AND TAKE ACTION.
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This is so unjust! So wrong-headed!
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you can all go here to Ken Salzar’s page and leave comments, many people are doing that right now! https://www.facebook.com/SecretarySalazar even if he doesn’t read them, other people will…
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It is beyond comprehension that these wonderful animals who built that dam in the first place and died by the thousands to build it are now ousted from the land, and diverted from the water. It is incredible to think that we the people could provide them federal protections that are ignored over and over again. Add to this the fact that this is a globally endangered species and it give one pause to wonder who the agency is really working for. Truly, the mandate is no longer about conservation, it is about exploitation. The trick for them is to continue to dupe the American people into believing that they care. Obviously, they care only about commercial interests, because what they are doing flies in the face of conservation.
Please help us find a way to get Carl Mrozek on the river with a boat. This portion of the round up is going to be very dangerous and we need a witness for our lovely burros. Let us know if you can help with an air boat or pontoon boat. Either would make it through the sand bars.
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Copies of these letters and of all responses to each atrocity committed by the Bureau of Land Management, now and in the past, should be sent to all officials of BLM, to the notorious Salazar, to the President, to all Judges and to all persons involved.
This information should be published everywhere. All citizens of this country who are aware of the uncivilized long-term treatment of the Mustangs by BLM are outraged that these actions have been allowed and have continued. Too many people are not aware of what has been done to these horses in what I consider to be illegal and barbaric activities. ALL citizens of this country should hear and read about ALL BLM has been doing for YEARS to horses who are an American heritage.
This administration has been an enemy to all helpless animals.
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You folks might want to educate yourselves before condeming BLM for rounding up these burros. This area is in the very SW corner of Arizona that gets a maximum of 3.5″ of rain a year. The burro herd maximum, as set by scientifically valid forage availability studies, is 165 animals. The most recent survey counted about 800 burros and using normal observation rates for burros and past BLM survey results, there are probably well over 1000 burros on this area. The only crime here is BLM not rounding up more and not doing it sooner to prevent catastrophic damage to the range and the resulting deaths of numerous deer, bighorn sheep, birds, reptiles and yes, even burros. Let me ask you, would you have 6 to 8 times the carring capacity of burros/ horses in your pasture with the same amount of food and water? Of course not! You should also know that 90% of these burros spend the summer dry months and much of the winter dry season on the 2 National Wildlife Refuges that border the Cibola Trigo Herd Managment area. These 2 refuges, Cibola NWR and Imperial NWR have been trying for years to restore the lower Colorado River riparian zone vegetation that historically ocurred along this stretch of the Colorado River to provide habitat for various endangered species, but burros have damaged and destroyed most of the cottonwood, willow and mesquite that has been planted or attempts to grow naturally, completely ruining these restoration efforts and costing the taxpayer millions of wasted dollars while severly degrading 2 of Americas treasured national wildlife refuges. Common folks, a little commen sence here would be nice. Oh, by the way, burros never occured here naturally, they are feral animals in this area and they continue to degrade the native habitat for all the real native wildlife that belongs here.
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Mike- From your comment that says there must be “well over 1000 burros” on the Cibalo-Trigo HMA now, you must have done a private burro population survey of the area and we all would be very glad to read your facts that prove your statement. Please provide the date(s), number of miles you traveled, number and sex and estimated age of animals, and approximate location viewed that back up your statement. I am not being antagonistic – I am quite serious.
In the meantime, you may be interested in the following:
I quote from the BLM EA; “The population of wild burros in April 2012 is estimated to be approximately 711, based upon a population estimate completed in May 2010.” This is in complete contradiction to the BLM’s published national WH&B statistics (see lower chart).
2009: 393
2008: 339
2007: 180
2006: 165
2005: 165
These figures indicate that, between 2005 and 2006, no burros reproduced but that in 2007, 15 of them did; then, between 2008 and 2009, they ALL did – TWICE. And between 2009 and 2012, they all reproduced again twice (or almost; 393 x 2 = 786). This comes out to a 366% increase in population, or 41% per annum, 100% successful, with no mortality and complete fertility over 9 years. Assuming NO breeding-age burros have died in those 9 years! So the only reasonable explanation for BLM’s estimated 711 burros would be … twin births (this is very rare for burros) & yearlings (physically impossible since burro gestation is almost a year) and jacks (male burros) giving birth (I bet those male burros don’t like giving birth!)?
Now let’s look at this more realistically using the BLM’s WH&B statistic for this HMA the population would be:
165 February 2005 on the Cibola-Trigo HMA
25 Annual increase of 15% (BLM stated percentage)
190 February 2006
29 Annual increase of 15%
219 February 2007
33 Annual increase of 15%
252 February 2008
38 Annual increase of 15%
290 February 2009
44 Annual increase of 15%
334 February 2010
50 Annual increase of 15%
384 Subtotal prior to fall capture
-128 SUBTRACTED for capture September of 2010
256 Subtotal after September 2010 capture
256 February 2011
38 Annual increase of 15%
294* February 2012 on the Cibola-Trigo HMA (Population at time of capture + March/April/May foals)
* Using the more accurate estimated population of 294+ wild burros at the time of “todays” 2012 capture, it becomes perfectly clear that the true intent of the 2012 roundup of 350 burros is to destroy the wild Cobalo-Trigo wild burros once and for all and to zero out the entire HMA.
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Your number of 294 is below the actual number of burros counted during the BLM arial surveys. They (BLM) employ a double count survey method with using a variatio of the basic Lincoln index, gives a statistically sound population estimate, which BLM pegged at 711 burros. However, being a longtime observer of BLM burro surveys I have observed that they frequently and consistently underestimate the population numbers due mostly to the fact that they don’t/ can’t survey the entire area and they miss a lot of animals. We could only hope that they would zero out this herd, it is not a naturally occuring animal and has cost the public millions of dollars, killed many people in car accidents on the hiways, and damaged the environment beyond recognition.
Looks like the round up crews got 60+ burros today out the Dome Valley area, that is a good start. None died.
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Mike you are quite incorrect when you state that the burros did not originate here. I believe there are many who would find your remark which is stated with such authority to be uninformed. Scientist of great caliber have stated unequivocally that the burro originated in North America and verifiably maintained presence here until 10,000 years ago. And, at this time they were fully established as the species we know today. In addition to the Smithsonian Institute, and the New York Museum of Science stating that they are native, we have scientists such as Hans Kleingal, Bruce MacFadden, Jay Kirkpatrick, Yuri Kachinsky, and numerous others who stand behind this claim.
As for damage to riparian areas, are you aware that it has in fact been proven that there are species that rely on the burro in these areas to survive? For instance, the critically endangered Leopard Frog was found unable to survive without the help they receive from the burro in getting near the banks. Another case study would be the acacia plant. Burros love them and they are home to or food for hundreds of species, many endangered. The fact that the burros eat them is a wonderful thing because their digestive processes allow the plant to be distributed. Are you aware that unlike your beloved bighorn (you are a bighorn hunting supporter, correct?) the burro is a hind-gut monogastric digester. They do not break down the seed like your bighorn does who is a ruminant. Moreover, this reseeding and loomus fertilizing greatly improves the land, which will help to arrest the desertification taking place as a result of the loss of bio-diversity. These animals need each other. The land needs animal impact or the land itself dies. It loses microbes and oxidizes, if over rested. There are not enough burros, and there certainly are not enough predators. Burros do something else you are not aware of, Mike. It is called facilitation. Studies have proven that when cattle are grazed with burros the cattle gain 60% more weight. Yes, this is correct, and is true of other wildlife as well. These animals all eat different things at different times. The burro eats dead wood and heavy roughage allowing more tender plants to be available for the species who need them.
Mike, nature is a very complex thing, and the disruption caused by commercial interests are not taking this complexity into account. So, when lands are managed for a single species (bighorn) the result is a system wide crash. Soon, even the bighorn will not have habitat to survive. Yet, taxpayers are spending millions to reintroduce this species on lands set aside for the principle use of our wild burros. All of these animals are cogs in the wheel of life. Removing any of them without a thought or a care, is going to result in the loss of the land all together. Please check out http://www.circleranchtx.com for more information Mike. Or if you would like to learn about desertification look at http://www.savoryinstitute.com/desertification/ I am calling for a Congressional Inquiry into the science being used to justify these decisions. I want a multi-disciplined, independent scientific, and comprehensive study to take place on our public lands. I want the data collected to be transparent and all of it to be made available for public review.
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You might want to take a look at a map when you state that burros originated in north america. That covers a very large area and burros did not originate in all of north america, particularly in the south west corner of Arizona. Your assertion that burros aid wildlife is absurd, leopard frogs were around long before burros ever colonized this part of the world. You should get out of your New York office and walk around the desert where burro numbers exceed the carrying capacity by a factor of 5 or 6 and see what kind of damage has been done to the environment. I have seen it many, many times, palo verde trees completly destroyed down to a 2 foot tall trunk, young cottonwood and willow trees pulled from the ground and eaten, the bark stripped from mesquite and ironwood trees, water holes fouled with burro dung and urine, archeological sites almost completey destroyed by burro dusting activity, severe erosion from the trampling in burro trails and the list could go on forever. Burro food habit studies have shown that burros can eat just about any desert plant except for creosote while native wildlife cannot allowing burros to outcompete native species. That gives burros a very large advantage over native wildlife. You might want to be carefull about asking for a scientific review of these decisions as it will most certianly find that this burro herd should be reduced much more than what is occuring this week. Oh, by the way, I am a scientist and wildlife biologist so I do know what I am writting about. I am calling on congress to repeal the wild horse and burro act, and to demand that BLM zero out this artifical, non native, environmental damaging, costly burro herd.
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You, Sir….LIE!
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p.s. Mr. Mike…………………….please, PLEASE provide one scientific citation or traceable reference in your quest to demolish wild equines versus those that support humane management!
And you continually ignore, just like the Courts and Congress and White House the 1971 Act; you know, that annoying law thing….even the Burns poop cannot justify this action.
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Mike, I am looking down at my calloused hands, which still have a little bit of dirt under the nails and wondering exactly what a New York office might feel like. The two hundred head of horses, mules and donkeys who put the dirt under my nails every day would find my absence most disconcerting. Although I do find the “image” rather amusing. I find this to be pretty laughable too; your words, not mine: “You might want to take a look at a map when you state that burros originated in north america. That covers a very large area and burros did not originate in all of north america,…” Do you realize what you wrote? Yes, Mike, they DID originate in North America, 53 million years ago. And, if one accepts the unproven theory that they disappeared for 10,000 years, it does not take away from the fact that they have maintained a presence here for 500 years, since their reintroduction.
At the turn of the century homesteaders wrote of the vast grasslands and fertile soil. They described grass as high as a man’s chest, and so much of it that it could never be eaten down. And, yes, Mike the burros were present and a part of the environment in much larger numbers than exist today. Yet, the environment thrived. Unfortunately, WWI came along and the price of meat skyrocketed. This was a boondoggle for ranchers who moved in millions of head of livestock. They killed all the predators and native wildlife that they could, destroying the bio-diverse balance that existed to create those fertile grass lands in the first place. Sound familiar? In twenty years time the lands were denuded and destroyed. The deserts of the SW have not recovered even today from this mass destruction of wildlife. Burros did not do the damage, man did. The burros numbers are only a fraction of what they once were, yet the environment continues to degrade. While just a little over hundred years ago when the burros were present in the thousands the ecosystem was thriving. What changed, Mike? The science coming from land grant colleges who are beholding to the Agriculture lobbyists is providing science to meet the needs of their donors. What we are witnessing is a giant land grab by corporate interests who want to exploit these fragile lands even further. The science is being manipulated to meet those demands, and you are one of their foot soldiers. But, we the people are not going to let the sacrifices of our ancestors to save these beautiful lands for our benefit be overlooked. We are not going to allow this theft of our public lands happen right under our noses, without a major fight. Consider yourself warned. We are growing in numbers and we are not giving up.
Yes, I am calling for a Congressional Inquiry into the science being used by the BLM, the Forest Service, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. I expect INDEPENDENT, multi-disciplinary, comprehensive studies to be conducted and for the results and all data to be made available to the public for review. I am confident that the burros and wild horses will be vindicated.
I want to address your foolish statement about burro manure in the water (straight from the pages of BLM, and TPWD). In fact, it is a common occurrence for animals to defecate in the water. However, if you talk to any donkey owner you will learn that of all the species they have a very strong aversion for water. In all the years that I have had our herds, I have NEVER observed them pooping in the water. That being said, it is a natural phenomena performed by many animals and indeed provides benefits to a variety of species. Recently, when I was visiting Circle Ranch in Van Horn, TX due to the drought many of the small watering holes had dried up, and lo and behold what did we find? Yes, Mike we found bighorn poop in the dried mud from where they had pooped in the water. (Circle Ranch has a large population of bighorn and pronghorn) I got some great pictures. Little purple flowers were growing out of the cracks near this poop. I believe it was a variety of lupine which as a biologist you know is desirable.
Now, lets talk about burro food habits. While you state that burros can eat almost anything except creosote, you fail to mention that their eating habits facilitate better grazing for other wildlife. They also help with fire suppression which I would think you would find desirable. But, then, your entire argument is a whitewash of the truth. Lets get those independent studies Mike.
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BURRO ROUNDUP/HELICOPTER HITS BUTTO
The IBLA complaint decision has not been given by the judge yet but the “stay” has been denied and BLM will start capturing about 350 wild burros from the Cibalo-Trigo HMA (south-western Arizona) on MONDAY, June 4th (delayed to June 6th). According to recent article by Carl Mrozek and based on his personal observations, there were no foals to be seen and only jacks to be found. http://thepersianhorse.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/burro-roundup-imminent-faxes-needed-now-to-save-entire-herd-from-annihilation/
Link to Carl Mrozek video of burros – believe near Cibalo-Trigo area of AZ
http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/wild-burros-of-az-black-mountains-on-cbs/
Species Profile
African Wild ass (Equus asinus)
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Listing Status: Endangered
Where Listed: WHEREVER FOUND
Equus asinus species is endangered and clearly listed as endangered WHERE FOUND and the Endangered Species Act does not make any reference to exclude species that may or may not be found on other than a historical country or area – thus this includes the United States of America and all states and all American lands. The following link was published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species profile.
http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00M
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http://ppjg.me/2012/06/03/the-time-is-ripe-to-speak-for-our-burros/#more-20429
THE TIME IS RIPE TO SPEAK FOR OUR BURROS
June 3, 2012 by ppjg
The Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) complaint decision has not been given by the judge yet but the “stay” has been denied and BLM will start capturing about 350 wild burros from the Cibalo-Trigo HMA (south-western Arizona) on MONDAY, June 4th.
According to a recent article by videographer Carl Mrozek and based on his personal observations of the burros, there were no foals to be seen and only jacks (male burros) to be found in this area.
Link to Carl Mrozek video of burros – believe near Cibalo-Trigo area of AZ 2010 capture.
Please read the information below about the Wild Ass (burro, donkey) which is listed as an endangered species “where found” and then contact the BLM and request they refrain from capturing these burros until the IBLA judge has digested the scientific data and made a legal decision.
BLM contact information:
Colorado River District
Roxie Trost, District Manager
Yuma Field Office
John MacDonald, Field Manager
2555 East Gila Ridge Road
Yuma, AZ 85365
Phone: 928-317-3200
Fax 928-317-3250
And Contact the :
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OFFICE OF HEARINGS AND APPEALS
Interior Board of Land Appeals
801 North Quincy Street, Suite 300
Arlington, Virginia 22203
And refer to IBLA 2012-143
And POLITELY ask the judge to take a hard look at the two scientific documents (#1 and #2 in this article) before making his/her decision on this very important issue.
Below are three pieces of legal documentation. The first two are scientific and the third was written by the acting director of the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1977 as a “notice” which was obvously a politically driven decision and not science. Although the first two scientific documents state that the wild burro is on the endangered species list, it is the notice (#3) that the BLM is using to persuade the IBLA judge that the wild burros are not included in the endangered species listing.
The notice (#3 below) was written by F. Eugene Hester who, in a seperate document/speech had this comment, “Political influences will shape our future responsibilities and alter our priorities” This statement and attitude explains that his decision was based on “political influences” and not science as the first two documents are. [Ref. Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference, 9-22-1985, F. Eugene Hester, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service]
The Honorable U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell stated in her 23-page opinion that the agency [BLM] “may not simply remain studiously ignorant of material scientific evidence …” and yet we see numerous examples that the BLM decisions are not science based.
Equus asinus species is endangered and clearly listed as endangered WHERE FOUND and the Endangered Species Act does not make any reference to exclude species that may or may not be found on other than a historical country or area – thus this includes the United States of America and all states and all American lands. The following link was published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species profile. http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00M
Species Profile
African Wild ass (Equus asinus)
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Listing Status: Endangered
Where Listed: WHEREVER FOUND
Equus asinus species is endangered and clearly listed as endangered WHERE FOUND and the Endangered Species Act does not make any reference to exclude species that may or may not be found on other than a historical country or area – thus this includes the United States of America and all states and all American lands. The following link was published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species profile. http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00M
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Your assertion that feral burros occuring in the United States is totally off base. The Federal Register listing for the the wild ass states:
In a ‘‘Notice of Clarification of Status
of Wild Burros’’ (March 24, 1977; 42 FR
15973), the Service stipulated that ‘‘the
western wild burro has never been
considered for designation as an
endangered species. Equus asinus has
always been treated administratively as
a foreign species and was never
included on a native list of endangered
species. Furthermore, the procedural
requirements for consultation with
affected States during the listing of a
native species were never complied
with. An undesignated native
population of a listed foreign species
cannot be bootstrapped into coverage
under the 1973 Act because of a clerical
ambiguity with the list’’ (42 FR 15974).
It is clear that the Service intended to
list the African wild ass in its entirety,
but not to list feral populations of oncedomesticated
burros and donkeys.
However, the March 24, 1977, document
failed to clarify the status of
domesticated burros and donkeys
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Additional reading for your pleasure:
ENDANGERED&UF&HREATENED
Notice of Clarification of Status of Wild
Burros’
This notice is issued by the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service in order
to clarify the status of the wild burro
under the Endangered Species Act of
1973. (16 U.S.C. 00 1531-43) tSupp VI
thereinafter the 1973 Act). It has recently
been determined that confusion
exists concerning the relationship between
the burros in this country and the
African will ass (Eauus asinus). an endangered
species. @or the reasons set
forth below, it is the conclusion of the
Service that the American nom&&on of
burros has never been listed under the
1973 Act or any of its predecessors.
The problem recently arose when taxonomic
similarities were noted between
the African wild ass and the wild burro,
an exotic species introduced out west during
the earlier develoument of our country.
Further taxonomic investigation indicated
that the burro and the African
wild ass were in fact the same species.
This conclusion does not support the inference,
however, that the western wild
burro is presently listed as an endangered
snecies.
You might also note that the Scientific name for wild ass has been changed to: Equus Africanus to reflect their origins and population occurence.
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Opps, typo, should have said :
Your assertion that feral burros occuring in the United States are endangered is totally off base. The Federal Register listing for the the wild ass states:
In a ‘‘Notice of Clarification of Status
of Wild Burros’’ (March 24, 1977; 42 FR
15973), the Service stipulated that ‘‘the
western wild burro has never been
considered for designation as an
endangered species. Equus asinus has
always been treated administratively as
a foreign species and was never
included on a native list of endangered
species. Furthermore, the procedural
requirements for consultation with
affected States during the listing of a
native species were never complied
with. An undesignated native
population of a listed foreign species
cannot be bootstrapped into coverage
under the 1973 Act because of a clerical
ambiguity with the list’’ (42 FR 15974).
It is clear that the Service intended to
list the African wild ass in its entirety,
but not to list feral populations of oncedomesticated
burros and donkeys.
However, the March 24, 1977, document
failed to clarify the status of
domesticated burros and donkeys
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Thank you, Carl
http://ppjg.me/2012/06/03/the-time-is-ripe-to-speak-for-our-burros/#more-20429
1. Carl Mrozek
Subsequently I did find several half grown foals and a couple of younger ones, plus at least 2 pregnant jennies. However, overall there seemed to be a high proportion of jacks and a low number of foals of various ages in proportion to the total numbers that I observed in the vicinity of the Cibola Wildlife Refuge.
This particular sub-populatiion had been ‘gathered’ by the BLM in Sept. 2010 and hence probably had their sex ratios skewed in favor of jacks as a result of that gather.
THe pertinent question is why is this same sub-populaition within the Cibola-Trigo HMA being ‘gathered’ again, less than 2 years later – and after the earlier gather is having the intended effect of radically reducing reproduction and hence population growth ? BLM’s response is that this entire sub-population is being considered as ‘nuisance animals’ because some of them (noone knows what proportion) are browsing in alfalfa fields planted by US F & W contractors specifically for wildlife. Hence, what US F & W Svce is doing here is arbitrarily classifying these burros as exotic wildlife or at least as not an ‘approved species’ of wildlife. Moreover, this appears to be a local level decision, and not
a broader one which applies agency-wide as in the above discussion.
According to BLM officials in AZ , they are required to remove any burros deemed a ‘nuisance’ by private parties or by other federal, state, county…. officials under section 1334 of the WH & B Act of 1971 which applies to burros which have left the relative safety of BLM -managed public lands for the comparative non-safety of other public or private lands. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any obligation or even suggestion in Sect 1334 that BLM seek to find remedies other than removal once a complaint has been formally filed, -no matter how simple or inexpensive they might be. Hence alternate solutions like selective fencing, or the maintenance of water sources on BLM public lands, are categorically rejected or ignored in favor of the tried and true approach, the helicopter gather, with all of its costs and humane issues, in the interest of expediency.
It is worth noting that for this sub-polulation of Cibola-Trigo burros, those near Cibola NWR, there are no formal complaints from local landowners -which are few, and also which have fenced burros out of their cultivated fields and hence incur no crop losses due to burros. The only complaints, or at least the principal ‘nuisance complaints’ come from the F&W Service because they have decided to regard burros as non-native and hence feral, exotic & invasive species rather than as an ‘approved species’ of wildlife entitled to the alfalfa which they have planted on behalf of wildlife in general. In legal terms this could qualify as ‘entrapment’ and seems ethically wrong at its core besides, and should be challenged on those grounds, as well as on the grounds cited by F. EUGENE HESTER,
Acting Director, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
(FR Doc.77-8741 Filed 3-23-77;8:45 am).
If we don’t challenge the loose, inconsistent, but consistently biased interpretation of laws like the WH & B Act of 1971 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 on behalf of wild burros, Equus Asinus, by BLM, US F & W S, THe US Forest Service and other agencies soon, the entire discussion will be moot as there will be precious few viable populations of wild burros left in the US.
Carl Mrozek
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WHAT’S GOING ON IN ARIZONA? Now it’s the FOREST SERVICE:
http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/a-public-call-to-action-for-the-removal-possible-slaughter-sale-of-arizona-wild-horses/#more-4814
A Public Call to Action for the removal & possible slaughter sale of Arizona wild horses
Cross-posted from The Conquistador Program
Press Release: For immediate release
PUBLIC CALLED TO ACTION TO PREVENT THE REMOVAL & POSSIBLE SALE TO SLAUGHTER OF ARIZONA WILD HORSES WHOSE HISTORY TRACES TO 17TH CENTURY MISSIONARY
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) indicate that the US Forest Service may remove horses from the Tonto national Forest without period for public comment or environmental impact study
(Phoenix, AZ May 31, 2012). The Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program (CERAP), a 501c3 equine rescue and advocacy charity, has received material under the Freedom of Information Act indicating that the United States Forest Service (USFS) may be considering the imminent removal of unbranded, free-roaming wild horses living along the Salt River on the Tonto National Forest (TNF) near metropolitan Phoenix in Arizona.
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http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2007/12/critically-endangered.html
Critically Endangered
Burro is the Spanish word for donkey and donkey is the English word for a domesticated wild ass.
The Wild Ass belongs to the Class Mammalia, Order Perissodactyla, Family Equidae, Genus Equus Asinus and there are two main species of wild asses recognized today.
The first is the Asian Wild Ass (equus hermionus) with six known subspecies; the Tibetan Wild Ass-Kiang (Equus kiang), the Persian Wild Ass-Onager (Equus hemionus onager), the Indian Wild Ass-Khur (Equus hemionus khur), two species of the Mongolian Wild Ass, Khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus), Gobi kulan (equus hemionus luteus) and the Syrian Wild Ass (equus hemionus hemippus) listed as extinct since 1927.
The second is the African Wild Ass (equus africanus), believed to be the ancestor of the modern domestic ass, with two recognized subspecies; the Somalian Wild Ass (equus africanus somaliensis) and the Nubian Wild Ass (E. africanus africanus), which is believed to be extinct in the wild.
While this may seem a little boring to those of us who merely love wild burros, its vital to understand the critical crisis wild asses face throughout the world today as all of the species cited above have been in some way listed as either Vulnerable, Threatened, Critically Endangered or possibly Extinct.
While the BLM has been “managing” wild burro herds for over three decades, almost no studies have been compiled on wild burros in general or of their individual herds – they are just “lumped in” with wild horses on every level.
What limited historical data and studies has been done regarding wild burros has primarily been compiled by those interested in promoting big game species such as bighorn sheep who flourish in similar habitats as our own wild asses.
Needless to say, these “authoritative opinions” always finds wild burros a great threat to any species and habitat; no matter how many centuries wild burro herds have been documented in the area, totally naturalized and co-existing in harmony within those ecosystems.
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Mike-
I hope we can all learn from this – if we don’t then we are all wasting our time and energy.
My number of 294 is basic math and nothing else. The BLM publishes herd stats annually and that is where the “starting number” of 165 burros in February of 2005 came from. If you review my previous chart it will show you that 294 is the mathematical result of 15% annual increase minus the 128 captured September 2010. This is basic 3rd grade math with no hocus pocus.
As for BLM aerial counts – I am familiar with these methods and although it is possible the observers would not see every animal, I am also aware that the BLM chooses a population number estimate after these aerial counts that may or may not be accurate. One BLM aerial observer told me directly to my face that they counted 456 wild horses and burros on an HMA (and he told someone else the same thing on a different day) … but low and behold when the aerial report was published the number was almost exactly TWICE the number he told me they saw and he was in the plane as an official observer. Now… how and why do you suppose that happened? It happened because the BLM “decision makers” decided they wanted a higher number to help plan and get approval for their next capture sooner and to get approval for funding to do so.
In addition, if you wish to blame any environmental or physical damage caused by animals in that area (or any area) you will also want to include deer, big horn sheep and livestock (I just recently saw a big angus cow that had been hit by a vehicle on the highway – hope nobody was injured when that happened!).
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You might want to return to the third grade and brush up on those math skills. Your starting number is 165 and that is no where near accurate, not even close. Kind of a fatal mistake on your part.
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And Mike…………
Your sources to rebut grandmagregg are just exactly where?
Advocates have been documenting and rebutting USDA/DOI butt speak, specifically EAs and population counts for years now.
I tell you what Mike, the one thing that supports grandmagreeg’s points on DATA are that DOI/USDA are finding it harder and harder to roundup the numbers of wild equines they predict they need to remove. On the backend of this holocaust, we will never really know.
And the “third grade” comment is childish, inflammatory and strictly placed to discredit someone whose posts are consistently filled with on-site, in the field, studied observation BASED on DOIs/USDAs own B$ numbers.
You Mike, seem to have been drinking to much special interest kool-aid called “I Know Best” served from the white male, DOI/USDA punchbowl…or should that be bowel?
p.s. the only thing fatal here are the state and fed policy for wild equines (and wildlife for that matter),roundups and long term holding.
Go watch “Buck” if you can handle the technology.
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Kind of a fatal mistake on your part Mike. The number that you say is “no where near accurate” (165) is not MY number – it is a BLM published population census for the Cibalo-Trigo HMA for 2005.
Click to access FY2005_Stats.pdf
(page 2)
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Got ’em grandmagregg. Good job!
I knew you were citing the idiots, err….BLMs own math skills.
Louie Cocroft has also been doing a good job with citations and press info.
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So, what is your response going to be when BLM rounds up 400 burros, when you say there are only 294 out there? Ah, so the herd will be zeroed out plus a minus 106 phantom burros. Right.
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Excerpts from C.R. Macdonald’s report:
Click to access BurroAnalysis-2006-Public.pdf
A Critical Analysis of the National Status of Wild Burros on Public Lands
2006
C.R. MacDonald
Page 2
The majority of information concerning wild burro habitat, acreage, populations and
management levels were taken from the Bureau of Land Managements Fiscal Year 2006 Herd
Statistics Report available on their National Web Page for Wild Horses and Burros. Additional
information provided by Bureau of Land Management personnel, Field Agents, Field Managers
and the Bureau of Land Managements website for the State of Arizona’s current or pending
Resource Management Plans
Page 3
The total acres of all habitats allocated for wild burro use throughout the West is currently
reported at 5,619,884 acres. This is not exclusive habitat either, with much of this acreage mixed
with large wild horse numbers.
Page 3
Reported habitat loss for wild burros, either through the Bureau of Land Managements Fiscal
Year 2006 Herd Statistics, recent or pending land use plans, and BLM personnel, totaled
5,071,112 acres or almost 50% of their entire range.
Page 3
By way of comparison, in 1994 by court issued order, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service
reserved 6.4 million acres as critical habitat for the preservation and protection of the Desert
Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), currently listed as a Threatened Species. (1)
Page 3
The available habitat issued for wild burros is now close to one million acres less than awarded
the Threatened desert tortoise. Both species receive federal protection, share similar habitats and
acreage, and are also predominately found within the same regions of Arizona, California,
Nevada and Utah.
Page 3
Though both are federally protected species, the current management of each is notably different.
Page 5
The remaining 5 genetically viable wild burro herds all currently reside within the State of
Arizona, who incidentally, manages the largest wild burro populations in the West. Despite the
highest levels of wild burro use noted on public lands, the desert tortoise population of Arizona
is the only state where the desert tortoise habitat and populations are classified as “Apparently
Secure”.(5)
Page 5
Yet the National Program Office reported for Arizona in 2005 and 2006, a static wild burro
population with no reproductive or removal rates, which also corresponded identically to the
AML’s issued for each of the HMA’s. The lack of reported information about the burros
populations make a full examination of their current status difficult.
However, over the last few years, the State of Arizona has been scoping and planning a variety
of new land use and resource management plans for many of the herd areas and wild burro
ranges. In many instances, these were able to provide up-to-date information on the current or
pending status of the remaining populations.
Page 11
“Erick Campbell and Bill Brookes are both recently retired scientists, each with more than 30
years experience at the BLM. Campbell, a biologist, authored the section of the BLM study on
the impacts of the rule change on wildlife and endangered species, while Brookes, a hydrologist,
evaluated the impact on water resources. Both characterized the edits as an attempt to suppress
scientific information. Campbell termed the matter “a whitewash” and “a crime.” “They took all
of our science and reversed it 180 degrees,” he said. Brookes agreed, adding, “Everything I
wrote was totally rewritten and watered down.”
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YUMA FIELD OFFICE:
http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/energy/article_15fc8ea8-5f2a-11e0-9564-001a4bcf6878.html
BLM Considers Land Use Plan Amendment in Connection with Energy Project
YUMA, Ariz. — The Bureau of Land Management Yuma Field Office is considering amending a land use plan to allow the use of public land for the proposed Quartzsite Solar Energy Project in La Paz County, Arizona.
A Notice of Intent announcing the proposed amendment was published in the Federal Register. The land use plan amendment would be in conjunction with the proposed solar project. The Notice of Intent, initiates the public participation and scoping processes for the National Environmental Policy Act process.
Quartzsite Solar Energy LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Reserve LLC, has submitted an application to the BLM requesting a right-of-way to construct, maintain and operate an electrical generating facility with a capacity of up to 100 MW, using concentrated solar thermal tower technology. An array of mirrors would focus light on receivers at the top of a 653′ tower. The focused energy would be used to heat salt to a molten state, which would in turn heat steam to power a turbine. The project would require approximately 1,450 acres of BLM-managed land. The proposed site is about 10 miles north of Quartzsite and about 1 mile east of State Route 95.
Western Area Power Administration, a Federal agency, is also requesting a right-of-way for their connected action to the project for a 230-kilovolt collector transmission line, substation and other related facilities.
The proposed project may require an amendment to the Yuma Resource Management Plan because the area is designated as a Visual Resource Management Class III area. The objective of Class III designation is to partially retain the existing character of the landscape. The level of change to the characteristic landscape should be moderate, under that classification.
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And to top it all off, they intend to roundup and remove the Wild Burros.
Apparently the local citizens don’t think the changes to the landscape would be “moderate”:
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/quartzsite-69220-energy-area.html
Solar energy destroys areas
An article in the Yuma Sun on April 2 reported that Bureau of Land Management is considering amending the land use plan for a large area north of Quartzsite. Quartzsite Solar Energy LLC has applied for a right of way to construct a facility covering approximately 1,450 acres with mirrors that will reflect to a 654-foot tower.
Currently the area is designated as “Visual Resource Management Class III.” This designation indicates that change to the landscape in the area should only be moderate. But 1,450 acres of mirrors and a 654-foot tower could hardly be considered moderate.
There are already three solar projects under construction between Dateland and Gila Bend. A large ranch in the Chino Valley area has closed its gates, causing Arizona Game and Fish to close the 19B Wildlife Management area to hunting in the late summer and fall. Part of the ranch is state trust land.
These solar projects cover thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and open spaces. Wildlife travel corridors to feed and water are being disrupted. Sportsmen and recreationists are being forced to go elsewhere.
What do Arizona and the local communities get out of all of this? Not much. Maybe a little cash for leases and taxes. There has been no indication that a single watt of energy will be provided to customers in Arizona. The indications are that all of the power will go to California.
If California has such a great need for energy, let them destroy the habitat within their own borders.
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Wow, Miss Abby, so much fantasy in one place. Hmmm…where to start. How bout this page lifted from the Smithsonian Institution web site on all their info on wild burros. Note how it states the origin in Africa and that they were introduced into north america.
Data Access and Tools »
Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758
Taxonomic Serial No.: 180690
(Download Help) Equus asinus TSN 180690
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Kingdom:
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank:
Species
Synonym(s):
Common Name(s):
African wild ass [English]
ass [English]
burro [English]
burro (feral) [English]
Taxonomic Status:
Current Standing:
valid
Data Quality Indicators:
Record Credibility Rating:
verified – standards met
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom
Animalia – Animal, animals, animaux
Phylum
Chordata – chordates, cordado, cordés
Subphylum
Vertebrata – vertebrado, vertebrates, vertébrés
Class
Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 – mamífero, mammals, mammifères
Subclass
Theria Parker and Haswell, 1897
Infraclass
Eutheria Gill, 1872
Order
Perissodactyla Owen, 1848 – antas, odd-toed ungulates
Family
Equidae Gray, 1821 – asses, horses, zebras
Genus
Equus Linnaeus, 1758 – horses
Species
Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758 – African wild ass, ass, burro, burro (feral)
References
Expert(s):
Expert:
Alfred L. Gardner
Notes:
Curator of North American mammals and Chief of Mammal Section, National Biological Service, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Expert:
Peter Grubb
Notes:
35 Downhills Park Road, London N17 6PE, England
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Other Source(s):
Source:
Mammal Species of the World, website (version undefined)
Acquired:
1998
Notes:
http://nmnhgoph.si.edu/msw/
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Source:
NODC Taxonomic Code, database (version 8.0)
Acquired:
1996
Notes:
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Source:
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program-05/01, website (version undefined)
Acquired:
2001
Notes:
http://endangered.fws.gov
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Publication(s):
Author(s)/Editor(s):
Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes
Publication Date:
2003
Article/Chapter Title:
Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.:
Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada
Page(s):
Publisher:
Publication Place:
ISBN/ISSN:
Notes:
As-yet (2003) unpublished manuscript from 1998
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Author(s)/Editor(s):
Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner
Publication Date:
1987
Article/Chapter Title:
Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada
Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.:
Resource Publication, no. 166
Page(s):
79
Publisher:
United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service
Publication Place:
Washington, D.C., USA
ISBN/ISSN:
Notes:
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Author(s)/Editor(s):
Wilson, Don E., and DeeAnn M. Reeder, eds.
Publication Date:
1993
Article/Chapter Title:
Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.:
Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2nd ed., 3rd printing
Page(s):
xviii + 1207
Publisher:
Smithsonian Institution Press
Publication Place:
Washington, DC, USA
ISBN/ISSN:
1-56098-217-9
Notes:
Corrections were made to text at 3rd printing
Reference for:
Equus asinus
Author(s)/Editor(s):
Wilson, Don E., and F. Russell Cole
Publication Date:
2000
Article/Chapter Title:
Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.:
Common Names of Mammals of the World
Page(s):
xiv + 204
Publisher:
Smithsonian Institution Press
Publication Place:
Washington, DC, USA
ISBN/ISSN:
1-56098-383-3
Notes:
With contributions by Bernadette N. Graham, Adam P. Potter, and Mariana M. Upmeyer
Reference for:
Equus asinus , ass[English]
Geographic Information
Geographic Division:
Africa
Australia
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Oceania
South America
Southern Asia
Jurisdiction/Origin:
Continental US, Introduced
Hawaii, Introduced
Comments
Comment:
Status: CITES – Appendix I as E. africanus; U.S. ESA and IUCN – Endangered as E. africanus (=asinus)
Other Off-Site Resources
Additional off-site resources may be available for this taxon. ITIS will build search links for all of the following that return results:
•Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Data Portal
•BioOne Journals
•National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Entrez Life Sciences Search
•Google Images
•Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora Search
•United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) Search
•Threatened and Endangered Species (TESS) Search
•U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Search
•Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Search
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Date Generated: Fri Jun 8 2012 07:41:35 MDT
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OK, now that is out of the way what’s next?
You stated that burros were abundant prior to when homesteaders came at the turn of the century, Total hogwash, there were no burros in the SW deserts until the miners released them into the wild near the late 1800’s early 1900’s and that is where they originated in the SW. You should note, there are no petroglyphs of burros anywhere in the SW, there are bighorn sheep, deer, people, the sun, the moon…….zero for burros. However there are petroglyphs depicting burros in Africa.
You stated that burro grazing is good for the range and for native wildlife……I must say it is hard to address such a misinformed statement. I would suggest that you go do a literature search for published, peer reviewed scientific papers on the subject. You will find that 90% of those refute your statement.
Burro poop, I did not know it is good for other wildlife to ingest burro poop, gee that is a new one, maybe you should publish that in a scientific, peer reviewed journal. Nothing like spreading burro diseases to the local native wildlife heh?
So, your water in your burro pasture is just a natural dirt water hole? How else could burros walk in, urinate and poop in the water? Pretty hard for them to do it in a metal water tank, no?
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By Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. and Patricia M. Fazio, Ph.D.*
Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Director, The Science and Conservation Center, Billings, Montana, holds a Ph.D. in reproductive physiology from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Patricia M. Fazio is a freelance environmental writer and editor, and holds a B.S. in animal husbandry/biology from Cornell University, an M.S. in environmental history from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in environmental history from Texas A&M University, College Station.
Are wild horses truly “wild,” as an indigenous species in North America, or are they “feral” weeds – barnyard escapees, far removed genetically from their prehistoric ancestors? The question at hand is, therefore, whether or not modern horses, Equus caballus, should be considered native wildlife.
The genus Equus, which includes modern horses, zebras, and asses, is the only surviving genus in a once diverse family of horses that included 27 genera.
According to the work of Uppsala University researcher Ann Forstén, of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, the date of origin, based on mutation rates for mitochondrial-DNA, for E. caballus, is set at approximately 1.7 million years ago in North America. Now the debate becomes one of whether the older paleontological fossil data or the modern molecular biology data more accurately provide a picture of horse evolution. The older taxonomic methodologies looked at physical form for classifying animals and plants, relying on visual observations of physical characteristics. While earlier taxonomists tried to deal with the subjectivity of choosing characters they felt would adequately describe, and thus group, genera and species, these observations were lacking in precision.
Reclassifications are now taking place, based on the power and objectivity of molecular biology. If one considers primate evolution, for example, the molecular biologists have provided us with a completely different evolutionary pathway for humans, and they have described entirely different relationships with other primates. None of this would have been possible prior to the methodologies now available through mitochondrial-DNA analysis.
Carles Vilà, also of the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Uppsala University, has corroborated Forstén’s work. Vilà et al have shown that the origin of domestic horse lineages was extremely widespread, over time and geography, and supports the existence of the caballoid horse in North American before its disappearance.4
Finally, the work of Hofreiter et al,5 examining the genetics of the so-called E. lambei from the permafrost of Alaska, found that the variation was within that of modern horses, which translates into E. lambei actually being E. caballus, genetically. The molecular biology evidence is incontrovertible and indisputable.
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Well guys and gals, it’s been pretty quiet on here lately. Just thought I would provide some info on the latest BLM burro gather. They got all 350 as per the plan, there were no injuries or fatalities (so much for the burro slaughter headline, eh?), and on the last day they got 110 burros in 3 hours. That should give you some idea on how overpopulated they were in that area. In fact on the last drive they got so many they had to turn some loose as they had met the 350 goal.
Seems the only casualties was your buddy Carl and his friend who also got rounded up because they refused to stay in the viewing area, kept approaching the corals trying to disturb the burros and get some film of BLM officers protecting the site. I like the fabrications Carl puts out there saying it was 103 outside and he was put in the backseat of the car and got heat stroke, HA! what a joke. The inclident happened in the morning when it was less than 90 degrees, he was put into the back of a LE SUV with the engine running and the AC on. He can twist the truth and missreprestent the facts to the press but if he tries that in court he will be in for a rude awakening!
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Politely put………you are not only a gullible DOI/USDA SHILL, but beyond education, comprehension or reasonable debate. I’d call you an idiot, but that would be an insult to idiots.
Continue to have great equine whacking days……….
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Ah, so when you have no facts to back up your poor judgment, no sane argument to make, and no reasonable reply you turn to name calling and nonsensical childish acts, eh?
You just continue to blindly follow those feeding you the BS and have a nice life.
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This was posted on HORSEBACK, and on several Facebook sites:
Robert C. Bauer on June 14, 2012 at 10:50 am
It is clear from the unwarranted brutality exhibited by the security issued by the Bureau of Land Management at this roundup, that the BLM are fearful and desperately seeking to conceal its activities. This tells me that it knows the illegalities it is carrying out by continuing these roundups, illegalities which come in many forms. In truth, there is no overpopulation of wild horses and burros out on the range lands. Indeed, the numbers are dangerously low to the point that if the roundups continue at the rate that they are, there won’t be any left in the next couple of years. Overpopulation is an illusion that the BLM continually seeks to perpetuate in the eyes of the public and congress in order to justify an unneeded wild horse and burro program, and therefore continued roundups. This illusion is carried out in a variety of ways and the numbers of wild horses and burros that the BLM assures the public are out there, exist only on paper and not in reality. The BLM consistently ignore mortality rates which according to a National Academy of Sciences study can be anywhere between 14% to 50% just in the first year of a wild horses life and between 5% to 25% for those wild horses older than this. It also ignores sex ratios which are roughly 50/50 out on the range, meaning only 50% ,give or take, are females and are able to put a foal on the ground. The illusion continues by ignoring the aggressive use of PZP, meaning those mares that are issued this contraceptive, for the next two years, are unable to produce a foal, a foal that may be male or female, and if female, as a general rule, won’t be able to reproduce for a couple of years. Many other variables are conveniently hidden, whereby, when looking at the population increases of wild horses, increases that the BLM are adamant about, reproductive rates would have to be enormous,far beyond what is conceivably possible, in many cases, over 100%, if all of the above variables were factored in. This illusion of overpopulation, the BLM are aware of, and is something that is becoming more and more apparent to the public. Yet it is not just the concept of overpopulation that the public is aware of, but also the methods by which the BLM are perpetuating this lie. It is by virtue of this, and the BLM’s escalated fear and desperation of being exposed, that such brutality has erupted. Speaking as one who has witnessed first hand, many times, conditions and numbers of wild horses and burros out on the range lands, and has tested the alleged numbers of wild horses that the BLM claim are out there, it is clear that there is no need for a wild horse and burro program and there is no overpopulation. Contrary to these claims there is very much an underpopulation of wild horses, close to point of a complete elimination of these creatures. It can also be adamantly stated that virtually every horse and burro in the holding facilities, now above 50,000 could easily be released back into their legally designated areas, and it would have no negative impact on the land, not to mention, saving the taxpayer millions of dollars every year. In truth, releasing these wild ones back into the original areas from which they were taken, and halting once and for all the roundups, would help bring balance back to the range lands of the west. The wild horses and burros are just this, wild, and in the wild is where they belong, to exist in accordance to nature’s mechanisms, and not according to mankind’s egotistical attempts in seeking to maintain a ” thriving natural ecological balance”. Only as we leave them alone in the wild, according to nature’s mechanisms, will they live on as the beautiful yet vital component of ecological balance that is so desperately needed.
http://www.americanherds.blogspot.com/
REPRODUCTION, MORTALITY, AND OVERPOPULATION IN WILD EQUIDS by ROBERT C. BAUER, B.S. in Biology
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There is no way to know, for certain, how many Wild Burros were removed from their Legal Herd Management Areas without independent documentation.
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More corporate activity in the Cibola-Trigo Wild Herd Management Area:
Mitigation Monitoring Program for the North Baja Pipeline Expansion Project
“The Project would cross a small portion of the Cibola-Trigo Herd Management Area (HMA) and Chocolate-Mules HMA where wild horses and/or burros could be found watering. Construction could affect wild horses or burros if the animals were to fall into the open trench
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FROM AMERICAN HERDS:
http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2007/12/critically-endangered.html
While the BLM has been “managing” wild burro herds for over three decades, almost no studies have been compiled on wild burros in general or of their individual herds – they are just “lumped in” with wild horses on every level.
What limited historical data and studies has been done regarding wild burros has primarily been compiled by those interested in promoting big game species such as bighorn sheep who flourish in similar habitats as our own wild asses.
Needless to say, these “authoritative opinions” always finds wild burros a great threat to any species and habitat; no matter how many centuries wild burro herds have been documented in the area, totally naturalized and co-existing in harmony within those ecosystems.
In July 2000, Patricia Moehlman, Chairwoman of the Species Survival Commission and Equid Specialist for the World Conservation Union appealed to BLM to initiate more studies of our American wild asses in efforts to obtain relevant information for critically endangered asses throughout the world.
However, the BLM had just released their “Strategy to Achieve and Manage Wild Burros at Appropriate Management Levels” in June of 2000, which authorized wild burro populations to be slashed nationally by at least 66%, despite their “federally protected status” – Dr. Moehlmans appeal for help was ignored. (1)
The first census done by BLM in 1971 reported approximately 8,045 wild burros on public lands. This census was done by driving around in vehicles and counting burros when they saw them. In 1974, the first census was done using aircraft; BLM reported a wild burro population estimated at 14,374.
In February 2007, BLM estimated the remaining national burro population was merely 2,874 burros with 369 more wild burros removed since the February estimates.
While studies on wild asses stated their reproduction rate was only 4% in good years, the BLM has applied their “wild horse reproduction rate” of 20% per year (also in serious question) to wild burros as well.
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FROM HORSEBACK:
BLM/Others Could Face Substantial Liability Over Cibola-Trigo Security Excesses
June 13, 2012
By Steven Long, Editor, Horseback Magazine
Kathleen Hayden Photo Special to Horseback Online by Deborah Hurley
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The Reno lawyer who successful blew the doors wide open for media access to Bureau of Land Management “gathers” and stampedes has been closely watching an Arizona case in which an older woman, Kathleen Hayden, and journalist, Carl Mrozek, were manhandled resulting in one needing hospital attention.
The incident happened at the roundup of harmless wild burros.
“To arrest a senior citizen who was not disruptive of operations or causing a “true” safety concern, is a pretty tough call,” said Gordon Cowan. “To lock arrestees in vehicles in the heat of the Arizona desert, causing them to pass out and need medical attention is abusive and actionable.”
The incident occurred at the BLM Cibola-Trigo Herd Management Area bordering the Colorado River.
The arrests came close on the heels of an enormous First Amendment free speech and public access victory in California’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In Leigh vs. Salazar, the court found the press and public could not be prevented from observing BLM wild horse round-ups. Cowan represented plaintiff Laura Leigh, a photojournalist credentialed to Horseback Magazine.
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Lunatic advocates of feral domestic livestock.
Hope your kids get cancer, so you get a chance to worry about something that actually matters.
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