Press Release from Front Range Equine Rescue
BLM could, but does not yet, provide proper oversight to prevent wild horse slaughter
photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
(December 17, 2012). Front Range Equine Rescue (FRER) filed a legal petition with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today to stop the sale of wild horses gathered from the range to individuals who then sell them to slaughter facilities. The Petition demonstrates that the spirit of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, and the stated policy of the BLM, prohibit the sale of these equine representatives of American history to purchasers who see them as profit centers for the international slaughter market. Allowing these icons of the frontier to end up as someone else’s dinner is an unacceptable denigration of the valuable place these animals hold in both past and contemporary American culture.
Current federal oversight of horses going to slaughter, whether by the BLM or any other federal agency, is inadequate with respect to identification of the origin of the horses. It is estimated that hundreds, if not thousands, of captured wild horses are sent to slaughter through “killer-buyers” who buy them solely for that purpose. The buyers typically have no concern or knowledge about the horses’ welfare, or about their prior history, before shipping them off to inhumane deaths in slaughter facilities. BLM could, but does not yet, provide proper oversight to prevent wild horse slaughter, and FRER’s Petition presents reasonable solutions to that problem. “Being slaughtered for meat is a tragic and cruel end for horses; the horror and shame is amplified when the victims are the wild horses who are national treasures of American history,” said Hilary Wood, president of FRER. “Congress declared in 1971 that wild horses should be protected from commercial exploitation. Unless the BLM acts, this nightmare will continue for wild horses, who are especially sensitive because they have never been handled by humans…To read more- Click Here
- Read the legal petition – Click Here
- Read the petition exhibits – Click Here
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I pray everyday that some how, some way, these horses will finally be free of their greatest predator. Human Beings.
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I AGREE…..LIVE FREE!!!
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Amen
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It is time and long overdue. We must petition and stand for our horses lives are in peril. We can and we must do this. Protect and defend them. Save the ones we can and place them in safe areas and ranges that have the proper resources for them to survive. We must do this for them. The wild horse families will thank us later. We must save them. It is up to all of us. Read this petition. Prayers and more prayers for our wild horses to be free. God Bless this petition and more to come.
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They (the agencies which “protect” wild life) have removed the natural predators, and put themselves in that position. Real natural predators would do away with the cattle,livestock, and excess horses. They would re-set the natural balance of the range. Gee—the Cloud Foundation came out with 10 ways to manage the wild horses (2011)—and still have wild horses. Did BLM look at those suggestions? IMHO BLM is just running another cold ,grisly business—stockyard to slaughter….
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Let’s hope and pray, with all the facts being presented and the ugly truths revealed, justice will prevail. All of our wild/domestic equines deserve nothing less. It is time and long overdue.
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It truly is a shame that the only way to get their attention is the sound of a gavel.
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If we had a properly organized campaign with people who have education and experience we could be countering everything BLM says and does with FACTS! Facts would help any endeavor we undertake to save our wild ones. We DO have other choices and by saying this is “the only way” you are denying all the alternatives to lawsuits that we have including writing stronger legislation which we must do sooner later plus organizing priorities in independent studies.
We can do more than lawsuits!!!! Please do not tell people we cannot! You obviously want your voice to carry weight but you are already becoming too narrow in your viewpoint. Those who sit on the sidelines and expect lawsuits to be all that will help our wild ones are shooting the campaign in the foot! Words are just that. We need far more actions in progress than lawsuits! Without data from the field we have no sound lawsuits.
Please attempt to see we have priorities and projects to support that are the basis for any actions. Stop undermining our chances by looking down too narrow a path! We are just reacting to BLM all time. Why are we not leading this crisis with organized data collection and research? We remain a step behind until we get out in front and begin to call the shots ourselves!!! With out supporting professionalism we are limping in the background with out a clue!
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Well, Steve that is the nature of law. And we are a law abiding society clear down to the type of light fixtures we use in our homes.
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Thank you for the work you are doing.
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I always wondered how the horse slaughter people got millions of horses out of the country without the public seeing all the blood sweat and tears. We just need to follow the Davis case and see what slaughter trucks were hauling the carcasses away. We could see all the name changes to American Companies that supply animal products especially in China and Asian and Europe. It can be very open opening.
The third larger industry in the world is the animal by product industry. One might wonder if horses end up on a human plate or being feed to fish in oceans or other animals. Why because its as third largest global industry behind oil and natural gas. We need to understand that companies in other continents use all kinds of by products to feed animals.
I myself don’t think horses are animal products or by products. The wild horses are an natural resource and a spiritual symbol of freedom.Thank you for publishing this article
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Hi Barbara,
What do you mean why you say the wild horses are a “natural resource”? You mean like oil and gas and coal and trees are natural resources? My concept of “resource” is that it is an inanimate thing that can legally be owned and used — drilled, mined, logged. Some resources are renewable, some aren’t.
To me, wild horses are just the opposite of a natural resource. As I’m sure you agree, they should be left free to roam on their entire allotted acreage (with no man-made barriers erected to prevent them from full access to that land. They should never be even touched by humans, much less chased down, manhandled, locked up, and transported surreptitiously in the dead of night to a grisly death.
Yes, they *are* a spiritual symbol of freedom. And should remain so.
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Free roaming horses are all categorized under “Natural Resource” You will find laws debating their management and slaughter under natural resource committees. It is the way it is, and does not mean it won’t change but if you want to locate information on a political level – I think you will find it classed under natural resource. It is not something Barbara just coined.
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Oh, that’s helpful to know. Thanks for telling me that, Janet.
I guess when the wild horses and burros are seen by the government and the ranching and extraction industries the way they deserve to be seen, the way they are meant by their Maker to be seen, then they will no longer be called “natural resources” and they will be safe.
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Sending these animals off to slaughter is nothing better than burning the constitutuin, the american flag, the bald eagle, the white house and all else that represents American feeedom.
It is just plain unAmerican.
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The petition is excellent, but it will be ignored by the BLM and even the Dept of Interior, as was recently demonstrated when the BLM counted over 5 thousand signatures on a petition as “ONE public comment”. This petition need to go to Congress. The Inspector General of the DOI will not investigate this or other BLM misdeeds without being directed to by Congress.
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This needs to be on the record (Thank you Hilary!) and we need to back this. If we expect to have anything developed that will stand against a decision to euthanize and sell as Sale Authority our thousands of captives, this is needed and we must acknowledge that this is what the public supports! If you think this is not adequate then do and say more and keep this conversation going to protect these captives who represent our HMAs and herds!
We have a LAW that is not being upheld. This law needs enforcement. Demand that the 1971 Act be enforced and stand against all efforts by BLM to continue to use amendments that are counter to this law as policy!
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Reblogged this on HEAD IN THE CLOUDS and commented:
MY FRIENDS!!! THE BLM!!!!
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