English: Bureau of Land Management logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Unedited press release from the BLM
Release Date: 01/04/13
Contacts: Tom Gorey 202-912-7420
The Bureau of Land Management today announced a policy – in the form of what’s known as an interim Instruction Memorandum – regarding new conditions and restrictions on wild horse and burro sales. The new policy was prompted by the BLM’s overall effort to improve its management and care of wild horses and burros that roam Western public rangelands.
“Today’s announcement marks another step forward in our agency’s steady improvement in ensuring the health and humane treatment of wild horses and burros, both on and off the range,” said BLM Acting Director Mike Pool.
The new policy, which is effective immediately, will remain so until the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program publishes additional guidance on wild horse and burro sales.
- No more than four wild horses and/or wild burros may be bought by an individual or group within a six-month period from the BLM without prior approval of the Bureau’s Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning.
- When buying wild horses and/or wild burros, purchasers must describe where they intend to keep the animals for the first six months following the sale. Without prior approval from the Assistant Director, the BLM will not sell more than four animals destined for a single location in this six-month period.
- Buyers must provide transportation for the purchased animal from the BLM’s short-term holding corrals or other locations to its new home. Specifics regarding acceptable trailers can be obtained from the new interim policy, which is posted at: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/Instruction_Memos_and_Bulletins/national_instruction/2013/IM_2013-032.html
- The BLM will inspect trailers and reserves the right to refuse loading if the trailer does not ensure the safety and humane transport of the animal.
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Thumbs down.
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There is nothing to stop the brutal treatment of wild horses when they are rounded up..
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Wha? Are they kidding? You know, that I know, that they know,they won’t bother. More lip service. Kiss my ass.
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BLM decision writers can Kiss my ass too!
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A complete joke!
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We can’t believe a thing they say:((((
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This is great news and long over- due. Of course, if the horses were left to roam free, where they belong, this wouldn’t be an issue. However, any interest in protecting humane treatment of our wild horses and burros is welcomed and appreciated.
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Like SO much of BLM’s policies regarding wild horses and burros, this is gonna be open to ‘interpretation’.
Adherence to the WH&B Act and it’s ‘amendments’, and the administration of the ‘Program’ have never really been about protection, just the loose interpretation of ‘management’. Why should adherence to this policy be any different?
Because it looks hella good on paper.
Anybody notice how stringently policies are upheld and how widespread the investigations, arrests and convictions of those who kill wild horses (theoretically, a Federal offense)?
Um, NO….
Every form of management becomes a roundup. Every sale of groups of these animals seems to result in disappeared, dead or dying animals in need of rescue. BLM devotes 10’s of millions of dollars toward removing and warehousing, but very little when it comes to animals still on the range, the health and safety of those In Holding, even the follow-ups after sales and adoptions.
Promoting adoptions has become a joke, with about 1% of the entire budget used toward adoption events.
So this ‘policy’ is exactly like every other policy released to the media in the past 40 years: a big ol’ puff o’ bovine methane into the atmosphere.
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So all of a sudden the BLM are the good guys? The only way the BLM will ever get on my good side is if they stopped the roundups and put what’s left of the Mustangs that haven’t been sent to slaughter back on public land where they belong and leave Cloud’s herd alone. Even then I wouldn’t turn my back on them for a instant.
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The only thing I hope DOESN’T happen out of this “new safeguard” is that the true heroes would be prevented from rescuing — due to red tape. That would be more bad news for the horses that are in this terrible tragic fiasco. Time will tell.
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I agree, jggrama, if the compassionate & caring individuals who actually want the horses & burros to care & keep them safe, now have to jump thru more loops, while the KBs & crooks can continue to haul them away to slaughter – thats no improvement.
Just looks good to the unknowing public, huh?
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this sure came out of the blue…or are they just blowing more smoke up every ones’ a** ??
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Thoughts and questions:
So … “No more than four wild horses and/or wild burros may be bought by an individual or group within a six-month period from the BLM without prior approval of the Bureau’s Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning.”
Before today ALL wild horses and burro sales required “prior approval” from Sally Spencer .. and we know how well THAT worked and where hundreds and hundreds ended up.
So, this just sounds like more BLM BS since more than four can still be bought with “prior approval”. This BLM decision-maker is Ed Roberson who I believe is Sally’s boss (?) and if so it was he who was ultimately responsible for the large sales to Tom Davis and other questionable buyers.
We don’t need a “number” to fix this – we need honesty and integrity and we all know BLM doesn’t have that and they prove it every day with every action. The law clearly states the WH&B are to be left on their legal land and not be captured and not be harassed and not be branded and not be killed. BLM ignores every bit of this Congressional law. Unbelievable but true.
PS Has anyone heard if Sally was “sold down the river” by BLM or is she still in charge of sales? Perhaps she will not disappear right away because that would further point to BLM’s admission of knowledge and guilt of the crime for those Tom Davis sales and that goes back to … guess who (drum roll) … Ed Roberson.
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How cwn we make this issue (the slaughter of wild horses) as well known to the everyday American citizen, as is the price of gasoline? Is there something we can do to inform more then just horse lovers and animal lovers? I am shocked that in a country where there are so many horse loving people, that the government gets away with this! How can we protect the last of our wild west?
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“Without prior approval from the Assistant Director, the BLM will not sell more than four animals destined for a single location in this six-month period” HELLO IT WAS 1YEAR NOW 6 MOS – this will not stop the sale of truckloads of 3 strikers or those over 10 years old, or any killbuyer that gets “prior approval”.blah blah blah..
THERE WAS ALREADY A POLICY IN PLACE, IT READS: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.
Public Law 92-195: Provided, That, not more than four animals may be adopted per year by any individual unless the Secretary determines in writing that such individual is capable of humanely caring for more than four animals, including the transportation of such animals by the adopting party; and [PRIA 10/25/1978]- Did the Secretary, as prescribed by law, give Tom Davis “written” permission to humanely care for over 1700 (that we know of!) wild horses? If so, he is accomplice – if not, he didn’t do his job – either way he’s busted.
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Excellent observation about the Sec of Interior written approval….I was thinking the very same thing.
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Sounds like everyone has said it all. Another PR move on the part of the BLM to make the public think they care. Thanks RT for keeping us posted.
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Really?????? Why just 4 horses? What’s 6 months -how about 1 year and the certiification by a certified veterinarian? And why not keep track of them for their entire life…I don’t see any consequenes if they no longer have the horses or burros. Sorry, but this is only a bandage and probably just contrived to keep us quiet..Sorry this is a little too late,,They need to do better than
this. Why not involve the people who care about them and do have their best interest at heart?
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Regarding the “4 Horse” poop///everyone knows what shills are right? All a kb has to do is get proxies to buy…err, adopt the wild equines. It would cut in a bit to the kb’s profits, but not that much.
Beside, others have said that rule is already there; it not being enforced.
One good thing, there is the distinct possibility that the PR Poop speak is an indication that the pooh must be hitting the fan back at the headshed in DC with this investigation/Davies thing. They wouldn’t have bothered if they didn’t think there was trouble brewing on the wild equine horizon.
They have been had ladies and gentlemen and they know it.
Now let’s see what the numbskulls in Congress or the White House will do with the info.
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The BLM can STILL sell more than 4 horses with the approval of Ed Roberson. And they ONLY keep track of the horses 6 months after the sale? NOT a big change. Another bad plan that doesn’t really protect the horses.
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•”No more than four wild horses and/or wild burros may be bought by an individual or group within a six-month period from the BLM without prior approval of the Bureau’s Assistant Director” says it all. So some people will get approval to purchase several hundred horses every six months–and BLM will surely get a description of where those horses will be safely kept–until they are shipped to Mexico? And how is this better for the horses? BLM—you’ve rattled and struck.
AGREED LNorman–there’s already a policy in place.
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All right..close the barn door after the horses got out.. Renewable resources? Does that mean they are not livestock but rather trees? To me this is the typical rhetoric of the BLM…
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THAnk you so much .. this is a way long past due improvement however, needless to say all the efforts from the American PUblic needs to continue with Close watch to the behaviors and Photo’s should continue.. thousands upon thousands of dollars spent to do this to our WIld horses.. in such a cruel and heartless fashion… Maybe this will be the beginning of a new world for them as to let them BE WILD AND FREE on there HOMEland and OPen Range. THAnk you
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WRONG ANSWER…the roundups MUST STOP…PERIOD:
Excerpt from:
http://veteran-journalist.com/
Bureau of Land Management and DOI Missing $168 Billion Dollars; Taxpayers Have a Right to Know Where It Is!
Legislators and government are asking for tax increases, while blaming taxpayers for frivolous spending habits. This discussion demonstrates why “Not” to raise taxes, and the fault being irresponsible conduct from our government agencies, and a cover-up of fees that either should have been charged to corporations and special interest groups; or was charged, collected, and then distributed illegally. Either way questionable and even illegal situations remain abundant within the Bureau of Land management..
The estimated worth of the materials taken from Public Lands, what the actual fees charged should be, is explained in a current GAO Report to Legislators:
“In summary, there were nearly 70 different types of leasable minerals extracted from federal lands and waters in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. . . For example, the volumes of the four most valuable of these minerals—oil, gas, natural gas liquids, and coal—are measured in barrels, million cubic feet (mcf), gallons, and tons, respectively. According to ONRR data, the total value of all leasable minerals extracted from federal and Indian land and sold in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 was $92.3 billion and $98.6 billion, respectively.”1
Keep these ”total-value” figures in mind, explained further, and also keep in mind this is only one segment of many the Bureau of Land Management’s recklessly managed affairs, basically yet another form of Corporate Welfare, where the taxpayers receive nothing in returns. A scam that needs to cease immediately. In this case a $168.2 billion dollar scam, and this being the tip of the iceberg.
Taxpayers and the general public, who use Public Lands for recreation, for example, pay many fees to do so, and at no discount. Yet large corporations and sheep and cattle ranchers pay next to nothing what so ever and recklessly damage our Public Lands while doing so.
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Here is some good TV coverage on the Virginia Range horse slaughter issue. They mentioned the change, and there is a “brainy” quote by Tom Davis at very end, if you haven’t seen it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uq0MUZs4VrI
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“A’int no way in hell”. Brilliant Tom Davis just brilliant.
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Those people that abuse those horses know who they are and that it is wrong!!!
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