Source: By Dave Philipps as published in The Gazette.com
Wild horse advocates believe they illegally went to slaughter
After months of false starts, state authorities have opened a formal criminal investigation into Tom Davis, a southern Colorado wild horse buyer who admitted to breaking state laws while shipping hundreds of federally protected wild horses to an unknown fate out of state.
Last week, the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office opened the investigation at the request of state brand commissioner Chris Whitney, who said Davis, of La Jara, admitted to the commissioner that he broke brand laws.
A ProPublica report published in The Gazette in September detailed how Davis, a proponent of horse slaughter, purchased truckloads of protected wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management. Davis said he then shipped the horses to what he called ‘good homes ‘ all over the country. None of the horses has been accounted for. Wild horse advocates believe they illegally went to slaughter. Davis denies this.
Colorado law requires a state brand inspection when livestock is sold or shipped more than 75 miles. Brand records show Davis received more than 1,700 horses from the BLM, but shipped only 765. None of the horses is in his possession, meaning almost 1,000 were shipped or sold without an inspection.
Davis admitted as much to ProPublica in 2012, saying he did not want brand inspectors to know where the horses were going. When the reporter suggested that was illegal, Davis replied, ‘Since when is anything in this country done legal? ‘
He could not be reached for comment last week.
Each violation of the brand law is misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
After the ProPublica report, state agencies dithered, unsure how to enforce the law. The brand commissioner thought it was the job of the district attorney in Alamosa. The district attorney said it was not. Nothing happened with the case until a Gazette inquiry in early April…(CONTINUED)
Click (HERE) to read the story in it’s entirety
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
FINALLY right!! Let’s hope they look hard into this and not just shove it under the bus>>>> But this is good…
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Actually throw the book at him and throw the damn key away!!!!
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I agree with that!!!
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Good News! Let’s see what happens next??
There are so many scum bags in this Industry….and they were our Wild Horses…
Tom Davis I hope you get BUSTED!!!! Yet another Sociopath who eats horses and brags about it…..
“Hannibal Horse Lecter”
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OMG Thank You Sheriff, !
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I hope this isn’t a mouthpiece sheriff saving face for the department, and I hope he doesn’t use the excuses that oh yeah well its just horses, or the better excuse we ran out of money and manpower to figure this out! We hope this sheriff is legit, really will dig his way to the truth, and they will actually prosecute it!
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Its about time!! The comments show the lack of care and concern the horses. Every single person involved in the signing off of any of the documents for the 1700 horses should be prosecuted. Come on if we know who does the dealing, the BLM sure does. Did they really think that no one would care? The BLM is so corrupt, I doubt that any employee is work saving. A total house cleaning is what is needed here. We have paid for everything else involving the horses so why no pay to prosecute these low lifes…No sympathy here for these Morons…throw the book at them!
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I certainly hope this investigation goes somewhere. It’s also good that the federal government is looking into this. We should keep Sally Jewel apprised.
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Outraged, find out the history and make him accountable for his actions. He knows better. Stupid fool. BLM should be held accountable for selling him the horses. Damn this makes me so mad.
So many of these tragedies are happening. We must treat each situation with caution and get as many facts as possible.Our horses are so abused because of man’s mistakes. We must hold all people accountable for all actions and make them in a court of law pay the fines and go to jail as necessary. Uphold the law.
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Any and all investigation of illegal activities regarding our wild ones should be investigated and the guilty prosecuted and their finances audited – follow the money. Does anyone know the status of the federal investigation? Have certain BLM employees been charged for their part in this? How about BLM’s Sally Spencer who signed the sale agreements? How about her supervisors and BLM associates? Has anyone besides me noticed that there appears to be no information about any federal investigation? Does anyone know if the Spur Livestock (selling WH&B to kill-buyer) is being investigated? Do we all need to make formal requests for these investigations? Just because you throw a rug over cat sh$t … it is still sh$t … it is still there and we need to be sure that BLM knows that we know it is still there.
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I think that anyone that has bought a wild horse or burro should be held accountable to where that animal is. If they can not show where that animal is, they should be fined a heavy fine or sent to jail or both ! Americas wild horses and burros have been stolen from their homes and sent to live where they are not taken care of or they are gelded and killed ! They have no stallions in their holding areas because they have all been gelded…how would they be able to produce more foals to carry on their gene ? They should return what mares are still alive back to where they came from, I am sure that there is a stallion still out there to watch over them ! Everyone involved in this cruel treatment should be punished like they have done to the animals !!!
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Do they have a similar law in New Mexico? If I calculated it right – that’s 1,500 years in jail & a million dollar fine for the missing horses. Great work!!
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Can the county &state seize & forfeit this guys property once he’s convicted??? They can donate the property to a horse foundation (or sell it & donate the proceeds) & give back to the horses!
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There is also a need to investigate the BLM and the ones who sold wild horses to Tom Davis in the first place and used US tax dollars to ship them to this man. Also there is a need to investigate all the horses shipped to the holding pen in SD as well; which is a state that does not recognize BLM brands. A head count and records need to be reviewed for that holding pen as well. The BLM is working with these people and I bet their are some with in the BLM getting cut backs for turning a blind eye.
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“None of the horses have been accounted for”. Well, let’s make him, Mr. Davis, accountable for the loss of all those beautiful horses that were suppose to be federally protected! It’s good to see the Sheriff is following up, getting to the truth and hopefully make this scumbag accountable for breaking the law. It’s absolutely disgraceful that our wild horses have not only lost their freedom, but many lives lost illegally. He must be fined, big time, for every horse not accountable! He knew he was breaking the law, so jail time should be included in his conviction.
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This news made it to our local tv station this am here in Colorado…..YEAH!!….
Tom Davis your day is coming….
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We have to take a wait and see approach and if we don’t like the outcome, we have to become very proactive and demand restitution for the losses. I wonder if that report to Sally Jewell will include the horses lost by the BLM… how many of them did actually end up in the slaughter house, legally or illegally (remember Conrad Burns Amendment to the Free Roaming Horse legislation, the three strikes rule and the over ten year rule…). That’s all I have to say for now. They have set these horses up for complete extinction… genocide in its perfection….. Damn them all!!!
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Here goes nothing;
Why Does Tom Davis Have Dozens Of Foals All Under a Year Old in His Pens in LaJara, Colorado? by mar wargo
Tuesday, February 19, 2013, Lajara, Colorado 2:30 pm
When we pulled outside the white line of the road and stopped in front of the old wooden and wire pens we realized Tom Davis had company. Four men stood around a stack of untouched, green hay bales inside a large pen. I recognized the regional Brand Inspector from a description and Tom Davis but not the two lawmen with badges. I later found out this was the Lajara sheriff and county sheriff. Friend and wild horse advocate XX had been making calls to get authorities over to talk to Davis and see if he had paperwork on the dozens of foals and a few horses and two burros in his front pens.
XX had heard that the 5 adult horses in the pens had been joined by approximately 54 foals all under a year old plus the two burros, over the weekend. Swasey roundup in Southern Utah had just ended days before so my suspicions were aroused. According to the brand inspector, Gerald Garcia, Tom Davis had branded all these foals on the shoulder himself except a very young one he claimed was left in his driveway over the weekend. We could not see these brands and we were within 30 feet of some of the pens’ occupants as they moved between the open gates of two large pens. I repeat; we saw no brands even using binoculars. We were all shocked to be told they had brands. There are no papers because Davis claims these are his foals.
XX had told the local sheriff there was no hay visible in the two pens from Sunday until Tuesday and for that reason alone they should go by and talk to Davis. Only what looked like straw was out and some of the babies were laying on it. Since I was there on Tuesday it has snowed nearly a foot and XX and I wonder if the smallest have survived without any cover. They have all obviously been pulled off their mothers and although some are fine many are just not looking good. There are bloated bellies and many are thin. They need worming and they need more care; continual food and shelter. When we arrived I believe that hay was just put out at the request of the two local lawmen. Each pen had new untouched hay and the horses were waiting for the men to leave. The men were talking quietly for over ten minutes while we took pictures.
My companion, Roger Webb, went by and spoke to Davis. Davis stated all these babies were from his bucking stock off a nearby ranch. He said “I have 2 or 3 hundred head of horses.” Quite a broad claim; is it 200 or 300? None of these foals had the build of a sturdy bucking horse in the making and none would be as tall. Davis said he will sell all these horses for $100. a piece. There are one or two horses there that appear to be big strong bucking horses and he used them as baby sitters for the foals. One was obviously enjoying the foals. We fear he will be able to load and remove them soon. There is still snow in our local forecasts the second week in a row and this has been helping to keep him from taking them on to slaughter if that is where they are headed. The foals have no shelter but one another’s bodies. They need help or they will die soon at slaughter in Mexico or in Japan as foal sushi; your worst nightmares come true.
This is Tom Davis who BLM allowed to buy 1700 captive wild horses from the Canon City Short Term Holding Facility here in Colorado. BLM is investigating Davis although they colluded with him and did not follow through and check up to find out where these wild horses were actually going. We know there is a Foal Trade but we don’t know why or what they are used for except to eat. Where were these foals taken from? Were their mothers already taken to slaughter? Are most of them wild foals from BLM overflow? We have learned that BLM is not always holding onto the youngest ones and we do not understand the high ‘death rate’ of foals in facilities. Are they being sold for food? In my opinion many look like wild foals and they come in the same colors as wild foals. Was Davis given these from a holding facility? His MO at this point is; Never show anyone any paper work so he is not guilty or innocent but totally under suspicion of selling wild horses to slaughter.
Two burros were saved. It snowed heavily since yesterday. There is distemper/strangles in the ground there, Tom Davis said. The foals all looked good when last observed with no coughs and no runny noses.
A few weeks later all these foals were gone. No one knew anything.
Today; This is a part of the cycle of slaughter I don’t think every sees or even realizes is going on. Foals are collateral damage. They have little value I am told. But when mares have been sold at auction pregnant or with a foal this is the constant by product; babies who will more than likely end up dead quickly somewhere we have yet to find out. Like Palomino Valley foals, no one seems to specialize in their situations or know their true fate.
I was also told that this little article was ‘interfering in an official investigation’ by some dark side gofers. As you can see it was not. I would say the local brand inspector was protecting Davis. The State Brand Inspector can do better, right?
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This needs to be published everywhere. At least on a webpage for reference. Where are the pictures? Isn’t this Davis man the next ranch neighbor of Salazar?
The BLM must have been dumping all the foals for years and years. I bet those rendering charges for foals revealed are fraud Gov. charges and the live foals went to the kill buyer.
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Yes, I have photos and this is up at FB but the advocacy there is unresponsive except for my friends. That is another story. There are too many sheep and we know who they take their ‘orders’ from. They are afraid to stand out and risk being dragged through the bull crap gauntlet like I was.
Davis lives near LaJara, CO and down the road and turning East is Manasas, CO another very small village where the Salazar’s have their ranch.
The slaughter houses supposedly do not want the foals. I am not sure where they go and wonder if any information on them will ever surface besides the tale of the foal sushi in Japan.
The foals mean a great deal to me. I could not prove any were wild but many looked to be. I was trying to save a few of them and hoped to try to ID them but never got the chance. I was attacked by other advocates, as usual and is their MO on FB and basically told I was a liar and thief by ignorant and manipulated individuals. Of what or about what I was to have lied or stole I have no idea.
Sometimes the advocates are their own worse enemies. I would like to see this sort of thing stop. But I am one of the only advocates among a small number, who will even touch some of these subjects. Others are to be protected themselves from the dark side. I put my money where my mouth and heart are and have been exposed to more than my share of the prejudice created by the fear of slander that still raises its ugly head whenever I do what I can to help.
As a degreed journalist and former horse professional I feel I have as much a right to expose a man like this Tom Davis who is already the talk of the Front Range and beyond. He is fair game. Roger has seen trucks full of mustangs heading for borders and evasive hauls to avoid Coggins tests and other legalities.
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Mar—remember his quote ” Since when is anything in this country done legal?”
That is a pretty telling statement as far as this whole BLM bullsh*t is concerned. It really tells us what we are up against.
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Yep and it is an epidemic these days, Geri.
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From FOIAs:
84 Twin Peaks HMA horses and burros sold to Tom Davis by BLM
13 Calico HMA horses sold to Tom Davis by BLM
Sold from Litchfield (Northern California BLM) and Fallon Nevada (Indian Lakes) BLM
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Grandma, I think of the 39 ‘mostly pregnant mares’ that Davis was told to come and pick up out of Burns, Oregon. They will haunt me always. What is sin? Betrayal of trust….
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Mar-
Are these the horses you remember? Per fedspending and usaspending (more were shipped by contractors and paid for by BLM to Tom Davis but here is one):
Per Fedspending.org (paid for by BLM)
signed 2/29/12 & completed 3/7/12
“Ship 1 load of horses to Tom Davis PO Box 238 18163 Hwy 285 S La Jara, CO 81140 … Burns [Oregon] – ship horses to CO”
Ourada was this shipper but there were others.
BLM not only approved and signed the sales to Tom Davis but then the tax payers paid to have them shipped to him and now he can’t account for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them … but he has not been arrested and BLM facilitators of these actions have not been arrested.
What happened to the laws requiring illegal activities be prosecuted? Swept under the rug?
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Oh my, this must be, Grandma. I did not see paperwork. It was in the interview with Davis…
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Dear Mar, please post your statement and a pic or two in this thread. It will get noticed by the right people. thanks in advance. http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251305988
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My horse came from New Raymer, Co. shipped to Texas. Had to have the brand inspector out and he recorded the blm freeze brand. The transporter would not accept a horse for transport without the brand inspection report. Nationwide horse transport, out of colorado springs- http://nwht.net/
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And the plot thickens as Davis has likely not stopped anything until maybe, now.
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Not sure if he is still getting our horses today but the info I have per the FOIA states that he got ten Twin Peaks horses from Fallen (Indian Lakes – off bounds for the public) on 4/24/2012 – barely a year ago. Some of those had been transferred from Palomino Valley … so were they “cleaning house”? Disgusting.
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Grandma, I think he is just ‘off record’ at this point. BLM can change tactics and we have seen them do it over the years many times.
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Mar I think you need to hire a undisclosed detective , maybe we could ask for donations, there are many who would jump at the chance to expose these moronic imbeciles…… You must be very careful Mar !!!!!!! You have some awesome evidence !!!!!!Make many copies and hide them !!!!!!
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Read the article just now – but the comments have been “disabled”! Sort of makes me think they got a LOT. Which I’m sure they did. What is going on with this Davis guy? Isnt there anyone with the balls to go after him & find out what happened to these horses? (sheriff-brand inspector etc) If not for Mar we wouldn’t know anything about these poor babies. And now theyre gone.
THEN – I live in NY – not too far from the trailer “accident” on Rt 81. How can it be that the tractor Cab was on fire & there was no way to open the trailer gate? They stopped traffic (per the article) & there was a good deal of open land right alongside Rt 81. Yet nothing was done? What is it with people – no one wants to rock the boat – I don’t get it.
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Why didn’t he try to open the back doors of the trailer? Will any authority ask this of this man? Were the screams of these frightened and dying horses too much for him to think straight?
I fear the babies at Davis’s are just a tip of another iceberg. The collateral loss we are just beginning to find the traces of. I imagine the numbers will never be known but are huge.
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http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20111214/lead/lead91.html
Plea bargaining is critical in fighting crime as it allows for lesser offenders in a criminal enterprise to reduce their sentences, or in some rare instances serve no time in custody, in exchange for giving information on the master minds behind criminal activities
The masterminds are the ones who hatch the criminal activities and organise other criminals to conspire in furthering their criminal enterprises. The masterminds are the ones who, most importantly, need to be caught and put away but who many times evade justice because they have the money to do so. Such masterminds bribe law-enforcement officials and corrupt the criminal justice system
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So true, Louie! Those we see pictures of are the little guys who are used by the big fish.
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This man needs to be held accountable for this and get his due punishment to the highest extent possible..He is guilty..It way over due! Must be done to also an example to help deture ..hence!! Stop other kill buyers for the future! Now!!
I am trying to keep up with our horses in the facility in my home in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Have a FOIA form!
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