Source: by Scott Sonner as published at RGJ.com
““There’s simply no evidence any horses have gone to slaughter,”
The U.S. government can proceed with plans to sell more than 400 mustangs gathered at a national wildlife refuge to a private contractor that critics say has a history of reselling them for slaughter, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Miranda Du refused to grant an emergency order blocking the sale because she said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has tightened restrictions on the Mississippi contractor, which has been unable to account for the current whereabouts of more than half of the 262 horses it has purchased from the agency since 2010.
However, Du said she’ll give horse advocates another chance next week to prove why the horses from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge on the Nevada-Oregon line are of historical and cultural significance and deserve the same protection as those managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
She also set a hearing for Oct. 10 for advocates to argue why they think their First Amendment rights have been violated by restrictions the Fish and Wildlife Service has placed on public access to the holding facility where the animals have been stored since being rounded up earlier this month.
Du said advocates can file a new brief Monday, but she won’t in the meantime prevent the agency from moving forward with next week’s planned shipment of horses to contractors, including J&S Associates of Pelahatchie, Miss.
“The government can start that process,” Du said, adding that she believes agency officials have screened potential adopters and “have made reasonable efforts to prevent horses from going to slaughter.”
The Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a formal investigation of J&S Associates last year based on a complaint from one of the plaintiffs in the current case, California horse advocate Bonnie Kohleriter. But officials said the agency could not document any evidence horses were knowingly transferred to others for slaughter.
“There’s simply no evidence any horses have gone to slaughter,” Justice Department lawyer Travis Annatoyn told Du on Friday…(CONTINUED)
Click (HERE) to read the rest of the story at RGJ
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
What is wrong with tha judge?
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Heartless.
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Disgusting that a a Judge is such a heartless Goon , makes you wondering what the hell is he thinking !!!!!!!! or is he thinking ??????
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Greed!
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What would he or she have to gain ???? Must have been paid off would be only answer ??????
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In the face of the HUGE lack of evidence of what and where the Mississippi Horse Broker’s 262 wild horses went or what happened to them, Federal Judge refuses to put an injunction/hold on the upcoming auction…What??? Since the Broker can’t prove what he did with the previous wild horses, that means he’s innocent. Bull Shit. Horse brokers, especially wild horse brokers have a paper trail. By law, transporting any horses across the border for slaughter requires paper work. Judge needs to order the documents b4 making any decision on whether these wild horses will be in danger of being shipped for slaughter. Where is the JUSTICE???
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I WOULD NOT CALL THIS A SALE TO J&S. SHELDON IS PAYING J&S $1,000.00 A HORSE TO TAKE THE HORSES. HOW DOES SHELDON GET THE RIGHT TO DO THIS?
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Good question, Shirley. Seems to be a lot of questions, unanswered! What a nightmare and a real senseless tragedy, if these horses go to slaughter!
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SO theres “no proof the horses went to slaughter”????? Well, theres no proof they didn’t! Why pray tell, isn’t this judge forcing them to PROVIDE proof the horses didn’t go to slaughter? Seems like that’s the question – before J&S is paid to send another 400 horses down the road? Advocates are getting another hearing on October 10th – BUT the horses are being shipped next week. So even assuming the judge listens to the advocates – by that time the horses will be gone – likely slaughtered!
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The BLM has gotten away with kind of twisted stuff for tooooooooooooo long !!!!!!
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Exactly my point. The paper trail is the money trail and there is one. Or what, he doesn’t pay taxes on proceeds of the horses he sold for slaughter or whatever concocted story he wants to tell about where all the pretty horses went… A federal tax auditor would be breathing down our necks for failure to disclose something like this. Come on Judge, MAKE IT HAPPEN, you have the power to subpoena records. When I worked for the State Oregon, as an investigator, I had the power to subpoena all business records and did to prove fraud. Believe me, I could prove it here too. Time to boycott the federal government that supports these corrupt government agencies like the BLM, USFS and National Parks that are exterminating our wild horses. I pay over $8,000 a year in Fed Taxes. Whaddaretheygonna do? Throw me in a BLM Hell Holding facility or auction me off to a kill buyer? It’s time for civil disobedience and time to cut these idiots off of the public dole. Hit ’em where it hurts, the pocketbook of corruption and greed.
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What really gripes me is if you or I adopt a wild horse – there are many requirements that we have to meet – but these “contractors” are PAID to take the horses, THEN are paid by whoever buys them, right? Is this saving the government money as opposed to leaving the horses where they lived? Somehow I don’t think so.
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Right on. I had to have a BLM inspector out 1 year after adopting my 3 mustangs (drove 547 miles to get them at Palomino Valley BLM in Nevada) b4 they would issue title. The horses are branded, anyone transporting them over the border has to provide proof, there is a border inventory, there is a slaughterhouse inventory, there is an auction inventory. Judge has power to subpoena all records, needs to do it, but probably afraid of what corruption it will reveal. We, Wild Horse Warriors are not blind to this thinly veiled Wild Horse Conspiracy…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntRmiq74m-8
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I feel it is critical to require the BLM, park dept. and anyone else rounding up our wild horses to ID, microchip & freeze brand EVERY horse. They ‘process’ every single horse several times. Microchip and freeze brands are very inexpensive. Every horse at the USA/Mexican slaughter border is microchipped at the border…I think the BLM doesn’t want to ID horses so it’s easier for them to be poached or sent to slaughter.
Tag and cord can be cut off or even cause harm to a horse. Tags should be temporary or even replaced by a sticker if all horses had microchip at time of first ‘processing’ run through.
I feel proper ID of every wild horse will save a lot of horses. plus microchips can be read by field readers at a distance for holding areas.. and a freeze brand is easier to see.
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Per USAspending.gov
Transaction # 20 (Definitive Contract)
PIID/MOD: INF13PC00228 / 0
Recipient: J & S ASSOCIATES INC
1789 HWY 43 S, PELAHATCHIE, Mississippi
Program Source: 14-8216
Department/Agency: Department of Interior: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Product/Service: F016: NATURAL RESOURCES/CONSERVATION- WILDHORSE/BURRO CONTROL
Description: IGF::OT::IGF SHELDON HORSE ADOPTION
Signed Date:
09-11-2013
Obligation Amount:
$293,831
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