Source: by Mark Robison as published on RGJ.com
“There are no government employees on site…”
Palomino Valley ~ by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
The following comes from a press release sent out by Beverlee McGrath, who represents Hidden Valley Horse Rescue, among other groups:
What is happening to the 50,000 American wild horses now that the government has shut down? Who is feeding and watering the American wild horses that are currently stockpiled in federally funded holding facilities?
There are no government employees on site at the Bureau of Land Management’s Palomino Valley National Wild Horse and Burro Center, located 25 miles north of Reno, Nevada. Only two contract workers are on site to feed the roughly 2000 horses at the facility (the largest wild horse and burro short-term holding, adoption and processing center in America).
Animal advocates from the Hidden Valley Horse Rescue group have been making daily visits to PVC to ensure that someone shows up each day and that the horses are safe. President Shannon Windle is worried, “Thank you to all who are making that trip to check on the welfare of those horses. You’re making a huge difference for them!
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Categories: Horse Health, Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Let em loose. I often get asked why do you want to save a bunch of dumb horses anyway. My answer is define dumb. I say you and a horse enter the woods together and I’ll come back in a month and see who survives. Let em loose should be our battle cry. I posted it on Facebook. They don’t need our intervention.
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The BLM ‘manages’ all OUR public lands. They have millions of empty acres where because there are no longer wild horses those acres are fire tinder.
On top of that the BLM hold wild horses in over crowded feed lot conditions. No shade, no salt/mineral blocks, way to few waterers! and they dump hay on SAND hay feeders sit empty! by the looks of the pictures horses stand without any hay until one of 2 employees rushes around in the paddocks and dumps hay out of a pick-up truck.
No wonder so many horses under BLM care die or are injured, horses and foals disappear. The BLM makes these horses unadoptable-they ruin them!!
I am so tired & so depressed-watching animal abusers BLM killing thousands of wild horses slowly body and soul.
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Yes, return them to the 22.2 million legal acres stolen from them. It’s impossible that many horses get the proper care by only 2 people.
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TURN THEM LOOSE!!!!!!! Put them back where they belong !!!!! The Window is open why are we not acting?????????? Like Barbara said there is no way 2 people can care for these Mustangs properly !!!!!!!
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Yep, let em go……clearly a just and humane reason to open the gates.
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Let these horses free to fend for themselves. They will find their way to food and water. Clearly our Government is so screwed up. Of course the Government never planned for this happening. Definitely, these horses are better off wild and free. If they are not freed they will suffer. Two people taking care of 2,000 horses is crazy. American Government please get real.
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Ditto! Set them free!
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WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR ????????? I and others have sat here for 20 yrs watching the abuse the mustangs have had to suffer in silence, and now ultimately this is our chance to get it together and act !!!!!!!!
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Does anyone live close to where the horses are being held?
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I’m with you Arlene!!!! It’s time to let them go! There’s no way 2 people can properly take care of so many horses…something must be done!
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Organization we need !!!!!!
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These horses have suffered enough return them to freedom. They have a much greater chance of making through the winter free than where they are now. I do have a question, is this the state the Indians were rounding them up and saleing them off for slaughter?
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What the F$?&! Didnt they just call the neglect a hoax? Spit in the face of people reporting a possible problem? I would say 2 workerz and 2000 animals is a problem! Thats not a hoax, thats impending doom. These contractors have alot of responsibility and in a number that large thet couldnt see any smaller problems and cannot possibly care for that many animals with accuracy for any longer period of time. The Blm couldnt handle the horses witb Full staff.and volunteers!
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Agreed! And how stupid of the government to continue to fund the round ups with 50,000 wild horses all ready in BLM Hell holding facilities. Time to get real government, is the round up of wild horses really an essential service??? Oh yeah, right the $6 billion dolllars awarded to the helicopter contractors, the millions for hay contractors and now, feeding contractors and then for all the WELFARE (that means government subsidized 1.5 million dollars to run the grazing rights program that should have been grandfathered out decades ago) cattle. See how federal funds have increased steadily for the BLM as the national debt has spiraled out of control into the trillions? http://www.fedspending.org/fpds/fpds.php?psc_sub=F016&detail=-1&sum_expand=PC
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Somebody have Wayne Pacelle look into this and do some pre emptive looking. This is what those groups do CHECK it out!
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truck them back to the Range !!!!! send a drone video camera !!!! get this done !!!! I am willing to fly there and help !!!!!!
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Were is the so called PETA, THEY GET INVOLVED IN EVERYONE ELSES BUSINESS. why not get into BLM business that has more problems.
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ha, ha, good idea!
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Let the 500 and something congressmen and the President be fed, watered and cared for by 2 people. The government captured them, so they need to own up to the responsibility of caring for them or stop capturing them. Free, they would at least have a chance. I think we should free a lot of congressmen (i.e.) fire them and without pensions.
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I have been here waiting for a chance to see the Mustangs back on the Range this is that chance , the window is open now !!!!!!!
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If only we could do this!
Take them back home where they belong!
Let’s everyone buy a lottery ticket for the horses so we can contract hundreds of haulers for freedom.
Give America’s horses back!!!
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Please sign the petition to end horse slaughter. It’s exactly where the BLM wants to send our 50,000 captive wild ones: https://www.change.org/petitions/new-mexico-environment-department-please-deny-groundwater-discharge-permit-for-valley-meat-company#
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RT lets find out why HSUS, ASPCA, And PETA havent been jumping in this mud pit and getting this agency to quit abusing these horses! This is ACTION time!
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Someone ought to get ahold of Ginger Kathrins & Madiline Pickens & get those horses out of those holding pens NOW!!! I’m sure they will have the calvery come to their rescue with all the men & women that have helped in the past…& they have the trucks & airplanes too. Dont look a gift horse in the mouth people! There isnt a better time than now….DO IT!!! SET THEM FREEEEEEE!!!!!!!
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In complete agreement with you !!!!!!!
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Let them run free where they were before on the range happy w their herds and families !!! Let them loose !!! This is the chance to act SWIFTLY AND FAST !!! I agree. !!!
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Okay let us get a plan together and figure out how we will put them back in the wild. I have some thoughts on this but first I am concerned about their health, feet, mental health issues. Many of them have been taken from their original families and we must know where each one came from. This must be done. We need a history on each one. I can’t believe they just put them all together in huge round pens to fend for themselves. Horses are social animals and need to know where they are. Having to be made to stand in pens is damaging to their health. Can we put together the biggest convoy in history. Truckers from everywhere to help us in this historic battle. I think we can to do it everyone. We must save them and we must have a safe place for them. We must be able to give them freedom with food and water available to them. Access to land and to run. We need to plan this out. I am game and ready to help plan the biggest release ever. I know all of you feel the same way. Let us discuss this more in depth everyone. Lets do it. One group at a time. The govt can’t do anything right, period. But we can cowgirls and cowboys, yes we can.
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I am with you on this !!!!!
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What better time to set them FREE, back to the millons of acres they were taken from! Get out there everyone and do something NOW! With bad weather, etc..it’s only going to get worse, as we get further into the winter. We can all do something…please unite!
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Maybe now “we” can erect some shade shelters, etc….do it fast before the “workers” come back – roll eyes.
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Me rolling eyes and shaking head in agreement with ya. IDIOTS at the BLM, built shelters for their own stock horses. The horses will also need windbreaks from the high desert chilling winds at night below freezing then warming up to over 80 degrees during the day, in the winter. I know, I was there in October 2006. Pathetic conditions for any animals, no enrichment, no turn outs, no shade or shelter, and do they even have mineral salt blocks???? Oh yeah, and the once a year cleaning of horse manure, mountains of it, is definitely contributing to the amount of diseases the horses are contracting (warts, strangles, etc.) Over grown hooves from lack of area to run, just horribly pathetic…Which is why I took 3 wild ones home to Oregon in 2006. I was so appalled at the 1800 horses warehoused like that. Now there are over 3,000 at Palomino Valley…Ugh!
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This is what WOULD be my reply to one of the comments on that article – couldn’t
because I don’t have a facebook account! (the last holdout!)
BUT these are wild animals – who should be free & living where they always have. On their own, they CAN take care of themselves. Its the “nasty old humans” that have killed off the predators that used to manage the population. Sure natures way is hard – that’s why its called nature. You honestly think these horses & burros want to be kept in pens where they have no options to get out of the sun or snow? In the wild, they would find shelter. One of the main problems on the range that ensures the roundups will continue is the presence of the thousands of cattle. Notice that very seldom are they pulled off the range – even when the horses are…
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Perfect time to SET THEM FREE!
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Now is the time to do this,But we need to get this together some how ???????? They need to be trucked back to their Land !!!!!!! This needs everyone !!!!!!!!
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Arlene and all, this would have to be done lawfully.
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I was there last Sunday…didnt see anyone…hardly any hay in the pens…horses were being aggressive for what food was there. I contacted KTVN Reno and KOLOtv Reno and they have tried to call BLM…no response…..Something needs to get done and now…if the media can’t get thru…who can????
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Geeze cant we send a Drone there would then be no doubt as to if there is food and water ?
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Arlene~~~since you first posted about drones-I have been investigating them, and have to say I have become very interested, it is something I believe could be of great help to our horse advocates-there is a place in Co. that may have some and will be checking this next week(hope they know what I was asking about) they are absolutly facinating. I am surprised that some of the people that go and take photos had not thought of this.
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Dear Geri, the moment I saw the drone video camera I was so excited I could not wait to present it here , i feel to be a valuable asset for our Mustangs, I see it going un noticed everywhere we want to be !!!!!
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