Horse Health

More on BLM’s Palomino Valley

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
CONDITIONS WORSEN AT BLM’S PALOMINO VALLEY CENTER, FOR CAPTIVE NATIVE WILD HORSES AND BURROS
 
BY: Jetara Séhart, Native Wild Horse Protection
 
August 30, 2014
 
The Bureau of Land Management, Native Wild Horse & Burro holding facility, located in Palomino Valley, Nevada, has taken a turn for the worse.
 
Last year, citizens of Nevada and from across the country, including veterinarians, many animal and equine welfare organizations expressed deep concern, for the welfare of the horses and burros held within this facility, over inhumane treatment, animal abuse and neglect, caused by failure to simply provide basic needed shelter and more drinking water troughs, to prevent doctor warned heat related and suffering and death, for many horses and burros. 
 
Located in high desert, approximately 1,800 horses and burros held within the BLM’s, Palomino Valley Center, are fenced within cages, with no shelter, provided no way to escape, life threatening Summer desert sun’s blazing hot rays, or Winter’s freezing cold storms.
 
The Bureau of Land Management’s, Palomino Valley Center, responded to public concern to end abuse, to create shelters and provide needed water troughs, with a “wild horse comfort workshop”, where shortly there after promises were made to try 3 shelters, to determine, which would be most effective, that was 12 months ago. 
Three small shelters were installed, but no real action, since has been taken to erect shelters, to ease suffering and help the near 2,000 horses and burros survive, within this facility.
 
 
The BLM’s PVC and individual facilities, require Secretary Jewell and the Bureau of Land Management, executive branch, located in Washington D.C., to instruct these improvements be made, in order to utilize a portion of this year awarded budget to the BLM, in the amount of $120,000,000, to be applied, to erect shelter protection, for the BLM captured, captive native wild horses and burros. Unfortunately, Secretary Jewell has been silent on this urgent matter and the BLM Washington D.C. executive office, fails to order the life saving changes to be implemented. Public outcry, continues for immediate emergency changes to be made to erect shelter for wild horses and burros, in social media networks.
 
A visit to the BLM’s, PVC facility, yesterday by wild horse advocate and Nevada, resident Patty Bumgarner, uncovered further health and safety concerns for horses, burros and also near by humans. A large insect infested manure filled pond, caused by this week’s rains, is located standing, openly behind the horse pens. Bumgarner, noted swarming insects flying and birds gathering eating insects, but no BLM staff was seen working to alleviate the apparent health hazard. This week’s rains, created concern of flooding upon the playa, that caused Burning Man to delay their opening, is located near the BLM’s Palomino Valley Center, facility.
 
Dr. Lester Friedlander BA DVM, former Chief USDA Inspector, President of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter, expressed his medical opinion about this situation:
“The stagnant water is a very good breeding ground for Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are carriers of the West Nile Virus and other Diseases.. It has been well documented thru out the United States that horses got sick and then died. Veterinarians who did the Necropsies of these horses did isolate the West Nile Virus.It should be of Public Health Significance that no water lay stagnant, to prevent Mosquitoes from laying their eggs in the water; since West Nile Virus affects both Humans and Animals.

The stagnant Water should be drained or kept moving until it is dispersed into the soil.”

 
Upon Bumgarner’s arrival at approximately 11:30 am., she visited the BLM air conditioned offices and heard acting Director Jeb Beck, instructing several BLM employees to keep the water cool in the troughs, for the horses. There was no discussion, to erect needed shelters, nor to remedy the standing water pond. When Bumgarner, left the facility just before noon, the temperature already had risen to 92 degrees, with an expected high temperature forecast of 97 degrees. The Bureau of Land Management pens are mainly barren, shelterless and in full Sun, barren soil in 104 degree temperatures may reach 148 degrees or higher, posing serious risk for the captive horses and burros. 
 
Cost effective compassionate solutions lie waiting for the BLM to implement, such as “rain water catches” and solar panel roofed shelters to save the horses, burros and create free electricity for surrounding residents and the BLM facility. This is the Chinese New Year of the Horse, a good time to support our nation’s treasured wild horses and burros to survive and thrive.
 
Photo: Patty Bumgarner, large still water pond provides a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, BLM’s Palomino Valley Center, Nevada
PHOTO: Patty Bumgarner, BLM’s Palomino Valley Center, located in high desert, a burro seeks shade beneath another burro, awaiting over a year for the facility to erect, urgently needed shelter, the burros here, appear to have come up with a temporary solution, to try to alleviate the Sun’s heat.
PHOTO: Cat Kindsfather, Many magnificent horses await help at the Bureau of land Management’s, Palomino Valley Center
All horses are available for adoption, please adopt and support the public land to be shared equally with native wild horses and burros.
Included links for reference:
Contacts for Media:
Jetara Séhart, Executive Director, www.nativewildhorseprotection.com (415)275-4441
Dr. Lester Friedlander BA DVM, former Chief USDA Inspector, President of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter
Patty Bumgarner, Wild Horse Advocate ( 775) 301-6512
Coleen Denson, Wild Horse Advocate (775) 276-1187

Categories: Horse Health, Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs

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17 replies »

  1. Why is this information not being noticed by the main media? This needs to get more public attention. BLM is killing our wild horses and no one knows except advocates. How can we reach the main media?

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    • Thanks, Carmen. Advocates can look up the email addresses of editors of newspapers or news departments online. For television news, there’s probably a “story tip” link or a way to send in a link to any article you’d like to send to them.

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  2. Here in CO we are told to not leave any standing water, not even small amounts – looks to me, just one more way they are setting our mustangs and burros up for death and exctntion – we certainly better stop talking and get some action going pretty soon – we just need some direction, those of us to far away don’t have a clue what to do-emailing, writing, calling, and sending donations is NOT working – we need another game plan!!!!!!!

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  3. Is it possible the BLM is under the delusion that letting our wild horses die from neglecting health hazards, lack of shade, shelter and water makes them less morally responsible than those who kill them outright ? Maybe someone should clue them into the fact that there never has been any moral distinction in the history of ethics between letting animals or human beings die from neglect and killing them. But then “BLM ethics” I suspect is an oxymoron like “humane slaughter”.

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  5. i agree geri , i live in tx. and can only write ,call so forth but can’t just go over there! just barely walk but trying to help in what ever way i can just got back from hosp. again . i really don’t see what their hold up is . that shade looks cheap enough that there could probably be two or three to an encloser but could most likely do better than that . i watched the advisery panel meeting , heard a lot of talk about making things better for the horses. well words are cheap and actions speak louder than words ,so we’ll see. that timothy harvey he was really looking at the cows and horses ratio . all i know is those horses have suffered year after year , things have to be better . the horses on the ranges need to be dealt with there instead of the prison setting that america is so set on . protect the mustangs .

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  11. ANIMALS’ ANGELS
    Investigations

    Palomino Valley BLM Wild Horse Holding Facility, Sparks, NV 5/21/14-5/23/14
    http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horses/palomino-valley-blm-wild-horse-holding-facility-sparks-nv-5-21-14-5-23-14

    Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014

    When our investigators visited the Palomino Valley facility on May 22 and 23 of this year, they observed several horses with overgrown hooves and at least one that appeared to have a tooth abscess. With a limited staff observing and feeding the horses and burros on a daily basis, we believe it would be quite difficult to monitor so many horses to ensure adequate vet care and early detection of issues.

    While at the facility, we spoke directly to Zachary Reichold, Acting Deputy Division Chief of the Wild Horse and Burro Program. He offered to give us a tour and while he was forthcoming with information, the conversation left us with more questions than answers. These concerns have prompted us to schedule further investigations.

    An additional concern at this facility is its mortality rate. According to Beatrice Wade, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, there were 19 reported deaths between January 1 and April 30, 2014. There were 1227 equine (1180 horses, 47 burros) accounted for during the same period. Understanding that the BLM doesn’t report the deaths of unmarked foals, the mortality figure supplied to us by Wade may not account for all of the animals that died at Palomino Valley during that period. Animals’ Angels has already reported on the inaccurate record keeping protocols of the BLM as it pertains to mortality rates.
    More information on that issue is available here http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs161/1101655399670/archive/1112338100312.html

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