http://m.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-hunter/blm-spend-10m-contraception-wild-horses-burros
by Carol Walker, Director of Field Documentation, Wild Horse Freedom Federation
When I was at the August Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Riverton, Wyoming, I listened to the BLM present its plan for awarding ten million dollars in grants to study sterilization of wild horses. They plan to announce in January which proposals will be accepted, and award 1 million dollars to each proposal. The Advisory Board Members and BLM staff lamented that birth control doesn’t work so they need to keep studying – while also laughing about “well, we KNOW sterilization works!”
This is actually completely untrue, about birth control not working. There have been 30 years of studies proving that Native PZP, the one year drug used on mares does in fact work. Currently, Native PZP is being used very effectively to control populations of horses in the Pryor Mountains of Montana and in the McCullough Peaks Herd. The goal for the local BLM office and the groups working with them in both these areas is no more roundups. Manage the wild horses on the range where they belong. Do not add to the ridiculous number of 50,000+ wild horses in holding facilities and feed lots, but control the numbers in a way that will sustain numbers needed for maintaining genetic viability, be reversible, and is humane. It is also important not to use PZP on small herds that are way below the numbers necessary for maintaining genetic viability, like herds that have an AML of 40, 50 or 60 horses.
There is a terrific video by Dr. Alan Rutberg, PhD of Tufts University at the 2014 American Equine Summit in his aptly named talk called “Embracing Failure: Why the BLM will not use Fertility Control” http://www.equineadvocates.org/video.php?recordID=45
The bottom line is that it is hard. BLM does not want to use birth control because it takes time, money and resources. They would far rather pursue a permanent solution, sterilization, even if it is dangerous and cruel.
The studies that are being considered include gelding, chemical sterilization, chemical vasectomies, and spaying of mares. These inhumane, dangerous procedures would be done in the field.
All of these studies on the sterilization of stallions make no sense – unless you sterilize ALL the stallions in the herd, you are not doing an effective job at controlling the population because 1 stallion can breed and impregnate many mares. Instead, using birth control on the mares is what needs to be done.
Consider the Sand Wash Basin Herd in Colorado. Wendy Reynolds, the Field Manager of the Little Snake Field Office in Colorado has applied for a study of chemical vasectomies of stallions:
This is despite the fact that currently the BLM is currently using PZP-22 on the wild horses of Sand Wash Basin.
This ten million dollars should be spent in funding birth control programs using Native PZP on the range, studies of wild horses on the range, and range improvements.
If the BLM begins sterilizing horses on the range, this will be the beginning of their final solution for our wild horses – a solution that will bring about the zeroing out of our wild herds.
Related articles:
http://www.wildhoofbeats.com/blog/wild-horses-the-proposed-destruction-of-the-sand-wash-basin-herd
Categories: Horse Health, Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
“The bottom line is that it is hard. BLM does not want to use birth control because it takes time, money and resources. They would far rather pursue a permanent solution, sterilization, even if it is dangerous and cruel.”
So, let me play Devil’s Advocate here for just a moment: I realize the BLM is top heavy with administrators, and it’s field agents overworked. I recently read a publication where a single field agent oversees two million acres of grazing allotments. That’s not just hard – it’s insane.
No wonder allotments can’t pass a healthy range standard, even if the allotments were being assessed or monitored.
But earmarking $10M for sterilizing wild herds is NOT hard – it’s criminally stupid. In the waste of time and taxpayer money it takes to put this group of idiots together has even ONE of them (with the exception of Tim Harvey) stood up and asked for additional money to study and monitor these herds on the range, to ascertain something even approaching accuracy in the populations…yet they giggle like teeny-boppers at the chance to destroy them.
Disgusting doesn’t even begin to label this crew.
I also find it puzzling that an advisory board would be so hell-bent on decimation rather than preservation; it’s tantamount to a board of trustees for a charity denying that charity for those who need it. No one (again, with the exception of Tim) wants anything decent or beneficial for these animals; they require and work toward their absence. I suppose when you look at the overall curriculum vitae of the majority of these ‘representatives’, it makes sense – special interest pinheads jumping on the chance to circumvent a job not just poorly done for the past 40 years, but a miserable and monstrous failure for wild horses and burros.
Imagine how much could be accomplished if $10M were used to get some bodies on the ground to do the hard work.
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Reblogged this on hocuspocus13 and commented:
jinxx xoxo
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there are 2 Awesome Statements made here they are It is also important not to use PZP on small herds that are way below the numbers necessary for maintaining genetic viability, like herds that have an AML of 40, 50 or 60 horses>>>>>>>>>>>>>>and Imagine how much could be accomplished if 10 million were used to get some bodies on the ground to do the hard work ! THE BLM A MISERABLE MONTOROUS FAILURE FOR OUR WILD MUSTANGS AND BURROS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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With gas prices so high why ruin the only other resource that has been around for centuries other than our feet and bikes?
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Will be interesting to see just how much of that money actually gets used for what it is intended. Too much corruption in our government.
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The recent National Academy of Sciences study found “no evidence” of overpopulation of Wild Horses and Wild Burros. The recent National Academy of Sciences study found “no evidence” of overpopulation of Wild Horses and Wild Burros. The recent National Academy of Sciences study found “no evidence” of overpopulation of Wild Horses and Wild Burros. Please excuse the repetition of the above statement but it can’t be said much clearer than that. Obviously the government’s actions toward the wild horses and burros needs to be closely and independently investigated and the animals left on their legally designated land.
Does anyone actually believe the BLM’s population counts and increases? I do not. I know that different Wild Horse and Burro legal land varies (and I know a close count is kept of the Pryor HMA) but why aren’t the organizations that support PZP doing fly-overs and scientific studies on the TRUE populations to prove or disprove the BLM’s population numbers? Why? Because there is no evidence of any EXCESS wild horses and burros on their legal land. When there is, then we can talk about contraception but until then …
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Bravo grandmagregg it was never clearer said , until we find ways and means to stop them, all the science in the world wont help them !!!!!! Their Evil greed is fueled by GRANTS to do the the complete asinine EVIL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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From AMERICAN HERDS
Calico: Past, Present & Future (excerpts)
http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2010/04/calico-past-present-future.html
“To understand the magnitude of what has occurred here – as well as to grasp where it is going and why – first, we must travel back in time to witness what BLM did, how they got away with it and how they plan to continue harvesting the bitter crops they began cultivating over two decades ago.”
PART I THE PAST
WILD HORSE & BURRO AMLs: WHERE THEY BEGAN
With the death toll still rising from the now captured Calico Complex wild horses while a bereft public stands outside locked gates, plans have been laid and continue to be made to perpetuate the crimes against these wild ones that began so long ago.
To understand the magnitude of what has occurred here – as well as to grasp where it is going and why – first, we must travel back in time to witness what BLM did, how they got away with it and how they plan to continue harvesting the bitter crops they began cultivating over two decades ago.
This is the first in a series that attempts to disclose some of the known issues playing behind the scenes in the Calico Complex and beyond…
This “modified technique” to measure grazing distribution patterns was then implemented as a new standard and BLM began substituting a monitoring technique for the original methods used to determine total carrying capacity, which is a critical method and tool to provide valuable data for areas in their entirety, not just at a few key or selective sites.
While this modification technique may be appropriate for monitoring grazing distribution patterns in order to make adjustments to livestock authorizations and/or seasons of use, it fails to address the entire scope of rangeland productivity for all multiple users by eliminating data on the full range of forage production.
Specifically, total carrying capacity computations are essential for determining forage available for wild horses, wild burros and wildlife species as their migratory distribution patterns and forage utilizations are often much wider in scope than domestic livestock. This data is necessary to adequately determine appropriate stocking levels for use outside the “poor grazing distribution” livestock zones and variances in utilization patterns from other grazers such as wild horses, burros and other large wildlife species.
These errors and flaws in carrying capacity computations noted by NDOW range and wildlife specialists in 1994 have never been addressed. Neither has the effectiveness or accuracy of substituting this technique to determine rangeland health been revisited, especially in context with its ability to appropriately designate the “optimum number” of wild horses and/or burros.
In the Calico Complex Preliminary EA, BLM shows a photo of Summit Springs in the Black Rock Range HMA (photo 7) to indicate low water flow and heavy wild horse use (above). Yet photos obtained from the Winnemucca Field Office via FOIA show the Summit Springs “Pipeline” leading to the Pine Forest Allotment contains a full reservoir and troughs – no wild horses allowed (below). The decision to issue an AML of 0 for wild horse use in the Pine Forest Allotment was implemented by BLM on 9/30/05.
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Significant date. Two days before the International Plant Protection Convention Update of 1997 went into effect. International treaties based on fraud or created to defraud the American people can be voided.
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Arlene, you are absolutely right.
The most important word in the first sentence and this is the word NATIVE. When the PZP is made from native pig urine, it is effective. If it is made of other sourced pig urine, it is less effective.
It is work to do the PZP program property,, but in North Carolina several universities operate research centers on the coast. Duke is managing the genetic of the Shackleford Banks herd, but other schools are also studying the ecology of coastal systems which includes studying the effect of having a single grazing animals on the island habitat where the horses live.
Perhaps there will be a redirection in our federal science programs where decisions are based on scientific truths discovered through the scientific method rather than ideology created by “experts” that decide the rules by consensus. The term expert is a dead give away that no scientific research has been done. Consensus is a marketing term. It is not the tool of legitimate research based science.
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HoofHugs,
This would be a good place to post that information. There are people reading who should be made aware of it.
EPOCH TIMES
35 Countries 21 Languages and Growing
The Last Wild Horses
John Christopher Fine is a marine biologist with two doctoral degrees, has authored 24 books, including award-winning books dealing with ocean pollution.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/blog/the-last-wild-horses/#comment-1694971216
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We all have 1 problem to deal with that is STOP THE EVIL FILLED WITH GREED BLM, we know all the scientific facts and truths , so we should all conscentrate on this and this only NOW !!!!! THE FACTS AND GROUND WORK ARE DONE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, NOW WE NEED TO SAVE THE MUSTANGS !!!!!!!!!
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I, like many folks hear, have wondered why the BLM continues to roundup and destroy our wild horses and burros – now this is just a WAG on my part–but we all know it is all about money and jobs, today it is destroying the herds because that is where the money is, tomorrow it will be putting the herds back together once they are gone because we need them for the health of the range, so the money will be in putting the wild herds back together and returning them to the wild again. And all the folks who have adopted the wild horse blood lines and have kept the herds whole will be right on board to help the BLM and say we told you so. The health of the land is in keeping all the animals on the range, the BLM knows that— as well as.the rest of us do.
“If we do not destroy this country before we get to that point.”
I can read every day about some other country returning wild horses back into the wild so why not us? This is the latest.
http://www.rewildingeurope.com/news/five-more-hardy-bosnian-mountain-horses-now-reinforce-the-wild-living-herd-in-velebit
Remember this is just my opinion.
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In the article click on the “rewilding horses in Europe” it’s long but a very good read.
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http://www.rewildingeurope.com/news/new-documentary-film-about-wild-horses-in-bulgaria-and-poland
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Geri, that film clip is magnificent – keep us posted if you find out when it becomes available, please!
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http://www.rareequinetrust.com/ofgodsandkings
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Icy Spots —— these films are available on their website, if you want to purchase, and I remember reading somewhere it is opening in New York sometime this year.
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What are they going to get money for when they wipeput all the herds?
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Found this article on the Rewilding Europe site about wild horses – ironic that they are trying to bring them back and the BLM is trying so hard to destroy America’s wild horses, maybe the BLM should learn a thing or two. The end sentence ” let nature take it’s course”. I like that because that is what happened to our horses———but then the BLM could not start the Rewilding of America, to put them back. JOB SECURITY http://www.rewildingeurope.com/blog/where-did-the-wild-horse-go
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The BLM is a disgusting agency that should be dismantled and everyone ousted that now works for them. We should get expert horse management people there that also understand and know range management and work together to keep our wild horse families on the original ranges. I am not an expert on this but we need our majestic American icons that have been with us since the earlier settlers came from the east coast to the west. THis is a shame and anyone with a brain knows this agency is so corrupt and bought by those with the big bucks, corporations and ranchers.
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I agree with all you just Posted
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All wild horse lovers will like this—bet it is something to see http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/7756
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http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/08/wild-west-welfare/print
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A creative use for these millions would to support Karen Sussman”s herds. She has rural data on the natural birth control of the horses. Any uses for chemical sterilization of stallions is real time lab work for what was most certainly performed at Gunniston. Instead of throwing more money at offensive measures, use it to support work that is in keeping with the Act. This is a brilliant idea from one of the most innovative and inspired advocates around.
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Dear Janet Schultz, I am very familiar with Karen Sussmans work and I think they should give her the 10 million , she has solutions the Mustangs can live with , awesome lady !!!!
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It’s called managing to extinction. Let’s be honest. in the cloud documentary a bolt of lightening fried a whole herd. in another year, mountain lions killed all the babies. Another incident was where a foal couldn’t stand and the stallion killed it. So what happens at the low end of the AML that the lead stallion gets off and dies or if killed by a force of nature. Mankind has botched up the genetics with his engineering in an attempt to make animals more like her wants them…..look at the engineering of the quarter horse. Aqha had messed with the conformation including giving them short necks. They now look like quarter pounders in these halter classes. We can’t just take it or leave it to their solutions… Hell no.. Mother nature throws variables into the mix all of the time and the blm has not made any plans for that. I’m bout big to take a choice because none of them are v the v right one….. I don’t eat to be part of the extinction of the mustang and burro.. Sorry..
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Forgive the spell check errors. This phone is crazy..
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