John Neill of the BLM told the media that a foal was “successfully delivered” from a dead mare (photo below) at BLM’s Palomino Valley Center in Nevada. We showed Neill’s statement and the graphic photo below of the dead mare (with what appears to be an unbroken amniotic sac protruding from her body), to veterinarian Holly Cheever. Here is what Cheever said about the mare and her unborn foal:
1) Most important, she must have been dead for hours–too long for her in utero foal to survive with no oxygen–since her left hind limb is not resting on the ground (hoof contact) where gravity would place it, but is rather sticking out horizontally, which happens when the gut becomes bloated from bacterial action and the lack of gut motility induced by death. This causes the whole peritoneal cavity to swell/bloat and, with rigor mortis of the limbs, causes them to elevate off the ground and stick out horizontally.<
2) Although I do not have excellent resolution in viewing this photo, it looks as if the foal is still wrapped in the fetal membranes (the amniotic sac) and therefore could not have access to air to breathe ex utero, He/she would have suffocated quickly once the mare’s heart stopped and no longer supplied the foal with oxygen through the umbilical artery.”
—-Holly Cheever, DVM
The KTVN news story stated that the mare passed away “during childbirth,” and Cheever noted that the “the mare was experiencing “foaling”, not “childbirth.”
Thank you to wild horse & burro advocates, and veterinarians, who continue to try to bring accountability to BLM actions and truth to the public. We are posting the most recent press release from Love Wild Horses below. – Debbie
____________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BLM’s HONESTY IN QUESTION, AS PUBLIC OUTCRY GROWS OVER MARE AND FOAL’S NEGLECT AND DEATH
(WARNING Graphic Photo below)
On Friday morning, July 10th, at approximately 7:00 AM., Patty Bumgarner, a Nevada resident and wild horse photographer, arrived at the BLM’s Palomino Valley Center (PVC) and discovered the body of a young mare with an unborn foal partially protruding from her birth canal. Bumgarner shared the story and photos with Love Wild Horses‘, and it went viral, reaching 50,000+ people in 24 hours.The mare and foal’s story caused a huge public outcry.At approximately 10:30 am, John Neill of BLM’s Palomino Valley facility contacted Channel 2 KTVN News, to respond to the incident. KTVN ran a story that stated,
“Photos surfaced online Saturday of a mare that passed away during childbirth overnight Thursday at the Palomino Valley Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro holding facility. John Neill of the Bureau of Land Management confirmed that the 2 year old mare was found deceased when workers arrived early Friday morning. The mother and foal were removed from the pen and the foal was successfully delivered. The foal was taken to Northern Nevada Correctional Center where the BLM has an orphan care program.” Story here: 2 KTVN NEWS:
The graphic photos taken by Bumgarner show a wild horse mare laying lifeless on the ground, the body stiffened with an apparent and visible light pink birth sac, unbroken and protruding from the mare. The dead animals were in the pen with living mares and foals.
The young mare and her unborn were unattended and unaddressed for over an hour by BLM personnel, who busied themselves distributing hay for the living horses. After an hour, they brought a backhoe to take away the mare’s body.
At approximately 11:00 AM., Coleen Denson, a Nevada resident, contacted the Northern Nevada Correctional Center.and was informed there were no new born foals present.
Coleen shared with us:
“I was transferred 3 times, before I was connected to “Kevin”, in the Stable Division. Kevin hadn’t heard about a Foal and dead Mare from Palomino Valley on Friday. He told me, that all they had in the Foal care program were 1 month andolder, no one day olds, or newer born foals.”
We contacted Dr. Lester Friedlander BA, DVM, regarding the possibility that the foal (called “Hope”), could still be alive, as BLM PVC’s Neill stated. Dr. Friedlander stated “In my Professional Opinion, when the mare dies and she is in foal, the foal might live 1-2 minutes. The foal needs the oxygenated blood to survive.”
Author Terri Farley of Nevada is a frequent visitor to Palomino Valley Wild Horse corrals, and shared these thoughts regarding the mare and foal’s death: “Is it possible this young mare might have died in wild? Until there’s a necropsy, we don’t know. We do know thatwild horses taken off the range are dependent — breath to breath — on human care and kindness.”
John Neill’s report to Channel 2 News KTVN is also in direct c onflict with the correctional facility’s information Denson received. We reported the discrepancy to KTVN Channel 2 News and requested further investigation be conducted into the where abouts of the foal “Hope”, Neill claimed was saved.
We were informed “the BLM PVC Facility was closed until Monday” and at 4:47 PM, Channel 2 KTVN News announced:
“We are continuing to look into this matter. The story was removed after we received conflicting information from multiple sources. More parties have become involved than originally thought so until we can speak with all of them and get a clear understanding of what happened we will refrain from posting about the matter. Thank you for writing, we will do our best to look into this further.”
Concern within the community and social media is growing into the seeming misinformation provided by BLM’s Neill, and for the blatant disregard for the well being of this mare and her unborn foal and for all the wild horses assigned and held within this facility. For two years, there has been much controversy and public outcry over the lack of shelter and additional water troughs that are needed for the many wild horses warehoused at this BLM facility.
Unfortunately and in fact, this is not the first time dishonesty and discrepancy exist in BLM PVC reports,of how many wild horses and burros, have died at their facility. In May of 2013 a FOIA requested by the organization Animals’ Angels discovered “In addition to the contract itself, our FOIA request obtained all records of deceased horses and burros sent from the BLM holding facility to the rendering plant from January 1, 2010 through May 31, 2012. During that time frame the BLM itself reported in the official Palomino Valley Mortality Detail Report that only 241 horses and burros died at the Palomino Valley facility and 50 at the Fallon facility.
However, the records from the rendering plant tell quite a different story. According to the Nevada By-Product invoices for that same time period, a startling 577 dead horses were received from the Palomino Valley Facility. This is a shocking difference of 286 animals (336 horses if Nevada By-Products does not render the horses from Fallon), a number simply too large to ignore.”Full Story Here: “HORSE DEATHS AT PALOMINO VALLEY CENTER, MORE THEN TWICE AS HIGH AS REPORTED RENDERING RECEIPTS REVEAL.”
Adding insult to injury, poor public relations heightens for the BLM, due to BLM Staff negotiations with The Burning Man Festival’s Management, requesting building a $1,000,000 compound for BLM personnel, including 24/7 ice cream access and other luxury amenities.
The Bureau of Land Management wild horse & burro Palomino Valley and Indian Lakes holding facilities are located in the desert and nearby, thousands of federally protected wild horses and burros suffer, and some die, due to BLM’s failure to simply install needed shelter and more water troughs for the horses and burros.
Approximately two years ago, at this same BLM facility, advocates found a young filly, they named “Lil Angel” deceased upon the searing hot ground, that prompted a large public outcry for shelter and aid to be provided. Instead of addressing the urgent need then, the BLM held a wild horse “Comfort Workshop” to discuss whether or not wild horses preferred shade.In June, 2013, Dr. Lester Friedlander, BA, DVM, President of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter, requested BLM’s management to act, warning that,
“If the wild horses and burros do not get the proper protection from the environmental elements, found in that area, countless animals will be lost to disease, infections and heat related deaths. There is no adequate shelter found there and the wild horses and burros have no place to find shelter from the blistering heat.”
Yet, BLM management continues to ignore veterinarian opinion to protect the wild horses and burros, resulting in the death and disappearance of BLM captive horses and burros.
The Bureau of Land Management is charged by Congress and the American people to protect – not harass, harm, or cause death of America’s federally protected native wild horses and burros. But instead of helping the wild horses survive in
the wild and within BLM holding facilities, the BLM is making their survival as a species impossible, and is managing
the horses and burros, to extinction.
Please contact your Legislatures and the White House and request immediate action be taken to
Save the Last of Our Native Wild Horses and Burros : To Give the 58,000 BLM captive wild horses and burros shelter and humane care, or set them free to survive and increase protections to secure freedom and their ability to reproduce, for the under 20,000 remaining free roaming native heritage horses and burros, to thrive, upon America’s vast 245,000.000 acres of public lands.Links for Reference:
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2015/07/11/federally-protected-wild-horses-die-trapped-in-blm-s-palomino-valley-nv-facility/
http://www.ktvn.com/story/29525970/blm-foal-taken-to-carson-city-prison-orphan-care
http://blogs.rgj.com/mostlydogs/2013/05/01/horse-deaths-at-blms-palomino-valley-facility-may-be-twice-as-high-as-reported-rendering-receipts-reveal/
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/07/12/
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/22926
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/26/blm-vip-compound-burning-man/29340561/
http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/BLM-to-Hold-Workshop-on-Wild-Horse-Comfort-217636641.html
http://thewildhorseconspiracy.org/2013/07/02/exciting-article-about-by-phd-steven-jones-re-more-recent-surviving-native-horse-in-north-america/
Media Contacts:
Jetara Séhart, Executive Director, Love Wild Horses, www.lovewildhorses.org
301-6512Coleen Denson (775) 384-9954
Slaughterwww.noequineslaughter.orgiamlfbadvm@pa.net
Photo: By Patty Bumgarner, 7:00 AM 7/10/15 BLM Palomino Valley Center, Nevada, a mare discovered by a gate, lay lifeless in urgent distress, wild horse Mother advocates, have called “Teresa” with her unborn foal, named “Hope”. Unfortunately, no help from BLM personnel
ever arrived. Several veterinarians, have carefully viewed this photo and determined the birth sac, is unbroken, due to
the color and form. Slightly after 8:00 AM, BLM staff responded, by bringing a backhoe to move
their bodies.
Photo: By Patty Bumgarner, photo taken two weeks before her death, on June 26, 2015, the beautiful pregnant dusted strawberry red roan, beside the fence, the mare now called “Teresa”.
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here for a nanosecond and say that John Neill could not possibly have had all the facts of the mare in the above photo before he made his statement.
Because, as much disregard as this agency has for people who prefer their mustangs free-roaming or, lacking that – alive – there is NO way this statement would have been released with an expectation that no one would notice what Dr. Cheever expressed.
A great deal of wild equine advocates have horses of their own. Please try and remember that.
Given the extraordinary lengths gone to in avoiding even the slightest of comforts for these animals, what possible harm could stepping up and admitting that this mare died because no one could be bothered to watch over a pen full of mares and their vulnerable infants.
In fact, a truthful statement, couched correctly, might even have bought the management of Palomino Valley just a bit of grace.
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John Neill should have had the facts before he called the media. Please remember that John Neill was manager of Palomino Valley when there were more dead carcasses sent to Reno Rendering than deaths listed on the Palomino Valley facility reports. Many were foals.
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Right Debbie. It’s a part of doing his job. Of which I think he is doing a pretty lousy job of. If you don’t know you investigate a bit before you open your mouth. But then BLM has so little respect for the American public that they just spout out the very first lie they can think of and then stick to it like they were coated in Superglue.
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i am looking for the post of the burro that was rounded up pzp’d and later while in labor rerounded up till her hooves came off? anyone remember or can find?
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You think after all the evidence of their abuse, something would come out of it besides slapping their hands. What murders and they still get away with the crap.I don’t use hate very often, but I HATE THE BLM AND WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY STAND FOR. Not for us or the horses and burros. they’re own pockets
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THANK YOU to all of you who continue to visit the captives in the BLM holding facilities where they should NEVER have been taken in the first place.
Wild things belong in the wild.
We will never know whether this Mare and her Foal would have survived had she not been captured and removed from her Legal Herd Management Area.
We do know that the stress of capture and captivity is physically and emotionally devastating.
WILD HORSES
THE STRESS OF CAPTIVITY
Bruce Nock, PHD
Click to access Wild%20Horse%20Stress.pdf
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This shows big time the idiots they have running these facilities. Why the hell are the pregnant mares separated and monitored more closely for such events? Why would the public listen to anything that they have to say? It’s tragic and heart breaking that our tax payer’s money goes to pay these morans. Basic humane rights state that horses are required to be given shelter from the elements. As a past hooved humane investigator, if an individual continued to provide shelter, they would be written up. If it was not corrected the Horse(s) could be removed and a court appearance required. They just don’t give a damn! They all should be fired and the BLM totally dismantled. I am constantly contacting my Legislators regarding numerous Wild Horses showing up in Kill Pens all over the country, especially Texas and possibly Oregon. This is just another lie and more bs. I will add this to my documentation showing their lack of concern and care for these horses. Shelter is a basic element of humane care.
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Hope we finally get the truth that the foal as dead.
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You think that’s the least they could do. Even if you are not versed in animal births you could tell that foal could not have survived in a mare that was in full rigor. I love the BLM apologists running around FB saying they personally know who transported this live foal. That is utterly impossible. Admit you were trying CYA and it blew up this time.
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The BLMs agenda is to get rid of all mustangs off public lands. What do they care if one more suffers! I have been watching this now for 10 years and when they started taking bid from private ranchers to take mustang on private lands. It was the start of the decline. Laws were changed to allow the BLM to send horses to slaughter at 40 dollars a head. All they have to say is they were refused three time to the public. Who do you think is buying these horses? Numbers are so low now that if it continues inbreeding will kill the rest.
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The BLM HAS NEVER Told the Truth in the 20 YRS I have been watching and noting/……… Their Pretext has alays been Mangement extinction, never verying in any other direction………. there actions have always been Criminal……. they have always stated that they are God , and can do anything they want with no accountability of any kind……….It is long passed time to disolve this Rouge agency…. They have never had one once of respect for Our Only Living Legends and never will……….The Importance ofOur Magnificent Mustangs has been scentifically proven without a doubt…..
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What I’m sad about is BLM’s disregard for life. There might not of been anything they could’ve done to stop the dystocia. But once they saw the filly in trouble they could’ve stopped it by the dreaded gunshot. I know that isn’t popular but given that we’re talking a wild horse there might not of been many available options open.
And dystocias happen far more often than you think. For instance, UPENN a couple years ago inseminated a mare, had her under their care during the entire pregnancy. When she went in labor Boone got trapped. That’s right!, it’s all on video, was seen live by everyone watching. They had to get chains and pull him out. He’s fine today. But that’s how fast it can happen.
I was at an BLM hearing when the vet from UPENN was introduced. During a break I asked her about Boone and she was like you watched? Yeah. And I asked her where she had been. She was on call, at home, watching with the rest of us!
Could this dystocia have happened in the wild. Yes. Advocates told me over the weekend said yeah, but she would’ve been free. I’m not sure I see the difference. But here’s my thought. We want the horses set free. When and if we’re allowed to do that, we must be willing to accept whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at the horses including this very sad death.
I am not excusing BLM’s explanation of a live foal being pulled from a dead mare. Sorry even with basic biology I know this just isn’t possible. The mares has to circulate for oxygen to flow back and forth through the placenta. That foal was still UTTERLY dependent on mom for life.
It does no good to mix two different horses up and open your mouth to talk to the news. No ones going to believe anything but something sinister happening. Couple that with BLM’s announced “study” over the next 5 years with sterilizations, and the fracas that is Burning Man and I can see and understand the outrage that’s brewing.
Me? When I heard about the comfy cushy things BLM was demanding at taxpayer expense–I think my head nearly exploded. When ones goes out into the field it’s nothing more than a camping trip. Get use to it. Asking for washers and dryers considering the drought we have I believe is a huge waste of water. People need to pack for a camping trip accordingly, take home dirty clothes and wash them using their own resources. I realize that sounds bitchy. But I live everyday with this drought. I don’t save water so someone else can come in and WASTE precious resources cause THEY FEEL ENTITLED! (rant over)
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I say —–the world can get in an outrage about many different things—–and if wild horse groups cannot get together and get this viral, pictures and BLM statements ( news report I posted just days before and then his blatant lie about the foal)then we are missing the greatest opportunity to come along since I have been here. Give that momma and foal a name and let’s get them out all over the world and expose once and for all the real BLM—-don’t let their death be in vane —-let them be the catalyst for change and finally a return to freedom and open management for our wild ones —“once and for all”—-‘
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And before the BLM were just exposed –I read this last night and my first thought was, well here is the foal they are going to produce as proof. ——-but not now——–
http://m.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/state_and_regional/baby-horse-rescued-from-island-on-bighorn-river/article_ba904204-245f-5d09-8253-886100b1f9c7.html?mode=jqm
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It seems this article has been pulled – but a month old foal was found abandoned – just 2 days ago (can’t read the post on this either but she was left by the herd for some reason)now the article is pulled wonder if that will be the foal BLM produced? I believe she was wild.
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So, more lies from the BLM. I wish I was surprised.
I had given them the benefit of doubt, that they had known and administered euthanasia to an unmanageable situation.
In fact, they do not even have the decency to tell the truth.
The Abuse is staggering and unbelievable that in 2015 a Federal agency continues to commit cruelty with no repercussions.
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Is this being Federally investigated as it is indeed a Federally protected animal? Entire stretches of coastline get cordoned off when there is a single Piping Plover nesting…another Federally protected species…it’s a CRIME SCENE when someone runs one over! Why isn’t this a crime scene?
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What amazes me is that even when BLM is caught in a boldfaced lie they just don’t care. They have so very little respect for anyone outside their agency that they don’t care. I cannot imagine what working there must be like even if you are among those who doesn’t care. Working there and having a conscious and at least a respect for animals must be a thousand times worse. I would be surprised if there was a necropsy as that would be direct evidence of lack of basic care.
Thankfully there was a picture this time. It is a monument to the continued lies and abuse and neglect of our native, wild horses. How many hundreds of foals died similarly but anonymously? What happens in BLM holding yesterday will continue to happen tomorrow. Enjoy that new facility and your ice cream while you are not doing your job.
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There are several things wrong with the stories going around, and understanding I’m not defending BLM. Everyone just needs to operate based on the facts, not speculation.
The mare was down from natural causes. It happens a lot. We see it on the range.
The time of death has not been determined. I could care less about a diagnosis based on pictures. The foal may or may not have been viable. We’ve done the downed mare C-section at the rehab center and managed to successfully resuscitate the foal – a lot of work but he’s now a saddle horse – but statistically these are only 5% save rates (“save” being that the foal recovers and lives more than a few hours.)
Too many people are getting fixated on a mare that was found down. It’s a very unfortunate circumstance but while this distraction was occupying so many advocates, the House of Representatives restored funding for USDA inspections of domestic horse slaughter plants. That’s the first step to implementing the Burns Stealth Rider (sale without limitation – that Congress never repealed) that can give Congress the ability to tell BLM to start dumping the horses from long term holding.
Clear out long term holding and the BLM can be told to crank up the roundup machine again and get those pesky horses out of the way from the corporate interests (who have bought Congress) that want to further exploit our public lands.
This horse slaughter move can still be stopped in the Senate but we all need to stop with this arranging deck chairs and go after the people drilling holes in the ship. At some point we have to establish what issues take priority.
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I am constantly amazed that there seems to be this opinion that advocates can only focus on one thing at a time. I personally, besides being outraged at the miracle of pulling a live foal from a mare in full rigor, made several calls to my reps then followed up with fax and email. I also had time to look up stats on several BLM misdeeds. Advocates do not just focus on one issue but include it in the multi-leveled work that is done daily. Please STOP this utter nonsense insinuation that there can only be attention focused on one story/incident at a time to the exclusion of all other important work.
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WHG, did you overlook this section of the photographer’s report?
“The young mare and her unborn were unattended and unaddressed for over an hour by BLM personnel, who busied themselves distributing hay for the living horses. After an hour, they brought a backhoe to take away the mare’s body.”
Your comments imply the foal could have perhaps survived via c-section (as you have evidently performed or assisted) but surely not from a mare down and dead for over an hour.
Of course this happens naturally but it strikes me as tragically ironic that we insist these captive animals not be provided room enough to move out of sun or weather events, or even basic humane care as they die, in the name of honoring their wild nature. If they are to be categorized as wild and thus not to be handled in any way, they should be left in the wild. Once we capture and confine them it is incumbent on us to provide humane care for them in the unnatural conditions and lives they would never choose for themselves.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -M. Gandhi
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THE TIME IS RIGHT
“The Lasso Tightens Around America’s Wild Horses” (excerpts)
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/02/the-lasso-tightens-around-americas-wild-horses/252948/
by ANDREW COHEN
It would take a great many acts of political courage on Capitol Hill to restore some sense of balance to the policy argument over the fate of the horses. It would take an amendment to the 1971 law – a revision that would go against the interests of the powerful livestock and ranching lobbies and their tribunes in state and federal government.
And it would take a change in personnel and policy at the Interior Department, and its Bureau of Land Management, to make the executive branch the honest broker that wild horse advocates want it to be.
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“A time comes when silence is betrayal.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
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Yes Louie, we have to many well informed —“Do Nothings”—-
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Geri, there a lot of people who are giving it their all to fight this…truly there are….many that you will never know about, but they are up against very powerful political forces.
The betrayal is by those who are so well paid to be silent
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Louie, I do understand that, just get flustered sometimes.
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Geri, reading this book might help. It gives a great deal of insight into this battle, which has been going on for such a long time. I think you can still purchase it from ISPMB (International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros).
WILD HORSE ANNIE AND THE LAST OF THE MUSTANGS
https://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/wild-horse-annie-and-the-last-of-the-mustangs/
The Life of Velma Johnston
By David Cruise and Alison Griffiths
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There is no doubt that wild horse (and burro) mares and foals die almost every day in the wild – it is nature’s way. The main difference is that when they are in the wild, THEY ARE IN THE WILD as nature and congress and the majority of Americans want them to be. Their world in the wild is what they know and what they feel in their air they breathe every day and it is where they belong and where they should be born and where they should die.
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GG, I totally agree with you. This is so sad and I have been sharing the information everywhere that I can. I also agree with Louie C that we are up against powerful political forces. My representative wasn’t even on the list for the vote allowing the USDA inspections of horse slaughter plants. Where was he when the vote was being taken? I feel betrayed by his silence.
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This has been the point of contention for others trying to relate to me. I think. I’m not expressing it well.
I was saying over the weekend that a dystocia could happen anywhere. It isn’t manmade or caused. It’s simply is something that happens.
People then express but she’d be in the wild. (My response is it wouldn’t change the dystocia).
So from what you’re saying…the horses would be left to Mother Nature as God intended. Dystocia and whatever else she decides to toss to the horses. While it might not change the outcome the mare would’ve died knowing she was free rather than behind prison walls without any idea of why.
Sorry to be boneheaded about this. I’m seeing one side and the “free” side is a bit too abstract for my brain to see…
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I said this the other day and will repeat it here again now:
The BLM manager for Palomino Valley wild horse and burro facility is John Neil. He was also the manager there and at the Broken Arrow holding facility in 2009-2011 when at least 225 wild horses were sold to Tom Davis and then “disappeared” into the slaughter pipeline. This has happened over and over in other long and short term BLM facilities and these people don’t sell them all by themselves – it was/is a pre-planned and arranged strategy involving many people – mostly BLM employees. The BLM facility managers and the BLM wranglers and the BLM office staff and the BLM decision-makers in Washington knew what was going on and they facilitated the selling of thousands of our wild horses and burros and anyone who was (or is) part of this is guilty of a federal offence and/or conspiracy to commit a federal offence.
Now, does anyone think that John Neil cares if a mare and foal died?
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I’m still hoping to hear how they pulled a live foal from a dead mare…it simply isn’t possible.
How did he get re-assigned there? What a freaking nightmare…for the horses.
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The Art of Anonymous Activism
http://www.peer.org/about-us/what-others-say.html
The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public While Surviving Public Service
PEER, the Government Accountability Project and the Project on Government Oversight have joined forces to create a guide for public employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud, or abuse. Order your own copy!
“Without groups like PEER standing guard, things would certainly be worse for wildlife…Through your work you have become familiar with the agents and realize that most of us are as deeply committed to protecting the resources as you are. I encourage you to maintain contact with our agents and help us get the support we need to investigate and apprehend those who violate our wildlife protection laws. Thanks again.” – Unnamed USFWS Special Agent
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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -M. Gandhi
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There is nothing more true than that statement! Certainly shows the lack of greatness and morality in this country.
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Please have Charges filed. They would have to show the dead mares foal and dna could establish if it is her foal. Obviously its not. To charge the BLM would set a precident. It should be done immediately and no more faked BLM stories of butterflies and over population. This needs to be investigated and the foal found and checked by investigators. They need law enforcement to put their foot down. I saw the mare was dead because rigamortis was obvious.IF That foal were alive it would have moved as its oxygen was going. It would have attempted to free itself. They would have noticed movement. And the DNA test can prove this AGENCY LIED so you need to ask a nudge to retrieve that body. This is Serious. It should be handled by k aw enforcement and animal control. Theres no excuse for this. This is obvious to professional horse people that this foal was a no go. Dont wait to long on legal action. The Agency has lied and doa played cruelty for too many years. And in our State you are unable to honk a horn at horse and riderz/horse and buggies. So why are they still using helicopters there? This agency isnt causing an EMOTIONAL uproar…no its making people realize they dont have common sense…integrity…or the ability to comprehend they are committing a crime. Then lying to Cover up a crime is a separate serious charge. Especially if theres no newborn from this mare at that prison. Then they are using another scapegoat and misleading information about the prison. This is out of hand. They also need to retract their statements and admit this publicly after they are found guilty of these crimes. I think its also fraud to misinform people that an adoptable horse died and the foal was deli ered healthy and still collect money as if they are caring for the foal and then claim the prison is handling the after care of an orphan. Check on that one.
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It’s a safe bet the foal will never be found, and the mare has surely been hauled off to be rendered at one of the known suppliers of that service to PVC. However, it is also a safe bet that mare carried a freeze brand and is/was identified within the system by it, so she can be identified. If she was in the pregnant mare pen, maybe some of you photographers can look through your images and see if you can find her, and her brand, from which her story can be traced. Of course this information is readily available from within the BLM but releasing it without a long battle is far from probable. Can anyone ID this unfortunate mare? Check your photos!
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Charges of animal cruelty and fraud can happen if one of you steps up to request them. As for foal they have to prove it went the Prison which they cannot. Even with no foal theres still a case. It proves they lied and covered up and stated false statements. Its PROVABLE.
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The foal obviously was dead, still inside the dead mare and the BLM lied, like they always do. The BLM always lies about their care of the wild horses. If BLM were in the least ‘proud’ of their care- they would have 24/7 live public webcams like thousands of zoos around the world do.
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Debbie Collins replied to Monika Courtney that the foal in question was indeed dead but that another foal had been nursing on the mare–I kid you not, that’s what she said-and that foal was the one transferred to I believe it was Carson. I’ll have to go back through my emails to get her actual reply.
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Sorry, actually the reply was to the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Facebook page on July 17th they stated: BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program added 2 new photos.
July 17 at 2:06pm ·
Update: Last Friday, a pregnant mare was found deceased from unknown causes during an early morning health and wellness check of the animal pens at the Palomino Valley National Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center near Reno, Nevada. A previous media report indicated that the mare’s foal had survived. That report was unfortunately incorrect. Prior to her passing, the mare had accepted a foal who had attached himself to her. That 1-month-old foal was relocated to an Orphan Care program in Carson City, where special care is being provided. The foal is currently in good health and doing well. Picture of the foal at the Orphan Care program is provided below.
BLM is committed to providing good care to the nearly 1,200 animals currently at the Palomino Valley Center. The mare was located in a pen with ample feed and fresh water. The pen is specifically designated for mares with foals.
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Hard to comment on this, since I’ve lost so much sleep since I took these pictures, and now another lie from BLM to channel 2 news, that makes no sense at all. John Neil needs to be replaced with some of the others out there that don’t care.
The mare and foal pen should not be in the back of the facility, it should be up front, so they can be watched. One vet. to two large facility is not enough. I’d like to see a foia to see how many horses and burros died there last year, and this year so far.
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4daytonbums, THANK YOU for being there
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if there is any way you could stick up one of those tiny hidden cams that run for a couple days when those facilities are closed?. BLM has always ignored the years of requests for a 24/7 PUBLIC live cam (like zoos have) because they hide their criminal animal abuse from the public eye.
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My god, this is horrid, all of those horses standing in sweltering heat with no shelter and not enough water troughs. We tax payers are paying for the BLM’s work, how can we get the president involved in these awful situations. Its time for him to pay a lot more attention to all of the horrible animal abuses taking place in our country. Where is Sally Jewell in all this, does she care?
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The BLM has a program to rid all public lands of wild horses they are 5 years away. They also want to send them and burros to South America where they can be slaughtered and worked to death, Check out there Web site. As the Numbers grow look for them to ask the government to allow the slaughter thousands of horses! There whole agenda will be the cost of feed and maintenance. .
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And Arizona is now asking BLM what they are planning to do about wild burros
http://m.havasunews.com/news/arizona-seeks-info-on-blm-s-plans-for-burgeoning-burros/article_1a541be2-29ce-11e5-9e7c-4b7a6037e133.html?mode=jqm
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The story was pulled by the media. Totally bought into the lies of the BLM.
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It’s of little consequence. The story has already spread like wildfire. Much of the Public no longer pay any attention to the media which, for the most part, is corporately owned.
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So BLM ‘sells’ the hundreds of dead wild horses to a rendering company? One would think then the rendering company can then sell their dead horse or parts (hooves, BLM freeze brand hide, to anyone with cash who could then test those parts for conditions that horse endured while in BLM ‘care’ And ID the horse from freeze brand and/or unique markings
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THE BLM IS JUST ANOTHER PART OF TAXPAYERS MONEY BEING WASTED. THEY ARE LIARS AND CROOKS. THEY SELL THEMSELVES TO THE HIGHET BIDDER. IS THERE NOT ONE HONEST BRANCH OF THIS GOVERNMENT THAT DOESN”T BOW TO MONEY BUT TO DO THE RIGHT THING? SOMEONE TO HELP AND NOT HURT THE ANIMALS THEY ARE SWORN TO PROTECT.
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Any updates on this story, or has it been “disappeared” along with the mare and foal? Like the hundred or so mares in Scott City KS last year? Like the 1700 + horses missing under Tom Davis’ “management” ???
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Margaret said, “but she’d be in the wild. (My response is it wouldn’t change the dystocia).“ …..while that does happen in the wild, of course, it’s NOT necessarily known to be the case Here. IMHO, there are 2-3 very important questions to be asked : 1) Was that mare adequately HYDRATED?? How many water troughs were in that pen? Enough so that She and each individual had easy access to drink within the previous few days? Indeed, were they all perhaps DRY that morning -. or even the evening before?? Dehydration on top of young age and HEAT-Stress could certainly complicate any foaling process! 2) Did that poor laboring mare actually DIE of Heat STROKE, or Heat exhaustion, rlated seizures, even heat-related infection (as. has been warned) ?? Even though she was photographed in the morning – it’s quite possible that she suffered and died on the previous evening!? (Obviously there are NOT frequent checks being made). 3) Was the foal actually noted to be in a dystocia position? IDK how much detail could be ascertained from the photos, yet it’s even more disturbing to suspect that this may have been a perfectly normal prolonged birth – if not for lack of shade and /or water! Were there ANY shaded shelters in that area and big enough to serve the number of horses?? I wonder…of course we can never know the facts – the bodies were hauled off by a backhoe -no necropsy even suggested 😦
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The single photo published here shows the mare had rolled several times at least struggling with (as seems logical) labor, but it is equally possible she colicked and that prompted a premature labor during which both died. Hard to know since our paid employees seem to have all been issued gag orders. A fitting description.
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yes, the word GAG* ;p certainly seems to FiT this horrific situation in a number of ways, doesn’t it? (I surely GAG myself with each read!). Thanks for answering my question (partly) – I’m seeing the photo on a cell phone – so not so detailed… still Wonder if anyone Knows what the exact/approximate WATER, SHADE, and Temperature conditions were in her Pen that day (and evening)? sooo SAD to think about…. I suspect the workers got RID of her body ASAP — no chance of further investigation (and the conditions you and I describe above could explain the Hurry?) –or they simply NEVER do care, at all.
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Any updates on this? Has the miracle foal been located and adopted yet?
Still no updates a whole year later from the BLM on the 97 + horses dead in Scott City KS, though the cause of death was under investigation and a report was to be made public. One wonders if they need to get their investigators through college first before publishing anything? I used to imagine the worst bureaucracies were in third world countries, but no longer. We get what we pay for (in all iterations of meaning).
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Completely agree.
And to add to the list, what about our wild horses sold to a known KB in South Dakota by a BLM LTH contractor https://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/01/22/breaking-news-wild-horses-sold-to-kill-buyer-by-blm-contractor/
and what about the 1,700 wild horses and burros who were sold by BLM to Tom Davis and subsequently disappeared
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/06/18/da-wont-prosecute-tom-davis/
and the inhumane treatment at the BLM holding facilities https://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/08/12/opinion-blm-wild-horse-burro-facility-needs-shade/ … and many other things we know about?
The BLM just tosses some sugar-coated BS to the public about each of these things and then waits for the public to “forget” about it … but many of us do NOT forget and the perpetrators of all these actions need to be prosecuted to the fullest. But instead they walk the streets today … free to continue their animal torture and illegal and immoral lives.
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Speaking of forgetting, it’s almost a month since the “miracle foal” was “born” so where are the press releases on his/her perilous birth and survival/adoption???
Over a year since (at least 97) horses died in Scott City KS and the promised “official” report has never surfaced though the Federal vet was on site and putting horses down immediately. We seem to be living in a third world country when it comes to government “transparency.” One definition is “allowing light to pass through so objects can be seen.”
We can see through this all right. We are the “[million] points of light.” We will not forget.
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Just forwarded this in case anyone wants the leaflets to pass out October 2. I am out of town this next week.
Nina
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Some good news items here involving a prosecutor for Oregon, and suit against U.S. Dept of Agriculture involving Foie Gras Is Julie still part of SOARS or did she go back to Arizona??????
Nina
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Yay for Washington State, they are now the great example for Oregon, California, the rest of the country and the entire world.
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Forwarding this email from my Russian friend Victoria. She, her son Sergei, and daughter Valya continue to create more more wonderful vegan foods. Victoria appears on left on photo below.
Nina
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The BLM are a bunch of murderous thugs that are systematically wiping out wild horse herds, native predators and other wild life for the corporate cattle industry. It is a disgusting tape of our natural resources and needs to be STOPPED .
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