by Debbie Coffey, V.P. & Dir. of Wild Horse Affairs, Wild Horse Freedom Federation All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2017
On the Bureau of Land Management’s new website, on the Program Data page for the Wild Horse & Burro Program (under the Wild Horse and Burro Sales to Private Care tab), the BLM claims “It has been and remains the policy of the BLM, despite the unrestricted sales authority of the Burns Amendment, NOT to sell or send any wild horses or burros to slaughterhouses or to “kill buyers.”
The BLM claims “Wild Horses and Burros Sold to Good Homes” but then includes a total of 402 wild horses and burros sold in Fiscal Year 2012. (In this 402 total, 320 were horses and 82 were burros.)
BLM sale logs obtained by us in Freedom of Information Act requests indicate that in Fiscal Year 2012, the BLM sold 239 wild horses (almost 80% of the 320 horses that were sold) to kill buyer Tom Davis of La Jara, CO. Many, if not all, of these wild horses went to slaughter in Mexico.
Does this look like a “good home” to you?
BLM states it has a policy not to sell wild horses and burros to kill buyers, but:
- On 1/11/12, Lester T. Duke (BLM Burns, Oregon) sent an email to BLM’s Bea Wade, regarding 50 sale authority horses, noting that a “large portion”of the mares were “possibly pregnant.” Lester asked if they should ship to long term holding or hold them at the corrals for sale. Bea responded that she forwarded the email to Sally Spencer. After a couple of more emails regarding this, Sally finally sent email on 2/23/12 that Tom Davis would purchase the horses, starting with the load of mares from Burns, Oregon. (About a week later, BLM sold Tom Davis 32 horses from the Burns, Oregon corrals. 19 of these horses were mares)
- On 4/19/12, Deanna Masterson, Public Affairs specialist for the BLM Colorado state office, sent an “Early Alert” email to “WO BLM/DOI Officials” (Jeff Krause, Leigh Espy, Helen Hankins, Steven Hall, Tom Gorey and Sally Spencer) that “The Colorado Department of Agriculture notified the BLM Colorado State Office of a Colorado Open Records request from David Phillips, a freelance journalist, for brand inspection and transfer paperwork for horses the BLM sold to Tom Davis of La Jara, Colorado. Phillips indicated he suspected Davis of selling these horses for slaughter to Mexico.”
- On 4/24/12, the BLM, alerted that Tom Davis was suspected of selling horses for slaughter, still sells 106 wild horses to Tom Davis.
- On 5/17/12, Sally Spencer sent out an email, marked “High” importance, to 21 people (Joe Stratton, Roger Oyler, Amy Dumas, Fran Ackley, Karen Malloy, Christopher Robbins, Jared Bybee, Robert Mitchell, Alan Shepherd, Rob Sharp, Robert Hopper, Gus Warr, June Wendlandt, Joan Guilfoyle, Mary D’Aversa, Dean Bolstadt, Jeff Krause, Tom Gorey, Debbie Collins, Lili Thomas, Bea Wade) and BLM_WO_260 WHB Communications, telling them a reporter was calling about Tom Davis. Spencer asked Joe Stratton to send out a message to all facility managers and the state leads to send a message out to all WHB Specialists that if they were asked “specifics” about a purchaser, they shouldn’t respond for privacy issues…”
If BLM personnel were so convinced that they sold the wild horses and burros to a “good home,” why all of the urgency and secrecy?
If the BLM truly believes these horses were sold to a “good home,” why isn’t Tom Davis’ photo featured on the BLM’s Wild Horse & Burro Program page on the BLM’s new website, instead of the photo of the young blonde girl? After all, the BLM sold Tom Davis 1,794 wild horses and burros from 2008-2012.
If the BLM thinks they’re fooling us, they’re only fooling themselves.
All documents referenced above can be seen HERE.
I guess they thought we’d forget huh? Well this we did not. I didn’t forget any of it.. Since we’re in the realm of alternative facts this is just the BLM during what they do best..lie through their teeth.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Terri, we’re with you on that…we won’t forget anything that has been done to our wild horses and burros.
LikeLiked by 2 people
As shown in this article, BLM’s Sally Spencer was STILL selling our wild horses to Tom Davis in 2012 but in 2010, when I heard that many of our wild horses were being sold to a highly questionable buyer, I emailed BLM’s sales director Sally Spencer about my concerns. Here is her exact reply:
“Thank you for your interest in the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Our goal
is to find good long term care for the horses. Before someone can purchase
a horse, they need to complete the attached questionnaire. We then spend
quite a bit of time talking with the interested purchaser on what their
plans are for the horse(s). We sell horses with the following intent
clause:
Purchaser agrees not to knowingly sell or transfer ownership of any listed
wild horse(s) and/or burro(s) to any person or organization with an
intention to resell, trade, or give away the animal(s) for processing into
commercial products.
If we become aware of someone we have sold horses to who then sells or
transfer ownership to any person who sells them to slaughter, we turn them
over to the Department of Justice for prosecution and we will not sell or
adopt to that person again.
The person who is interested in purchasing horses from Canon City has
purchased horses from us in the past. He has placed horses with
individuals who have property and are interested in having a few (four or
five) wild horses running on their property.
We have other individuals who are interested in purchasing Adobe Town
horses currently at Canon City and we will work with them to make sure that
they will be able to provide good long term care for the horses.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Sally
(See attached file: Sale Questions.doc)(See attached file: Bill of Sale
9-29-05.doc)
****************************************
Sally Spencer
Wild Horse & Burro Program
Office: 202-912-7265
Fax: 202-912-7182
****************************************
LikeLike
The fact is: that video (which isnt as bad as some I’ve seen) should be put in the public eye – whether they want to see it or not! You know, the people who say they just cant watch something like that – so they close their eyes and pretend it doesnt happen? And it just tears me up to watch these videos- but turning away & NOT seeing makes these horses lives just be thrown away! I wonder – is that the difference between us — and people who “cant stand to look” at whats being done to – not just horses, but far too many animals?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am mad as hell leave our wild horses alone.I am getting tired of this. God help us now
LikeLike
BLM’s head wild horse and burro sales manager Sally Spencer not only received salary increases but during the years (2009-2012) that she was selling our wild horses and burros to Tom Davis she received additional “awards” of $5,320.00
Per BLM: “The Bureau has an incentive awards program to encourage excellence by acknowledging superior performance. The recognition may involve cash awards or special salary increases for outstanding performance.”
She did not receive “awards” before or since that time – per federal employee online data. This sure looks fishy to me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a disgrace. ..and they will continue to do so under the radar on taxpayers dime. This infuriates me to no end…and is totally unacceptable. ..how can they be permitted to keep getting away with this? OMG poor babies 😿💔
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fine work, Debbie. Keeping this scandal in public view is important, especially now that Ken Salazar, on whose watch the travesty occurred, wants to run for Gov. of Colorado. Besides the whistle blowing mentioned, in 2013 advocates including Ginger Kathrens of the Cloud Fdn. held a press conference exposing the crooked wild horse sales. Salazar did nothing. The Inspector General report, which was suspiciously delayed until 2015, confirmed that Tom Davis sent nearly 2000 horses to slaughter, lied when he said he bought them “for good homes,” and profited immensely from the illegal transaction. The BLM did NOT ask Justice to prosecute, no matter what Sally Spencer claimed. Here’s a link to the IG report:
https://www.doioig.gov/reports/investigative-report-bureau-land-management-wild-horse-buyer
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Charlotte.
LikeLike
This article is fairly recent:
http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-11117-wild-horses-slaughtered-in-mexico.html
And here is one that you’ve probably seen a number of times, but is emblazoned into my mind:
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/are-we-leading-our-wild-horses-to-slaughter/263948/
LikeLike
So I guess what I am asking is, is this still going on, with Tom Davis, right under the public’s nose and with tacit approval by our government, no matter which political party? This is one of the reasons why I became alarmed when hearing HRC wanted have Ken Salazar as her transition manager.
LikeLike
Irony: Not long before the Tom Davis sale, Sally Spencer had the nerve to call and ask me why I’d “turned on” the BLM. Debbie, this is fantastic work, and I agree that if they count on us forgetting, they have a long, long wait.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Terri, thanks for all of your hard work educating the public about wild horses.
For our new readers, please check out Terri Farley’s blog at terrifarley.com and her book “Wild at Heart” here: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Heart-Mustangs-People-Fighting/dp/0544392949/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422989282&sr=8-1&keywords=Terri+Farley+Wild+at+heart
We will never forget.
LikeLike
So happy to read the BLM considers Tom Davis has provided a happy home for thousands of adopted wild horses! Let’s see photos of every damn one of those those happy homes and horses that Tom so generously adopted.
Let’s also interview those (including the BLM) who continue to fail to prosecute those responsible for these FELONIES.
Those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it. LET’S NOT!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I, for one, would like to followup on these very suspect adoptions; seems like monies’ passing hands all too conveniently. Prosecute. I agree. These animals are our heritage – they belong to us all!
LikeLike
Mar 2011 – Pt. 1 of 12 Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board Meeting – Phoenix, AZ
LikeLike
Never forget! I will never lose hope that something will be done about this.
LikeLike
THESE SAME BLM EMPLOYEES ARE STILL IN CHARGE OF OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS TODAY!
NOTES on BLM’s Sally Spencer selling wild horses and burros to Tom Davis with the assistance of two BLM short term holding facility managers: Doug Satica, BLM’s Litchfield holding NE California and Rob Sharp, BLM’s Burns holding facility, Oregon. The quotes below are from the Dave Phillips article he wrote about Tom Davis.
Litchfield California, Doug Satica.
“In March, a corral manager [Doug Satica] emailed [Sally] Spencer to say he had 92 “nice horses” just rounded up in High Rock, Calif., and to ask if [Tom] Davis could take some of the geldings.”
A day later Spencer replied, “Davis told me that if the geldings are in good shape he will be able to place them into good homes.”
“How many would Mr. Davis want to buy?” the corral manager asked Spencer. “And are there any specifics that he is looking for?”
“He said he’d be interested in all of them, no specifics,” Spencer replied.”
On March 23, 2012, sixty-five geldings, ages 10 to 25 were sold by BLM’s Sales and Marketing Director Sally Spencer to Tom Davis from BLM’s Litchfield holding facility in NE California. Doug Satica was and still is the corral manager for the BLM NE California Litchfield holding facility.
Burns, Oregon, Rob Sharp, BLM facility manager.
“In January [2012], the manager of the agency’s corral in Burns, Ore. [Rob Sharp], emailed superiors in Washington, D.C., to ask what to do with 29 mares, almost all of which were pregnant. Spencer replied that Davis would take them.”
Our wild horses and burros … gone forever to a fate worse than just death.
http://www.propublica.org/article/missing-what-happened-to-wild-horses-tom-davis-bought-from-the-govt
LikeLike
Don’t worry a Rescuer in Washington recently posted in a news blurb a killer buyers sold them last week approx 30 BLM horses in goal and that they were unable to save other BLM horses he had. This is very disturbing as it’s the 2nd valid claim killers have recently obtained Wild Horses to kill or regime asap from the BLM. Do you know about these incidents?
LikeLike
Colt, do you have links to this info? Also find it hard to interpret a lot of your posts, maybe your smartphone is using words you don’t type?
For example, what are “horses in goal” and what does “to kill or regime asap” mean?
LikeLike
Yeah this smartphone has been goofing up. I used to type online, but unlike welfare ranchers I have to work, and it’s usually in the seat of a saddle so I can get in a hurry and not check spelling or grammar. I’ll try to do better. If I were a Welfare Rancher I would have tons of free time to run around posting correcting and facetiming or using a selfie stick but people who Actually work with their animals don’t have the luxury! 🙂
LikeLike
Here’s a link to the 1st article with 3 pregnant wild horses at killer buyers in Kansas. And I’m searching for the link with the 30 mares wild horses also sold by a killer buyers 2 weeks ago.
LikeLike
Please Google article Smithsonian just wrote destroying the Wild Horses as if they were found to be serial killers. The newest article is Such proslaughter propaganda coming from an Institution that’s Supposed to show All the Facts, validate data, and reject falsified information. It’s also supposed to remain Entirely Nuetral and have No opinion based article but actual facts. Online data stats and facts are unacceptable resource for the Smithsonian yet they openly use Nothing but the False information available online. I slammed them yesterday for it. It’s reprehensible and anyone who cares about the truth about wild horses should contact the Smithsonian and let them know that future generations depend on their accuracy and verifiable data in any subject matter. Subject matter only resourced online or by pro horse SLAUGHTER is subject to scrutiny as most of their information has been proven false making the trust in research done by the Smithsonian questionable. Please Google it and if you can’t locate the article I’ll provide a link asap. Please do not let them get by with this travesty against the wild horses. Also beware a newly elected AQHA President has a questionable position in the welfare of horses and originally comes from Wyoming and has been a resident of Alaska which both have SLAUGHTER ties.
LikeLike
NBC NEWS
The case of the missing mustangs; what happened to 1,700 wild horses?
By Investigations
Tuesday May 14, 2013
(Photo) Tom Davis at his corrals in La Jara, Colo.
The government says Davis, who paid just $10 per head, was the biggest buyer ever of wild horses.
http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/14/17708998-the-case-of-the-missing-mustangs-what-happened-to-1700-wild-horses
LikeLike
Implementation Team Conference Call
July 29, 2008
6 Euthanasia
How many could be euthanized during a gather without having NEPA?
What is the criteria used during a gather to euthanize a horse, is it age, and if so what age?
How many could be euthanized at the preparation facility without causing a major change of disposal?
What would be the criteria for euthanizing at the midpoint and adoption facilities?
Would you contract disposal of the carcasses at gather sites?
Have a euthanasia and disposal contract
Have a contract to sell horses at the gather site
Are we euthanizing horses to save money to complete gathers?
The team will have comments on the above question for our next conference call
Sally had an e-mail from a person in Canada who wants 10,000 horses that he would slaughter the horses and send them to a third world country. Don is going to send the e-mail.
LikeLike
Everything you people do is for profit and the killing of innocent horses and burros. BLM, your job is to protect these animals, not slaughter them for profit. What is wrong with you.
Your part of: the not my job generation, can’t make a decision on your own to protect these animals. When you’ve killed them all and we have no more wild horses… What then.
LikeLike
Terrible our country has gone to pot; yes the shitter. Literally. For all the things the good ole u.s.a. has done, not feeding our poor etc.. our animals, remember God ? We’ll America do you? Mostly NOT !!!!!
LikeLike
Saving America’s Wild Horses
With drumming hooves, they come running.
With tails flagged high, they come running,
With flowing manes, they come running.
With flared nostrils, they come running.
Oh, what a glorious sight!
Clouds of prairie dust mark their passing.
The scent of crushed sage comes drifting.
Glistening hides in sunlight, reflecting.
Separated mares and exhausted foals nickering.
Oh, what a careening flight!
What would cause this reckless running?
Over rocky hills, unshod hooves come crashing.
Older horses lose their footing
Lathered sweat whitely spraying.
Oh, what a panicked flight!
Exhausted, on splayed legs, with sides heaving
Too spent to nicker at their mothers’ leaving
Foals collapse, roiling dust enshrouding
From the chopper blades’ wild whirling.
Oh, what a tragic flight!
The strong ones lead, the rest conforming
As they heed the fences’ hazing
Into the catch pens’ terminating
Rails forcing a bewildered milling.
Oh, what an end to their flight!
Looking for lost foals, mares pacing
Bloated bags with warm milk dripping
A mute and painful weeping
O’er the Truth so horrifying.
Innocence, a victim of their flight.
Stallions answer Nature’s calling
Rearing, striking, biting, screaming
Close-quarter conflicts inciting
Instinctive challenges contesting
The bloody purpose of their flight.
Growing herds expanded grazing
Might harm the desert tortoise feeding
Politicians paid for by Big Oil, Big Mining
Approved detailed plans for exterminating.
Greed, the “No Exit” signage of their flight.
Some spend months in metal pens confining
Forgotten, rains ease their frantic thirsting
Thousand rib and hip bones testifying
Slow starvation caused their dying.
Human error the Reaper’s demise of their flight.
Too few selected for public adopting
Wild Horse Protection Act ignoring
Auctioned prices climbing, ever rising
The “Killer Man” nods and ends the bidding.
One final sorting changes the nature of their flight.
Steel trailers travel south to border crossings
Squeezed into plywood crates, foreboding
Bewildered captives endure hours of flying
No hay or water to ease their silent suffering.
Japan’s slaughter houses, the destination of their flight.
Electric prods keep dazed mustangs moving
On slimy steel, hooves slipping, horses falling
They’re lined up, wild eyed with nostrils snorting
At the stench of filth and hot blood flowing.
The Kill Box, the vile termination of their flight.
Spinal cords severed by Ice-pick stabbings
Strong legs collapse to the sounds of groaning
Hind legs wrapped in chains are lifting
Through cut throats, life’s blood is draining
Can glazed eyes see their souls take flight?
Wild burros, horses, mules trapped for Federal culling
Race horses, ponies, trotters too old for sports or breeding
Loyalty, trust unnoticed in the equine steaks now steaming
As patrons of foreign dining enjoy their gourmet gorging.
Ignorant of the bloody, heinous outcome of their flight.
Horses carried men in battle, no beribboned medal dying,
Pulled prairie schooners across the plains unending
Built railroads, carried mail, plowed fields for planting
In Arlington, proudly paraded veterans to their final resting.
We must preserve, forever, the freedom of their flight.
With drumming hooves, they come running.
With tails flagged high, they come running,
With flowing manes, they come running.
With flared nostrils, they come running.
Oh, what a thundering, glorious sight!
© June 2, 2016 by Janice E. Mitich
Picture Rock, AZ
LikeLike
Beautiful poem that wrenches the heart.
LikeLike
Janice, thank you for sharing your beautiful poem.
LikeLike
Why hasn’t anyone prosecuted Tom Davis? He broke the law same as the BLM. They both need to held accountable. Prosecute them.
LikeLike
Phillips is a turncoat journalist.
LikeLike
A Federal Law needs put in place as a backup to the Wild Horse and Burro Act that when a wild horse of Any age is presented in a kill lot or crosses the border to be slaughtered the hauler should immediately be Arrested and the plants charged a huge fine if they accept any.
LikeLike
About a year ago I found 3 mustangs being advertised online at a (KB) auction facility in the state of Washington. The ad included photos of their BLM brand. I sent the information and photos to Debbie Collins (BLM information/promotions person) who responded: “The law clearly states that once a horse is titled, it is no longer under the protection of the WH&B Act. Therefore, it is not illegal to sale or give away a titled horse.”
I was not surprised at the response but I thought that all of us should be aware and remember that OUR wild horses and burros are being sold to KB and slaughter every single day regardless of the BLM’s statement that they don’t sell to KB/slaughter. They have done it before and even today they still maneuver and facilitate our wild horses and burros being sent to slaughter. BLM may not be the one holding the ax above the horses/burros heads but they ARE the ones funneling them down the chute to slaughter.
LikeLike
Sand Wash wild horses up for adoption in Fruita Friday and Saturday
Craig – Sand Wash Basin wild horses will be up for adoption through a silent auction in Fruita this weekend.
Adoption information:
Where: Rimrock Adventures Arena located at 927 Highway 340 in Fruita
When: Public viewing: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 21
Public viewing: 9 to 10:30 a.m. on April 22
Silent Auction/Adoption: 10:30 to 11 a.m. on April 22
Twenty-four wild horses will be available, of those, 21 were gathered from the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area about 45 miles west of Craig. And three are halter-trained horses from the Canon City Wild Horse Inmate Program.
The Sand Wash horses were gathered from the range last fall and winter as part of an effort to manage the herd’s growth.
BLM worked with the Sand Wash Advocate Team to gather wild horses by baiting them into corrals.
A total of 43 wild horses were removed for adoption. Fifteen of the horses were adopted earlier this month at an event at the Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary in Deer Trail, Colorado.
For more information about the event contact BLM Public Affairs Specialist David Boyd at 970-876-9008. For more information about adopting wild horses, visit: https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro.
http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2017/apr/19/blm-wild-horse-adoption-set-fruita-friday-and-satu/
LikeLike
I couldn’t find much from the posted links about the horses up for adoption this weekend, and nothing on the BLM or Rimrock Adventures website either, but after some searching found a gallery here:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/sandwashadvocate/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1474448319252299
LikeLike
THANK YOU IcySpots.
I found a bit more
This is one of the comments that was on the SWAT facebook
GOOD question, so I followed up a bit more:
comment
“Once they arrive at Rimrock adventures, do you think that there will be kill buyers there to bid on them?”
http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2017/mar/13/horses-removed-sand-wash-basin-northwest-colorado-/
Horses removed from Sand Wash Basin in Northwest Colorado available for adoption in April
Application accepted prior to silent auction sales
By Sasha Nelson
“Two adoption events are planned for the Sand Wash horses: One on April 8 at the Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary and one April 20 to 21 in Fruita at the Rim Rock Adventure Facility,” said Jayson Barangan, Public Affairs Specialist BLM Colorado State Office.
“All of the horses will be made available to approved adopters first,” according to the Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary (GEMS) website (https://greatescapesanctuary.org/portfolio/sand-wash-basin-mustang-adoption-day-april-8-2017/)
http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2017/mar/13/horses-removed-sand-wash-basin-northwest-colorado-/
LikeLike