by Carol Walker of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
as published on Wild Hoofbeats
I am once again at the BLM Worland office parking lot waiting to go out to the Fifteenmile roundup near Worland. It is my understanding that we are once again returning to the observation point that is 1.5 miles away from the trap where we have no actual view of the trap so cannot see any difficulties that the horses encounter there, such as the three deaths that have occurred there so far. It is impossible to see the condition of the horses as they come in, and I have made repeated requests to be moved to a closer spot where we can see the horses come into the trap and my requests are falling on deaf ears.
We are on top of the steep muddy hill 1.5 miles from the trap waiting for the helicopter to bring horses. We were told BLM thinks there are only 50-70 wild horses left inside the Herd Management Area and they are expecting to be capturing outside the HMA tomorrow.
One group of 7 horses was pushed in with the helicopter at a very great distance – it was hard for us to see through the sage but I think it may be the little family I spent time with the day before the roundup. The helicopter headed out again. We were told the pilot said he was only able to see 20 horses left inside the Herd Management Area. I guess they want to get every last horse they can except the palomino stallion that jumped out of the corrals yesterday.
We watched or rather heard since for most of the run we could not see anything because of washed and rock formations, but heard the helicopter hovering in place for a long time and going very slowly over a family of 7 wild horses (a gray, 4 dark ones and two pintos which looks like the family I spent time with the day before the roundup). wild horses before they went into the trap at the Fifteenmile wild horse roundup in Wyoming. Now the helicopter pilot is going after a last family of 5 – got to get every last one within the HMA. The cold dark clouds are moving in.
The lucky “keeper” stallions who will be released back into the HMA.
Three more wild horses are being.driven toward the trap. I think these are the last horses of the day, the last inside the Herd Management Area. Tomorrow they will capture horses outside the HMA. We will wait to get a look of the horses in temporary holding – that wait can be a few minutes to a couple of hours.
We ended up waiting 3 hours before we were led around the pens to see the horses.we learned that 18 were captured today. Three wild horses were euthanized, all coming in with pre-existing conditions, two with very bad infections, one of which was in a knee, and one mare who was old with a very low body score of 1-2. Three others of those captured included a mule, and two domestic horses who were turned over to the brand inspector.
The capturing within the Herd Management Area is at an end, and next they will set up traps to capture the wild horses outside the herd management area, all of whom will be permanently removed. They will not consider returning any of the horses outside the HMA for fear they will again stray outside.
After they have captured the outside the HMA horses, they will release the 100 wild horses back into the Herd Management Area. They will release 40 mares and 60 stallions, skewing the sex ratio away from the normal 50-50 in hopes of slowing reproduction. But this can often make for more fighting between stallions and less stability for the families.
Also to ensure genetic viability, leading geneticist for wild horses, Gus Cothren says there needs to be at least 150 breeding age adults. And that is in a 50-50 herd mix. They are not releasing enough horses to maintain the best level of genetic viability.
Also they will not be giving the mares PZP birth control. They say they want to have this herd be a “control” group, never having had birth control, but if they wanted to study the herd, and have it be a control group, they should have studied it and left the horses out there instead of dooming them to yet another helicopter roundup in a few years.
Most of these horses will be available for adoption and the older horses for sale in January in Rock Springs at the Rock Springs BLM corrals.
Spread the word: Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, The Force of the Horse, Uncategorized, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
You are brave, Carol. To witness this atrocious animal abuse is beyond words and is a heartbreaking experience. We must ALL do whatever we can to expose the BLM corruption.
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Violation of the FIRST AMENDMENT and the Public’s right to know
BLM’s David Cattoor Plots to Subvert First Amendment Rights, Again!
It was subtle, it was sweet and done with such professional flair that most people would have missed it on the first go around but a second viewing cements the words and causes the jaws to drop. Clare Major, of the New York Times, caught on video BLM Wild Horse Stampede contractor Dave Cattoor discussing with his company and BLM personnel the process of killing a horse, that his firm would injure, and how to hide it and dispose of it in such a manner that the public and press would not see it or become aware of the incident. How sweet is that?
“All the King’s horses and all the King’s men will never be able to put Cattoor’s words back in his mouth again.”
Sunk, doused and caught with his pants down all due to the desire to be “famous” and to appear in the New York Times. The egos of Dave and Sue Cattoor have finally done them in.
There’s background as to how badly the Cattoors wanted to manipulate the press and be on the “good side” of the Times.
Three days earlier, at another trap location, the Cattoors and the BLM granted NYT reporter Jessie McKinley and photographer Jim Wilson unprecedented access inside the active trap area while holding other press and public observers at bay almost a mile away. When news of this discriminatory act was exposed by this reporter on “Straight from the Horse’s Heart” close access to the traps was then denied to all press and public. NYT filmmaker Clare Major was kept behind a jute fence halfway up a mountain with a horrible view of the illicit operations only 48 hours after her team mates were granted unfettered filming. Along with reps from HSUS and Horseback Magazine she suffered the ire of the Cattoors for being caught using deceptive practices only days earlier.
Ms. Majors contacted her editor to request another day of shooting as nothing occurred during that filming attempt. She likewise made special arrangements with Sue Cattoor to be allowed down to the trap site for interviews prior to the arrival of the correspondents from Horseback Magazine, it was during that time that Dave Cattoor was caught showing his tried and true business model. The “them” that Cattoor was referring to was the team from Horseback, including this reporter.
Cattoor said, “If something happens we are going to correct it quickly, just like we talked about. If it’s a broken leg, we’re going to put it down, slide it on the trailer, same thing, we are going to town with it. I’m not going to give them the one shot that they want.”
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2010/09/08/blm%e2%80%99s-wild-horse-stampede-contractor-exposed-as-deceptive/
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Since this news was from 2010, and the Cattoors are still being paid by us to roundup our wild horses and burros, they are far from “done in.” It seems the only ones “done in” here are the American public.
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GrandmaGregg posted this information on the Day 1 page. If they round up and get paid for all 700 targeted animals, it comes to about $350 per horse. Sadly this is about what an adult is worth by the pound for slaughter.
WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROGRAM HELICOPTER DRIVE TRAPPING GATHER – WY FIFTEEN MILE HMA
Recipient CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
This contract was awarded to Cattoor Livestock Roundup Inc with a potential award amount of $244,360.
https://www.usaspending.gov/#/award/86802392
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I hadn’t gone so far a to figure that out – thank you Icy. There is always a possibility that the stated amount can be extended. I have seen trapping contracts that pay about $1000 per horse plus travel and feed days which are extra. One thing that has happened with some captures and came to mind is (the possibility !) that more money could be obtained by helping to “facilitate” for the sale of our wild horses directly from the temporary (in the field) corrals – in other words those that are captured but never make it to the BLM holding facility?
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GG, I think you are spot on, and least in some instances it seems clear some trapped horses never arrive at the holding facilities for processing. There are some who even suggest (not without evidence) that horses are being relocated from one place to another in a shell game designed to inflate population “counts” that further support arguments roundups are needed due to overpopulation.
The simple expedient of requiring multiple, live, publicly accessible cameras would alleviate a lot of concerns from all sides, unless crimes are being committed. If not, let’s demand more accountability, starting today. If contractors refuse we can hire different ones, and probably should anyway since most contracts have only gone to a handful of the same companies for decades.
Any meaningful “path forward” needs to purge cronyism and deliver accountability. We need to clean house to provide what the law requires.
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You are spot on!
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BLM WHISTLEBLOWER REINSTATED
Courthouse Steps Agreement Means Monday MSPB Hearing Is Cancelled
Posted on Oct 21, 2019
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has restored Craig Hoover, a 20-year veteran Range Management Specialist. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) represented him in this matter.
A resolution has been reached by which Mr. Hoover, who was previously based in the BLM Ely, Nevada, office has been reinstated to a new position in the Elko Field Office, also in Nevada. This agreement brings to a conclusion Craig Hoover’s appeal before the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the federal civil service court, and completely resolves the personnel dispute that occasioned a hearing.
As a result of this settlement, the appeal hearing that was scheduled for October 21 and 22 before Judge Franklin Kang of the MSPB in Oakland, CA, Docket Number SF-0752-19-0448-I-1, will not take place.
“PEER has been honored to represent Craig Hoover,” stated PEER Senior Counsel Peter Jenkins. “PEER stands ready to defend public servants who seek to truly serve the public and protect our environment.”
See background on the Hoover case
https://www.peer.org/news/press-releases/blm-whistleblower-reinstated.html
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See Craig Hoover’s MSPB appeal (redacted)
Click to access 5_29_19_MSPB_appeal_Hoover_REDACTED.pdf
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So good so see a shred of good news, thanks for posting this.
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From PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)
A 2017 PEER survey of Western BLM staff revealed that 70% of BLM respondents feel the Bundy episodes have made their jobs “more dangerous” with large percentages citing “threats to our safety due to resource management issues.”
“As Mr. Hoover’s case illustrates, in today’s BLM, range staff trying to do their jobs must cast a profile in courage,” Jenkins added. “As a consequence, America’s rangelands are deliberately left unprotected by the public agency charged with their stewardship.”
https://www.peer.org/news/press-releases/blowing-whistle-on-range-violations-unwelcome-in-blm.html
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Whistleblower Compensation Under the False Claims Act
Under the False Claims Act, defendants found to have committed fraud against the government are liable for treble damages, or three times the amount of actual damages to the government, plus penalties of up to $11,000 per false claim. Successful whistleblowers, also referred to as relators, generally receive between 15 to 30 percent of the amount recovered by the government.
This percentage is determined according to a formula set up by the Act:
Relators receive 15 to 25 percent of the recovery if the government joined the case
Relators receive 25 to 30 percent of the recovery if they continued the case on their own after the government declined to intervene.[1]
https://www.whistleblowersattorneys.com/blogs-whistleblowerblog,compensated-for-being-a-whistleblower
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From POGO
Caught Between Conscience and Career
Expose abuse without exposing your identity
MARCH 20, 2019
It is possible to fight wrongdoing from within without sacrificing your career. This survival guide, intended to help and empower conscientious government employees when they encounter wrongdoing in the workplace, covers:
Download the PDF
https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2019/03/caught-between-conscience-and-career/
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I wonder just what kind of difficulties Mr. Hoover will face now that hes back to work. AND if the BLM lost this case – what about all their non-enforcement of what he reported? Anything change after court? Same misuse of the area’s grazing allotments? Same person still on the allotment?
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I think that now, more than ever, the Public needs to support these honest and courageous whistleblowers…BIG TIME.
The criminals will always lie and hope to deceive but isn’t there a saying that goes something like this… “you can’t fool all of the people all of the tiime”.
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Hate to admit this – but this bunch sure has had a long run, havent they?
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From PPJ GAZETTE
Radio Show is archived
WHISTLEBLOWERS
We live in a time of mind-boggling corruption. We also live in a golden age of whistleblowing. Over the past two decades, the brave insiders who act to expose wrongdoing have gained unprecedented legal and social stature, emerging as the government’s best weapon against corporate misconduct–and the citizenry’s best defense against government gone bad. Whistleblowers force us to confront fundamental questions about balance between free speech and state secrecy, and between individual rights and corporate power.
In Crisis of Conscience, Tom Mueller traces the rise of whistleblowing through a series of riveting cases drawn from the worlds of Big Pharma and health care, the military, finance, and government. Drawing on in-depth interviews with more than two hundred whistleblowers and the trailblazing lawyers who arm them for battle–plus politicians, intelligence analysts, government watchdogs, cognitive scientists, and other experts–he anatomizes what inspires some to speak out while the rest of us avert our eyes. Whistleblowers, we come to see, are the freethinking citizens on whom our republic was conceived. And they are the models we must emulate if our democracy is to survive.
https://ppjg.me/2019/10/24/ts-radio-network-whistleblowers-dialysis-advocates-with-arlene-mullin/
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…AND some people are just in for the fight
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I have heard about this horse roundup for years. And yet got no information. This is such a great article, love the detail. Thanks for the information on this. So, did you go there to get horses ? And what is the final result of your trip to the horse roundup? Great entry!
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