Today, 24/02/2011, myself, my wife Terry, Laura Leigh and her son climbed down out of our observation point overlooking a wild horse trap at the Antelope Stampede in Northern Nevada to drive for almost an hour in an effort to pick up a cell signal to tune into Bureau of Land Management Director (BLM) Bob Abbey give a news breaking press conference. We should have stayed at the trap for the sake of the horses.
Yesterday, out on the range, roamed a dust covered and weary car full of anger and frustration.
Perhaps it was because its occupants had just climbed to the top of a ridge to watch a green and dangerous contract helicopter pilot chase a band of four wild horses across a mountain top and into a treacherous canyon only to release them. The release was good, but in that four was a very pregnant mare and a foal. Couldn’t the BLM contract pilot have figured out that was animal cruelty in Nevada about 8 miles earlier?
Raw Video by R.T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Council A Video is Worth a Thousand Words (Antelope Stampede 2/21/2011) BLM says their contractors do NOT stampede wild horses, you be the judge! (Raw) Minutes after being stampeded wild horses cruelly loaded into trailers (Raw) Related […]
February 1st marks the 50th anniversary of the release of “The Misfits,” the iconic and underrated film about Nevada mustangers who brutally capture wild horses so they can sell them to the slaughterhouse. Although panned by critics, the film is a powerful and enduring deconstruction of the western, although perhaps more play-like than cinematic in its formulation. Directed by John Huston and written by Arthur Miller, it starred Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Eli Wallach and Montgomery Clift, with Thelma Ritter in a supporting role. To commemorate the film’s release, a special screening of it was held Sunday at the University of Nevada at Reno, in conjunction with the university’s “Honoring the Horse” exhibit. “The Misfits” alerted many people to the then little-known war against wild horses playing out in Nevada, and, in my opinion, contributed to the early demise of three of its four stars—Gable, Clift and Monroe—all of whom died after the film was wrapped; in Gable’s case, 12 days later.
Nell Walton is an avid horsewoman and also owns two wild horses, both of which came from a herd near Elko, NV. She is also the founder and managing editor of the online equestrian news magazine, The AllHorses Post. She has degrees in journalism and biology from the University of Arkansas, spent many years as a professional journalist and worked as an intern for former President Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas. She lives in East Tennessee on a small horse farm with her husband, four horses, one donkey, two cats and two dogs. The Bone Trail is her first novel.
A sheriffs office is investigating if some of the actions in the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse roundup are animal abuse. This investigation started the same day we aired a video– showing a helicopter pilot flying close to a horse in White Pine County. Brooke Boone has been working hard on this story… White Pine County Sheriff Dan Watts say his office received this video– shortly after it was taken on January 28th. After seeing the video, they began investigating if Sun J Livestock– the company hired by the Bureau of Land Management to round up horses in northern Nevada was committing animal cruelty.
On page 23 of your document you paint a very rosy picture of the results of the roundup, but in fact overlook many positive aspects of leaving the wild horses alone. You mention that the rate of foaling will increase after the roundup. Yes, I agree, but is this not what you want to prevent by allowing the herds to self-stabilize? They do self-stabilize if allowed to fill their niche. I suggest you look into natural boundaries, predators, buffer zones, etc., as part of an effective Reserve Design concept.
The disturbing images of the roundup going on in eastern Nevada have upset many. We showed Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley the video and she was appalled by the pilots behavior. Shelly Berkley–“I was troubled by images from the recent wild horse roundup. The Bureau of Land Management must ensure that all rules are followed during any roundup. Those who are hired to perform wild horse roundups must obey these rules and if they fail to do so, appropriate steps should be taken.”
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – Nevada wild horses and burros could face a thirsty spring if a proposal to the state’s water engineer by the board overseeing wildlife is passed and implemented.
BLM Statement Regarding the Prospectus Submitted by Saving America’s Mustangs Foundation to Build and Establish an Eco-Sanctuary for Wild Horses
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