Alto Wild Horses Released by WHOA, through this court. by Kathy Kolt
Posted inUncategorized|TaggedAlto|Comments Off on 12th Judicial District Court Lincoln County, NM – Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law WHOA V NMLB II
I, Dr. Lester Friedlander DVM BA of Bradford County Pennsylvania do, hereby state that the facts above set forth are true and correct (or are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief) and that I expect to be able to prove the same at a hearing held in this matter. I understand that the statements herein are made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904 (relating to unsworn falsification to authorities).
Date: 4/3/2019
¦ Signature: REDACTED
I am the
president of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter (CAES) a national 501c3
non-profit based in Oregon.
In this
affidavit, I re-assert everything I stated in my previous affidavit/s for this
Muddy Creek HMA.
As I stated: Only the Secretary of the Interior can authorize a round up by helicopter as clearly, this is a very dangerous situation for the wild horses. However, there is no legal right to condone extreme animal cruelty, harassment and death as wild horses are not livestock.
In my
previous affidavit I outlined many of the atrocities of helicopter round ups
and alternatives.
BLM has two veterinary groups and the Inspector General observe from afar, helicopter round -ups in an effort to have them declared humane. (See foot notes 10,11,12 on pg 25 of BLM Response)
Now the BLM
comes and states that two groups of veterinarians and the inspector General
have studied and or declared that helicopter round ups are humane (without an
actual study) and that they are necessary. However, this is wholly unreasonable without
an actual study.
Again, there
are alternatives for on range management as called for by these veterinarians
as well as proof that the gather and removal off the range is not working, per
these reports, the in state of Utah alone over 15,000 horses have already been
gathered. This amount of gathers, handling, and feeding is astounding versus
the ease that the originating horses could be simply darted on the range with
nowhere near the amount of cost, time, harassment, and cruelty as recommended
by the National Academy of Sciences.
These
Veterinarians have also recommended that helicopter usage include wide angle
cameras for study and documentation as
has CAES repeatedly for years. This would also handle handicap access.
Simple lure
traps around water sources would suffice for simple on the ground darting or
darting from helicopter one family at a time. If people can go out to these
places to manage their cattle, why cannot we go out to the horses and lure trap
for darting and release? An example is shown in my previous Affidavit of the
lure traps at the Soccorro BLM in NM.
The Inspector General states that the
National Academy of Sciences should be followed as the best science however
does not follow through. Excuses given that logistics are different than
Assateague a 45,000 acre island. However, it is easier to design logistics at
places that are not surrounded by water.
However, this field office, this agency, and
this government are essentially blocking the best alternative as recommended by
the National Academy of Sciences. Be that as it may, this Secretary of State
has no legal right to act inhumanely against both the 1971 Act, the animal
cruelty laws of the states and the nation .
No Veterinarian has even sat in a helicopter during any round up in these three studies.
In the BLM Response to Appellees Statement of Reasons, though the BLM makes the claim that Veterinarians have studied helicopter round ups, no Veterinarian has even sat in a helicopter during a helicopter round up. They have only sat at the capture shute areas as do other citizens. The 4 independent Veterinarians did actually go for a ride in a helicopter over a number of HMAs, but not during a round-up.
There have been no Scientific or
Veterinary Study of helicopter round ups and the associated issues such as Post
Capture Myopathy Syndrome or Rhabdomyolysis. (See Attachments 1, 2)
Short List of Issues
Here is a short list of the issues with the two Veterinary Studies of APHA and AAEP of 2010 foot notes 10 and 12 respectively. Both show some serious effects of helicopter round ups as well which illustrate that these are inhumane and do not include the first 5 to 6 miles of wild horses falling out prior to the gather shuts.
The fact that they did these two Veterinary Studies lets us know that they themselves know that there should be a study and that treating wild horses in this manner is indeed extreme animal cruelty on all levels and these studies are little more than a cover up albeit with a few decent recommendations, though the BLM did not implement them.
Eleven Vets of the AAEP which are not without a conflict of interest. They are the founding member of the unwanted horse coalition which is comprised in part by pro-horse slaughter members. Their names are not even included in the study. Their questionnaires were not even included in the study.
No AAEP Veterinarian rode/flew in a helicopter during a round-up, which are easily 5 miles.
There were no cameras on the helicopters monitoring and documenting what was happening during the round ups in the 5 -7 mile or so stampedes.
There was no statistical study showing previous vs post conditions by age, by gender, by pregnant or not pregnant, by body score, etc.
There was no statistical study showing White Muscle disease by distance run, number of horses run, age. There was no one on the ground to study and or follow-up with any horses which fell out.
There was no selection process of only heathy adults male or female, or random selection process with results tabulated.
There is no hypothesis.
No peer review.
There is no alternative or control studied.
The BLM has not implemented the AAEP recommendations underlined
below as well as those of the APHA or the Inspector General.
Here are the recommendations of 10 AAEP Veterinarians. Page
American Association of Equine Practitoners
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Wild
Horse and Burro Program
BLM Task Force Report
August
2011
HORSES ON THE RANGE
The BLM should utilize the best science available to obtain accurate herd management area census information in order to determine the healthy sustainable equid numbers for each area.
The BLM should prioritize research and application of effective methods to reduce the foaling rate in wild herds.
WILD HORSE GATHERS
The contract helicopter pilots should always maintain a safe distance between the helicopter and any horses that are being gathered, and between the helicopter and the ground.
The capture pens should be constructed so that pen configurations include wider sections
instead of
narrow lanes for temporary holding of animals that have just been captured.
This
configuration
gives passive animals a
circular escape from aggressive animals.
The trap should be constructed with solid side panels in the final capture pen to prevent
horses from getting their heads or legs
outside of the pen and to discourage horses from
attempting to climb out of the
enclosure
The use of existing barb wire fence as a stage for a jute wing should be discouraged. If barb wire fence must be used, any areas where the horses will be actively driven should be covered with jute to prevent injury.
RECORDS
The task force encourages current efforts to produce a centralized database to track the history of all horses in the BLM program. The records should include positive or negative trends in adoption programs and socially productive programs like those in place at certain prisons.
Again, The BLM has not implemented any of the above underlined recommendations.
To wit, no census at Muddy Creek, only estimates from previous estimates, and
the Muddy Creek Field office rounded up 153 wild horses and released 2 with
birth control. This is an insult to science and to the wild horses and the
American public.
In this Muddy Creek census analysis there was no census. According to the BLM Response here is how the number of horses was estimated:
Page 3,4 of the BLM Response excerpt:
As of March 1, 2018, the BLM-estimated population of wild horses within the Muddy
Creek HMA was 195, and BLM projected that the population would reach 224 horses by the end of the summer of 2018. EA at 000166, Table l. BLM based its population projection on
adding a 15% foal increase for 2017 and 2018 to the April 2017 population survey
estimate.
Id.,
see also EA Appendix C. These wild horse
population projections and BLM
monitoring data
reflecting deteriorating
range conditions led BLM to determine that excess horses existed
within the Muddy Creek HMA and that excess horses needed to be removed in order
to restore a thriving natural ecological balance, maintain multiple-use
relationships, and prevent further degradation of rangeland resources resulting
from the overpopulation of wild horses.
(However Note) This monitoring data is on file within the BLM Price Field Office. It is not in the hands of the public.
Likely Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (White Muscle Disease not communicable
The AAEP Report also gave evidence that this helicopter gather process was unnatural and fatal to wild horses. See Excerpt below on pg. 25. This showed evidence of Capture Myopathy but no recommendation was made to study the humanity of the helicopter round up exertion or to condemn this process in favor of humane and feasible alternative of dartable contraception (PZP) rather than Gona Con which is hormonal and is not dartable.
Condition of the horses after the gather: The condition of the horses immediately after capture was judged to be good, with the exception of the one horse that collapsed and died right before entering the trap. There was no sign of exhaustion or medical compromise in the other horses that were observed being gathered. The gathered horses had elevated respiratory rates as expected for any exercised horse, and some had mild to moderate body coat sweat which was dependent on the weather and distance traveled.?
APHA Main Recommendations – Group of 4 Independent Veterinarian
(From Foot note 10 on pg 25 of BLM Response) Excerpts below with
emphasis added.
Independent Designated
Observer Pilot Program
FINAL REPORT
October 2010 Overview One of the American Horse Protection Associations missions is the protection and preservation of Americas wild horses and burros on US public rangelands. The Bureau of Land Managements has the authority and responsibility to ensure, to its best ability, the welfare of wild horses and burros during the gather, holding, and transporting process when horses are removed from public rangeland.
Consider installing camera monitors in the chutes/corrals at short term holding facilities or trap sites for the public to observe gathering, loading, unloading and preparation of animals. The public could watch at the short term holding facilities and not be additionally stressful to the animals.
Consider mounting a wide-angle lens camera on the helicopter during gather to record movement and behavior of the horses to study the effects of the helicopter on the horses.
In line with BLMs ongoing development of its animal welfare program, in June 2010, AHPA offered to initiate a Pilot Independent Designated Observer Program Pilot Program that involved the observation and reporting on the care and handling of wild horses and burros during the gather process at three major summer gathers: Owyhee HMA (NV); Stinking Waters HMA (OR); and Twin Peaks HMA (CA). It is important to note that the Pilot Program was not intended to replace public observation days. Additionally, the Pilot Program was specific to the care and handling of the animals only. BLM policy regarding removals was not within the scope of the Pilot Program.
Horses travelled an average of 5-7 miles to trap site, and a Judas (or Prada) horse was utilized. Most horses entered the trap at a trot, some at a canter.
At the Stinking Water gather, a 23 year old stallion jumped out of the pen and escaped the trap site. About ½ mile from trap, he was subsequently roped and his legs were tied while in a recumbent position, and eventually was transported in a two compartment stock horse trailer back to the Burns Corrals.
At the Owyhee gather, horses were observed to be tucked up suggesting decreased water intake. Some foals had mud on their faces, suggesting they had been trying to suck water because their dams were not producing sufficient milk, and willingly drank water from a bucket which is uncommon and implies tremendous thirst.
Hoof condition was generally good with no significant defects. One foal at the Stinking Water gather had noticeable chipping in one hoof but was not lame.
Coat/hide condition was generally good and clean, and indicative of the summer season.
Lameness: One mare at the Bull Flats temporary holding facility (Twin Peaks gather) was grade 3 lame at the trot, with no visible lesions. At the Litchfield short term holding facility two foals were observed to be stiff and foot sore but mobile. One stallion at the Owyhee gather came in lame with an old knee injury.
Injuries: One mare with pre-existing injury to hind leg at the Twin Peaks gather; superficial scrapes/kick wounds and one ~4 inch laceration which was sutured by the APHIS veterinarian in the squeeze chute at the Stinking Water gather; cuts and scrapes were noted at the Owyhee gather and were most often treated with a furazone type product. Illness: A few horses exhibited colicky signs at the Owyhee gather; one mare was observed to have symptoms of rhabdomyolysis at the Stinking Water gather.
Recommendations Based on
the observations of the 4 independent designated observers, the following
recommendations are offered for consideration:
If at all possible, horses should not be roped or tied down in a recumbent position for prolonged periods of time, especially coinciding with exhaustive or over-heated conditions. Strict criteria should be established to determine the initiation and purpose of this practice. If necessary to implement these procedures, these horses should be identified, marked, and/or confined separately from the others in the gather and observed for any injuries or metabolic conditions for the next 48 hours. This could be achieved by moving these animals to designated, smaller holding corrals.
Excessively aggressive horses (studs or mares) should be isolated as soon as possible or grouped with horses they were with before capture (i.e., a harem stallion with his foals or dry mares) rather than stand waiting in the chutes or alleyways.
Horses held in any enclosure over 4 hours after the gather at the trap site should be provided with access to hay and water in at least 100 gallon containers unless the horses are seriously dehydrated or compromised and, in the opinion of a veterinarian, should have restricted access to reduce the risk of water intoxication. Lidocaine spray (or other topical anesthetic) should be utilized by attending veterinarians in order to facilitate suturing of wounds in horses in the squeeze chute. Transport (unloading and loading) of animals should be kept to a minimum.
Inspector General US Dept. of Interior 2011
(Foot note 11 pg. 25 BLM Response)
Like the other Veterinary Reports above, the inspector general report did not scientifically prove any of the statements regarding helicopter round ups as humane as no tests of helicopter round ups in progress were performed, only observation from the ground at the end of a 5 to 7 mile long stampede.
Recommendations
To address the issues
outlined in this inspection, we recommend that BLM:
Continue moving forward with the Secretarys initiative and BLMs program
improvements
to the extent that:
1. There is urgent and aggressive focus on
research and testing of improved
population control
methods to balance wild horse and burro population
growth with adoption
demand, thereby minimizing the need for additional
long-term holding facilities and preserves.
2. There is
an ambitious effort to minimize and reduce over the long
term the
need for short- and
long-term storage facilities.
3. The best science for wild horse and burro management and needed new
research is coordinated with and confirmed by the National Academy of
Other Names: Exertional
myopathy, overstraining disease, exertional rhabdomyolusis
Cause
Capture
myopathy (CM) is a non-infectious disease of wild and domestic animals in which
muscle damage results from extreme exertion, struggle, or stress. CM often
occurs as a result of chemical immobilization, capture, or transport, but it is
not always associated with capture and can be the result of other causes of
stress.
Significance
Capture
myopathy is an important cause of death in wild animals that are handled by
humans, and people working with wildlife must take great care to prevent it.
Transmission/Disease Development
CM
can occur naturally when prey animals are attempting to avoid predation, but it
is usually caused by
humans. This is because animals are adapted to escape from predators,
but are not adapted to
struggle for long periods of time in man-made restraints. Capture
myopathy occurs when animals overexert themselves (struggling in a trap for
example) so much that physiological imbalances develop and result in severe
muscle damage. Hotter
temperatures and repeated chemical immobilization increase the risk of animals
suffering from CM.
Clinical Signs
Clinical
signs vary depending on the species and the cause of exertion; the method of
capture and restraint plays a major role in the occurrence of CM. Capture myopathy
may result in sudden death, or clinical signs may develop hours, days, or up to two months following
capture. Early clinical signs include elevated respiratory rate, heart rate, and body
temperature. Body temperature increases during exertion and higher temperatures are often
associated with death due to CM. Other clinical signs include depression, lack
of response to stimuli, loss of coordination, weakness, muscle stiffness,
tremors, muscle paralysis, recumbency, shock, and at times death.
Diagnosis
Light-colored
skeletal and sometimes cardiac muscle observed at necropsy is indicative of
capture myopathy. Similar gross lesions may be found in animals with certain
nutritional deficiencies, and specialized tests may be necessary to reach a
diagnosis. Gross changes in muscle appearance may not be observable in animals
that died acutely of CM.
Treatment
Treatment
of wildlife suffering from CM is rarely successful, and animals often die from
this condition.
Management/Prevention
Everyone who captures and restrains
wildlife should be aware of the risks of capture myopathy and should make every
effort to prevent its occurrence. Wild animals should only be captured when
necessary, and the negative affects that capture may have on an animal’s
health should always be considered before beginning a management or scientific
project. People should utilize capture methods that minimize animal stress,
struggling, and handling time. For example, sound should be kept to a minimum,
a blindfold should be placed over the animal’s eyes, and workers should be
efficient so that the animal may be released as soon as possible. Appropriate
methods may vary for each species, so research should be conducted in order to
select the ideal capture method.
ATTACHMENT 2 Exertional Rhabdomyolysis Wild horses are flight animals and very susceptible to this disease which can go un noticed for days and be fatal.
ATTACHMENT: An hour hearing cannot provide the experimentation and review necessary. Use of motorized vehicles that allows families to stay together reduces stress on the individuals and family. This hearing was not greatly advertised and I can see no follow-up.
Moreover, 4800
animals as quoted below id likely only
2,400 animals to dart. This is the creation of 5 good jobs for darting etc.
rather than the helicopters, harassment, and death, and including the bird
lady.
BLM TO HOST STATEWIDE PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING USE OF
MOTORIZED VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT IN THE WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROGRAM
VERNAL, Utah“ The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host its annual statewide public hearing at the BLM Vernal Field Office to discuss the use of helicopters and motorized vehicles in the management of wild horses and burros on Utah public lands.
The
hearing will take place:
Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, 7 p.m.
BLM
Vernal Field Office
170
S 500 E
Vernal,
Utah 84078
Helicopter and motorized vehicle usage is a critical tool for managing wild horses and burros on public lands, said Gus Warr, BLM Utah Wild Horse and Burro State Lead. These management tools allow us to conduct aerial population surveys, monitor animal distribution, conduct safe and effective gathers, and transport captured animals in a humane and efficient manner.
Utahs current statewide wild horse and burro population numbers currently exceed 4,800 animals, which is more than 200 percent of the approved appropriate management level of 2,000. Having an overabundance of wild horses and burros above BLM management levels may cause resource damage resulting in limited forage and water availability, which reduces the number of animals that the land can support.
To date, the BLM has removed more than 15,600 wild horses and burros from Utahs rangelands since legislated removals began in 1976. Over 8,100 of those animals have been adopted or sold locally; the remainder were shipped outside of Utah for adoption or holding in off-range pastures. Utahs 2019 satellite adoptions start in March and continue monthly throughout the state. Adoption locations are tentatively set for Farmington, Salt Lake City, Heber City, and Delta, Utah. Animals are available for adoption on a weekly basis at the Delta Wild Horse and Burro Facility.
For
additional information about the upcoming statewide public hearing, or future
wild horse and burro adoptions, visit www.blm.gov or contact the Utah Wild
Horse and Burro Hotline at (801) 539-4050 or Gus Warr at the BLM Utah State
Office at (801) 539-4057.
WHOA’s president Patience O’Dowd is also the founding Board member of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter.
AFFIDAVIT
I am
the president of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter (CAES) a national 501c3
non-profit based in Oregon.
I Dr.
Lester Friedlander DVM BA of Bradford County Pennsylvania do swear under
penalty of perjury that the following statements are true to the best of my
knowledge:
The
purpose of CAES is as follows:
MISSION STATEMENT
Stop the practice of equine slaughter and protect equines from cruel and harmful practices; Monitor the governments land use and resource management activities, as well as the impacts of agency decisions on equines;
Inform
and educate the public about the decisions and activities of government
agencies affecting equines; Work with the government, the public, and all
interested parties to promote sound policies and laws that protect equines.
This is
prominently displayed at our website at citizensagainstequineslaughter.org
Without
a contraceptive biologic such as the imuno-contraceptive native PZP, wild mares
can be pregnant year-round. They are polyestrous and usually become pregnant
between Spring and Fall. However, they can become pregnant late into fall and
winter and they carry their foals for eleven months. Hence, they can
easily be in any stage of pregnancy at any time of year.
Prior
to a Helicopter round up:
There is no separation of pregnant wild mares and this is not even practical.
There is no separation of newly born foals and this is not practical.
There is no separation of sick old or sick young foals and this is not practical.
There is no separation of injured wild horses and this is not practical.
There is no method to ensure the very young can keep up or not wear their new hooves.
Helicopters have generally been used for quick round ups in remote areas as was the Muddy Creek round-up.
There are deaths caused by roundup en masse generally reported by the BLM as at 1% however in the GAO report below it is clear that is not a full reporting of deaths due to helicopter roundups. See Attachment II. There were 362 deaths due to, or related to, helicopter roundups between 2005 and 2007 of those reported.
At the Muddy Creek Round up, both the Price Field office staff and the contractors left immediately after the round up and did not search for affected stragglers, injured, or dead as reported in the affidavit by CAES member Laurie McKline.
At the Muddy Creek Round as with the other BLM roundups upon information and belief, there were reportedly no cameras reported as utilized to the public and no cameras utilizing GPS as reported to the public on the helicopter/s.
The public is discouraged or not allowed to be out on the HMA during the round ups and are guarded by law enforcement agents.
These
points are simple fact. There is no significant, or across the board categorization
and sorting of wild horses prior to a helicopter round up. Wild Mares can and
do give birth year-round.
Given
the above first 7 points alone, Helicopter roundups are by definition, and in
practice, inhumane, harassing and extreme animal cruelty as they generally
utilize stampede under terror of wild horses and their families over rough
terrain for miles. They can and do cause deaths during and after round ups.
Many of these deaths are not documented or discovered, and many are.
There
are no cameras, no transparency, and no post roundup discovery over or near the
route taken to look for injured or dead horses or their young and aborted.
Only
the Secretary of the Interior can authorize a round up by helicopter as
clearly, this is a very dangerous situation for the wild horses. However, there
is no legal right to condone extreme animal cruelty, harassment and death as
wild horses are not livestock and Congress has not allowed treatment as
livestock or even less.
Given the availability of feasible and scientifically recommended alternatives per the NAS Report (contraception) which can be utilized proactively, there is little excuse for the unfeasible and highly probable unbridled harassment and death against the intent of the 1971 Act and the will of the people.
There is a preponderance of evidence of use of motorized vehicles and closed gates, water removals, spikes, cover-ups etc. which tend to show that the remaining wild horses at the Price HMA at Muddy Creek are in imminent danger of death by imposed lack of water and by irresponsible and illegal management actions, as shown in our memberships affidavits.
Wild
horses are flight animals but that means only that they spook easily, it means
in fact that they are not comfortable with aircraft swooping down on them and
terrorizing them for long periods over long distances over various terrains at
speed essentially on a crowded and dangerous unimproved highway situation with
young and old etc.
I
myself have taken the class on darting wild horses (and other mammals) with
native Porcine Zona Pelucida (PZP) (now registered as Zona Stat H, by the EPA),
at the Science and Conservation Center in Billings Montana from the late Dr.
Jay Kirkpatrick himself.
Wild
horses are easily herded or lure trapped for darting one family at a time
and
they can be darted without trapping up to 50 meters away. The usual
excuse given for not utilizing native PZP is basically, how can we cover all
the remote areas?
Importantly,
wildlife is very often darted from helicopter for a variety of reasons.
This is often done by a veterinarian or a biologist etc. This is done
throughout the United States as well as across the continent of Africa for
decades.
I have also
been a trainer of Veterinarians at the USDA and am familiar with slaughtering
issues. I am profoundly against horse slaughter for humane reasons as horse
slaughter also cannot be accomplished humanely. I mention this because it is
also illegal to slaughter a pregnant mare even in Mexico, hence, pregnant mares
are rejected at the border for slaughter for human consumption.
Therefore, wild horses often
pregnant are therefore not suitable or legal in either wild horse slaughter or
for a helicopter round up. Both are extreme animal cruelty.
A helicopter can be more
humanely and feasibly used for darting of immunocontraception which is brief,
feasible, and the helicopter does not swoop down on the horses as seen here in
Attachment I at Muddy Creek and all other helicopter roundups.
There are big differences between darting wild horses from a helicopter with contraception and then leaving them on the range to live out their lives, versus a helicopter stampede round-up and managing the HMAs as breeding grounds akin to Puppy Mills while torturing them and complaining about their birth rate, ignoring the will of the people, the law, and wasting the taxpayers money.
COMPARISON
Darting from Helicopter vs
Helicopter round up.
DARTING-
1. A mare will only be chased for seconds to
minutes.
2. A family can stay together and be darted together for the most part.
3. The family does not have to leave their home and can live out their life in the wild on the range, and feasibly.
4. The helicopter does not need to swoop down to within 20 ft or less to harass and turn the horses, it can just follow them from above at their same speed and can dart from 50 meters away.
5. This distance will be less harassing, less traumatic and will not be causing/throwing the thick dust plumes full of debris at the wild horses as happened at the recent muddy creek round up. Video available by Laurie McKline. See screen shots attached.
6. It is highly unlikely that wild horses will develop a cough with this brief Protocol of darting by helicopter and he/she will subsequently remain on the range. Given GPS and cameras, darts can also be retrieved.
While it would seem that the coughing at the holding facility nine days after roundup might be due to the round itself, it is more likely that the coughing is due the wild horses being penned in a contaminated facility where bacteria and virus likely abound due to a constant flow of horses both owned and wild. Wild horses can and do suffer.
7. Darting will not
cause a loss of genetics as wild horses can live out their lives on the range
as intended, and no genetics will be removed. They will just take some years
off from reproduction here and there as planned/needed.
I have
been a race track vet and understand the injuries of stampede running of
two-year old and older horses. Out on the range, there is no transparency
currently with no cameras on the helicopter until they come into view at the
very end of the miles long run. There is admittedly no documentation of
all the injuries or horses and foals which did not make it the miles to the
gather-site. There is no documentation of the foals born on the run and no one
to welcome them into the world, remove their placenta, and provide critically
needed sustenance, colostrum as well as protection and familial companionship.
Of the pregnant mares who foal in the few days after the round up, their foals
are likely to be born dead or die shortly after birth due to
the extreme stress put on their mothers in this terrifying stampede.
Wild
horses live in a harem structure or in bachelor bands. They are a herd animal
and live in family bands with a very hierarchical structure. These wild horses
know their families and depend on them for survival, companionship, grooming,
etc. The stallions spend 24×7 working to keep other stallions and danger away
from his harem.
This is
what the Stallion lives for. A Stallion usually follows behind his family
band and ensures that the very young keep up with the herd and don’t get separated.
The young learn from him as they do from the hierarchy of mares and the lead
mare.
Much of this is documented in the USGS Ethology of Feral Horses: Quantifying Equid Behavior A Research Ethogram for Free-Roaming Feral Horses by the USGS and Department of Interior. See attachment 1.
In
reviewing the video/screenshots of the Muddy Creek gather recently, it is clear
that these horses may have long term health issues now due to the dust and the
miles traveled in the dryness and temperatures in the nineties during the round
up. One horse that will definitely not recover from this round up was shot.
Per the
BLM’s own report, a stallion kicked a young horse and it had to be put down.
Under the stress of the stampede roundup this is no surprise.
Horses don’t usually run this far 5 miles plus switch backing, under such stress. This is completely unnatural and cruel.
See
Attachment 2 Pictures with statements:
While
wild horses can also be easily lured trapped peacefully as is done routinely at
the Socorro Herd in New Mexico see BLM’s youtube video and even in the
remote and treeless areas of Nevada and Utah etc.
“helicopter darting would still be better than removals in terms of humaneness, , because the harassment is a matter of seconds to minutes, not like the misery of removals.
Helicopter darting would and does suffice in the remote and essentially treeless areas being used as an excuse for the BLM to continue treating the BLM HMAs like a Puppy Mill and then brutally ripping them from their homes, families, in an extremely cruel and unnatural procedure, the helicopter round up, pregnant, old, sick, injured, and young.
Unfortunately,
a wild horse once rounded up is at tremendous risk and likelihood of injury and
death by slaughter, even while in the care of the BLM itself. Much less, once
it is sold or adopted out. Once the property of an individual or corporation it
becomes legally livestock and though not raised as a food animal on a farm or
ranch, it may be subjected to slaughter for human consumption over the US borders.
A true food safety issue due to horse dumping of slaughter rejects and
other
Under Kleppe, a wild horse belongs to the people of the state where ever it walks and it is protected. However, in some states and many counties, it is illegal to harass a wild horse being considered an animal, wildlife, or feral and having animal cruelty laws which make it illegal to harass a wild horse even before it is rounded up as well as after. The US is a patchwork of animal cruelty laws which apply to the federally wild horses.
This
patchwork of differing protections making it arbitrary and capricious to allow
wild horses anywhere to be treated with the extreme animal cruelty of a
helicopter round up, hence, the wild horses are protected from helicopter roundups.
This is akin to 9/11 The helicopter goes too
close and runs our natural resource the wild horse too hard and too long in
adverse conditions. This is unnatural and abusive. Thee wild horses belong to
the people. The helicopter goes to close to our property per FAA and too close
to the man holding the Judas horse. In other round ups foals have come in with
their hooves dangerously worn.
Screenshots
from this recent Muddy Creek HMA Round up from video by Laurie McKline
Last
one not in order
Some redundant screen shots not included
Attachment II
Helicopter gather statistics and lack of
reporting was reported in the GAO Report to the Chairman, Committee on Natural
Resources, House of Representatives – BUREAU OF LAND
MANAGEMENT – Effective Long-Term Options Needed to Manage Unadoptable Wild
Horses https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0977.pdf
WILD LANDS TO FEED LOTS – Conversion of public wild lands to low grade agricultural lands for non-native domesticated livestock using invasive or non-native species (including cheat grass and crested wheat grass). Brought in and allowed by Congress. Manipulated Extinction Equals Theft.
Per USDA Forest Service nearly half of all species federally listed as threatened or endangered are thought to be at risk primarily due to the effects of invasive species.
EXTINCTION
Teddy Roosevelt stated:
“the rights of the public to the natural resources outweigh private rights, and must be given its first consideration.”
AGAINST THE LAW “ Destruction of our WILD Thing, native animals and their habitat, in order to effectively turn our public lands over to Private AGRIBIZ.
Our Wild Natural Resources including: our native wild horses, their native predators, and the native flora (plants) that sustain their eco-system are being illegally managed to extinction, from both the bottom up, and from the top down.
From the bottom up our federal agencies, allowed by Congress, in cooperation with the states, have been allowing and using specific succession of seasonally inedible, non-native and highly flammable grasses causing mass extinctions of native plants and animals they support, followed by the introduction of crested wheat grass another flammable but edible grass, thereby conforming our wild lands into low grade flammable farmlands for Agribiz with little to no competition from the other remaining plants or species. In addition certain lands are being set on fire intentionally just as is the Amazon for the same purpose, Big US Agribiz.
From the top down native predators of the our native horse are being brutally managed to extinction by USDA wildlife services (trapping and poisoning) in cooperation with the states, while the horse is left without its natural manager and other humane contraceptive management is also with held (all illegally), and is forever being portrayed as unmanageable and put into non-transparent private hands, hence, into the slaughter pipeline under the guise of a trusted name, in this case, the ASPCA.
Thus effectively, our public wild lands are undergoing both a top down trophic cascade and a bottoms up trophic cascade, literally a ecological crisis, both allowed and caused.
Why? In order to enable an accidental LOOK GOOD, yet illegal theft of our Public Lands and Wildlife by/for Big AGRIBIZ.
Congress and the Executive Branch through time are working to further weaken the environmental laws that protect both the native plants and native wild life, as well as to silence public input. Now they conspire against our native wild horses behind a trusted name (ASPCA) for wild horse removal and thereby are working to effectively end the wild horse’s legal claim to these lands. As, once gone, the government refuses to bring them back.
To be sure, currently the LOOK GOOD bill to stop transfer of federal public lands to the states or to private hands, provide little to no protection against this covert ecological war against public lands and wildlife even if it did pass. It’s like a charming thug stopping his partner from “accidentally” knocking your purse right out of your hands, grabbing it for you saying “Don’t worry little Miss, I’m not a purse thief” while with a slight of his hand, empties out your purse and picks your pockets at the same time (without you realizing either, so he thinks) and hands your purse right back to you with a BIG smile, expecting a big thank you. Again, both conspiracy and theft, are illegal.
While it is not legal to conspire. . . here’s the status.
I. New BLM Director: “Conservative lawyer in favor of selling public lands picked to oversee BLM.”
However, the theft/wipe out of our wild species of animals and plants is already happening without selling our public lands, they are Agribiz lands being farmed already, with non-native grasses, for non-native cattle.
II. Trusted Name used for Wild Horse Wipe-Out Cover Up:
The ASPCA et. al. plan provides a trusted name for Congress to illegally conspire behind in order to remove our native wild horses from their rightful native public lands with political impunity, thereby leaving the wild horses vulnerable to the slaughter pipeline in non-transparent private hands, as well as effectively removing “protectors” of these public lands. Further making the lands more vulnerable to exploitation and sale.
Protectors of these public lands being: the horses themselves, the laws that the horses bring with them and the advocates they attract ( approx. 80% of Americans).
Contrary to the past “trusted name of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the ASPCA et al. plan is cruel. It is also scientifically and mathematically unsupported, and will cause increased birth rate and tens of thousands of wild horses to fill the AGRIBIZ slaughter pipeline. This is in no way innovative. It is the exact same illegal, inhumane, mismanagement as usual, just on a larger scale.
III. The Effective “Land Grab“ Wild lands turned into “farm” lands.
The intentional destruction of the native/horse habitat (in less than 10 yrs.) with thick carpeting blankets of non-native plants, which are inedible (by all but goats) due to their seeds all summer and very flammable during fire season.
Cheat Grass, Lepidium, Medusahead etc. are being allowed to tacitly destroy PUBLIC WILD LANDS habitats and entire eco-systems causing massive extinctions in the U.S. This however is not climate change.
The ASPCA Plan is a ten-year meat market plan which includes no resolution of invasive species, hence, by the end of the 10 years, the excuse will be, no carrying capacity for our native wild horses.
Once the wild horses are gone, the plan is apparently to install the next non-native grass, which is edible crested wheat grass, and then increase the number of cattle, but not bring the wild horses back.
CHEAT GRASS, it’s spread, it’s affects including fires, tremendously decreased carrying capacity, and native habitat destruction, as well as the governments mis-management and future plans regarding cheat grass has not been honestly addressed in any of the Wild horse Environmental Assessments. This is a significant issue in and of itself.
Its an annual invasive grass that is native to Europe and eastern Asia, not North America. It was brought over by European settlers in the mid to late 1800s.
It probably wouldn’t have outcompeted native vegetation if early settlers hadn’t also introduced large numbers of livestock like cattle and sheep into sagebrush country. Our palatable native grasses and forbs weren’t adapted to those high levels of uncontrolled overgrazing by domestic livestock, which created a void that cheatgrass quickly filled. “
“. . . As for wildlife, the biggest threat from cheatgrass is the loss of habitat due to increased wildfires and the conversion of diverse native plant communities to monocultures of an annual grass.”
III. B. Our Government has been illegally turning our North American wild lands into a flammable mono-culture “farmland” for non-native plants and non-native livestock, right under our very noses.
WHOA regrets to say that it sees the governmental plans of re-seeding with flammable non-native plants extinction of our native plants and animals, followed by increased cattle grazing as an opportunistic and a non-beneficial taking of our wild lands by “farming” for non-native livestock on our public wild lands.Advocates need to oppose this intentional wipe out of habitat of our North American wild lands and eco-systems.
The government not only allows but it causes cheat grass to over run everything, to become a thick and flammable mono-culture which is inedible to all but goats when it has seeds (all summer). Cheat grass crowds out native flora and fauna, and also causes the burn out of native grasses due to much increased wildfires in both frequency and area. The government feigns cost issues as it's excuse of allowing this, then re-seeds with yet another non-native flammable invasive called crested wheat grass which can compete with cheat grass. Crested wheat grass is edible in summer, but is still flammable and able to crowd out native plants. The government then plans to increase livestock grazing, ostensibly in order to combat the crested wheat grass and cheat grass they planted! https://magicvalley.com/business/agriculture/blm-proposes-grazing-increase-in-new-land-decisions/article_446e5022-c5ea-55b7-b937-5edd1f774a16.html
“Western Watersheds Project Idaho Director Scott Lake said that increased grazing helps cheatgrass flourish. Cheatgrass, a non-native and invasive species, is especially flammable and is a major reason that fires in the West have become more severe.
“. . . an ecological disaster, the crested wheatgrass, Fite said. The fire problem has gotten worse with all the crested wheatgrass.
“Crested wheatgrass . . . It is also more useful as a source of forage for livestock.”
“The BLM isn’t dedicating enough effort to bringing back native species in the Devil Creek subregion, Fite said. Essentially, the BLM is valuing ranching interests at the expense of native plants and animals, she said.”
“Critics say the decisions cave in to ranchers requests and make it unlikely sage grouse will return. They argue that increased grazing is an ineffective strategy for reducing wildfires.
CHEAT GRASS etc. ALTERNATIVES INCLUDE
Utilize WHOA National Plan to engage our public lands ranchers and make it worthwhile for them, by removing the conflict of interest for them, and first of all, stop re-seeding with non-native plants. Also, do not increase non-native cattle grazing in the fall. Rather, look at a combination of:
Re-seeding with only native seeds. No longer allow non-native seeds on public lands. (This requires states to enter into agreement.)
Wild horse grazing in order to:
a) spread the good native seeds year round (Only horses can do this given that they are not ruminants and their digestive system and roaming cause seeds to germinate faster, be dispersed far and wide.
b) to graze the (bad) non-native plants in the fall, winter, and spring to decrease them before they get to seed. (Neither horses or cattle will eat them after they seed.)
NOTE: Only horses can spread the good native seeds since horses are not ruminants their digestive system does not kill seeds, rather it helps seeds germinate quicker. But again, horses do not spread the non-native cheat grass seeds as they cannot eat them.
Bring in goats in the summer to graze these non-native plants in the summer.
Utilize the latest science, rather than hold it back with lack of funding. The EPA has approved a naturally occurring soil bacteria that inhibits growth of cheat grass. It is called D7 (Developed by Dr. Ann Kennedy).
“P. fluorescens could provide a cost-effective, scalable means to modify the seeding environment for desired species and boost success in post-fire restoration projects through reduction in invasive annual grass competition . . .”
Statutes including those below require that these noxious weeds be stopped and our environment protected (“whatever the cost”).
7 U.S. Code 7701.Findings – Congress finds that— the detection, control, eradication, suppression, prevention, or retardation of the spread of plant pests or noxious weeds is necessary for the protection of the agriculture, environment, and economy of the United States; . . .
Endangered Species Act –
“The plain intent of Congress in enacting this statute was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost. This is reflected not only in the stated policies of the Act, but in literally every section of the statute.”
There are some states in the west where our state governments feels that there are no laws protecting plant native species.
Washington
I-da-homeless – “Little Amazon”, BLM is currently burning 21 square miles of Old Growth Juniper Trees. Any small animal in the middle of this thoughtful burn will have to run about 10 miles to survive. Will there even be an estimate on collateral damage of the animals that used to live there, but are now charcoal?
Utah – Special Mention – Governor Gary Herbert and Representative Chris Stewart are a very active team against wild horses. Both admit that wild horses can be darted with in the remote areas from helicopters, but they rather instead to round them all up. They could just allow the natural predators of the horse to roam! No round ups, no contraception. Now there’s that ice-cube’s chance in Ida-hopeless.
Wyoming
Colorado – Where former Secretary Salazar hails from.
North Dakota
Montana
There are some laws and lack thereof, that are questionable with respect to constitutionality.
“All federal agencies are prohibited from authorizing, funding or carrying out actions that “destroy or adversely modify” critical habitats.”
IV. DIVIDE AND CONQUER – USING FALSE SCIENCE under color of law:
Americans have been SOLD the following set of divisive, incorrect propaganda with intent, with no basis in science, or in fact. This has effectively kept wild predator advocates away from unison with wild horse advocates by giving their animal a “higher status”, native for one, and feral for the other, and they fell for it, unfortunately, but . . . This has significantly contributed to lack of proper management of both our native wild horses and their native predators, both of which are being literally managed to extinction illegally.
DIVISIVE PROPAGANDA:
Letters a through h below are nonsensical. However, WHOA will provide the details on this as we have both at NM legislature and in NM courts, however in a future post in order to save time here.
a) The iconic returned native Mega Fauna, the horse, is domesticated. Really?
b) If domesticated the horse is not native. Evolving here for 55 million years and gone for only 8000 years. Really?
c) Domestication is a genetic process. Domestication is not taming, it is not habituation, it is not simply breeding in captivity.
d) If not native, the horse has no native predators. Really?
e) If the horse has no native predators, or they are managed to extinction wild horses cannot be managed feasibly. Really?
f) The horses are too remote to be managed feasibly by contraception. Really? See WHOA National Plan.
g) Since horses are supposedly “non-native” and are domestic they cannot be defended by “real” environmental groups, only by “emotional types”. Good to know! “Old Misogynistic Rule?”
h) Since horses are “domestic”, they can be humanely slaughtered for human consumption. Really? Well, only behind a “trusted” name in order to put everyone’s mind falsely at ease as well as provide an excuse for those in power.
V. WILL SAFE ACT Co-SIGNERS TAKE COVER behind the ASPCA Name per the Plan? How about the previous ROAM Act Co-Signers and how about the previous Anti-Slaughter for Human Consumption Act Co-Signers before that?
Will they stand up and block the ASPCA meat market Plan in private hands? Or, will they only feign to block it? (Time will tell). Or, will we be insulted when/if they pretend it is a good plan and then conspire behind it while telling advocates it’s somehow their fault for lack of unity?
Congress has sent approximately 410 horses each and everyday, every year, over our borders to slaughter for 12 years! That’s 1.8 Million horses slaughtered, against the will of 80% of the people in our “Representational Democracy”.
The states ended horse slaughter and the feds send them over our borders and this is under both political parties. This is especially egregious when the border states could simply pass the Illinois law to disallow horse slaughter traffic through their states. Though on a silver platter, New Mexico has refused to do this so-far. We now have a previous SAFE ACT Co-Signer as Governor. . . No movement yet . . .
Lets expect our Congresspersons to have the courage of their, or our, convictions. Let’s ask them to make some deals! Call in some favors, make it happen NOW!
Or, ask your legislator/co-signer to BE A WHISTLE BLOWER on Congress! It will only take ONE Courageous whistle blower to turn this around. Out of all the co-signers, there must be at least 5 stand-up Legislators. Legislators, feel free to send info. to whoanm.org web page or to wildhorsesnm@yahoo.com or to message our facebook page Wild Horse Observers Association – WHOA. This can even be done anonymously.
VI. The Endangered Species Act is also under bi-partisan attack by Corporate Congress because endangered species laws also protect public lands from land grabs.
Re-wilding, sounds good! It’s a nice word, like ASPCA! However, sounds good, but is it?
Another smaller scale plan in the works in Congress. Under this plan a few wild horses will be taken out of public hands and into non-trans-parent/private hands under the Congressional guise of re-wilding. These wild horses will be at risk of the non-transparent pipeline to horse slaughter as meat in the AGRIBIZ meat market.
The planned and intentional ecological devastation in the U.S. by highly flammable cheat grass etc. has the same cause as the planned ecological devastation by fire that is happening in the Amazon which is also largely due to U.S. Livestock/AGRIBIZ. Remember 90 to 98% of Soybeans grown are used for food for livestock.
We in the U.S. and elsewhere are growing food for livestock not people. At the same-time we are wasting as well as polluting our fresh water resources on food for livestock, and oil from agriculture for fuel, not food for people.
These short-sighted corporate actions are also actions against indigenous peoples as well as against all peoples, wildlife and climate.
2.Sign and share the excellent Animal Wellness Action Letter and customize your letter here as they request with information you have learned in this petition update: https://secure.everyaction.com/JZCZS5hJxEqxsnMYe_69_g2
Please personalize: Ask them to STOP this THEFT IN PLACE of our wild lands. Or stop pulling the value out of our wildlands and turning them into livestock feedlots.
Please ask them to consider the WHOA National plan to remove the conflict of interest, heal the environment, save tax dollars, and work together. This will be automatically sent to your federal Senators.
Please also let them know you do not want our nations natural resource managed in private hands with private funding as this is an veiled path to slaughter. This includes removing our horses from wild lands they are on to other wild lands in private hands for re-wilding .
Sign and share the AWHPC Petition opposes round ups, provides no plan but gets more numbers. https://www.change.org/p/lisa-murkowski-protect-america-s-wild-horses-from-a-dangerous-plan 0ver 20,000
Sign and Share SAFE ACT Petition“ a MUST.. given this ASPCA Plan putting wild horses in non-transparent, underfunded hands, basically for slaughter in WHOA’s opinion. http://chng.it/J5NzHdLXq4 Over 26,000
Contact Western Watersheds
Josh Osher
Montana Director
Public Policy Director
Western Watersheds Project
406-830-3099
P.O. Box 1135
Hamilton, MT 59840
This book was first entitled: WHERE THE WILD HORSES ARE according to Wikipedia. We don’t know about that, however we highly recommend this book and it’s respect for our need for Wild Things.
Soon we may really wonder where the wild things are.
for Wild Horses and Burros Management, Wildlife Eco-systems,
vs
Methane & Greenhouse-Gasses
———————————————————————————————
Problem Definition => Conflict of interest by design
WHOA offers an innovative solution for wild horse management that is feasible for the wild horses, burros, Public Lands Ranchers (Permittee s), the people, the horse industry and, importantly; reduces court actions from all sides by removing the root cause, which is a conflict of interest.
Due to the management plans since 1971, in fact the wild horse is less than worth-less, monetarily speaking, to the Public Lands Rancher (Permittee) vs. the American Public who view them as intrinsically valuable. In order to remove this resultant conflict of interest, the actual monetary value of each wild horse must rise to that of a cow/calf, for the Permittee.
The solution must also
feasibly take into account climate change and the fact that both sides of the
aisle recognize that creative remedies are needed now*1.
The Permittees must also be
paid for improving carbon sequestration on the range and reflectivity/albedo*2
as appropriate, along with working issues of watershed, soil, planting trees,
re-seeding, drilling wells, installing windmills for year-round water as
needed, for both cattle and wildlife/wild horses.
To wit the Green New Deal from the Democrats and the Green Real Deal from the Republicans also according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 12-year ultimatum on climate change.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Summary Proposal End Conflict of Interest – Design Feasible Root Cause Resolution
The BLM has stated to
Congress repeatedly that to warehouse a wild horse for its lifetime costs the
nation approximately $50,000 each. However, just half of this could be better
spent on public lands, paying ranchers for wild horse and burro management by
immuno-contraceptive darting once per year, on the range, rather than paying
$1000/horse for helicopter round up and $2000/year thereafter in holding. This
would end the mounting numbers in long term holding and the $2000/yr. per
horse.
Rather than the traditional
expensive and dangerous round ups, transport, holding and feeding for 25 years,
the Permittee will be paid for the three management items below:
1.Equivalent Payment for Partial Resting of Permit: Similar to farmers being paid to rest their lands, ranchers would count the horses (perform a census*3) and determine if the wild horse number is greater than the Appropriate Management Level (AML)*4. This is called the overage*5. If this overage is significant enough, environmentally speaking, to choose to put less cattle out, then the Permittee will instead be paid the same as cow/calf for the number of horses over AML/overage. Or rather, the number of cattle removed would be equal to the number of wild horses over AML and the rancher will receive an equivalent payment for partial resting of the permit. Hence, the Permittee, the wild horses and the range are all protected and the conflict of interest is removed, when combined with item no. 2 below.
2.Payment for PZP*6 Darting: Permittees (or BLM contractors) must be paid equivalent to a cow/calf to manage each wild mare with PZP Fertility control as needed. PZP darting will be provided to all females each year, (as needed) on and off, in order to both preserve genetic health of the herd as needed to work towards a population where the herd is at AML (However the NAS takes issue with the AML determination methods). Working toward the birth rate being equal to the attrition rate. Hence flat line population growth without round ups. The rancher will provide digital pictorial documentation.
3.Payment for Environmental Defense and Preservation: Under the purview of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS), the public lands rancher needs to also become our first line of defense on public lands to fight climate change as front-line range and environmental stewards. This will address reflectivity of the environment/albedo the amount of methane, watershed, forest fires and biodiversity.
This is also recognizing the
public lands stewardship these Permittees already do (while the cattle are on
the permit) however, often not year-round, by ensuring water for grazing
animals, planting seeds, sometimes planting or removing trees and addressing
watersheds as well as erosion.
Water supplies will also need
to be ensured for the time the cattle are off the allotment, at a minimum by
ensuring allotment gates are locked open so that wild horses can then roam to
water. They may also work improvements to watershed, erosion etc.
NOTE:Methane: The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that enteric fermentation*7 and
manure (largely from cattle) are the number one source of methane in the United
States. Methane is 84 times more heat trapping than CO2 in the first two
decades. However, when wild horses are over AML, IF the Permittees reduce
cattle and are paid, this also results in Methane reduction.
NOTE: Remote Areas: The BLM and USDA FS state to
Congress that they cannot get to the more remote areas in order to manage the
wild horses and burros with contraception. However, the Permittees are already
in/near these areas with the cattle they manage.
NOTE: Native Predators: Mountain Lions, Wolves, etc. are being killed by USDA Wildlife Services ($121 Million/yr.) due largely to their predation on non-native cattle/beef from Asia. Livestock owners are often paid for depredation. Hence, whether one agrees or disagrees as to the native status of the legally wild horse, or its domestication, it is preposterous to say that a predator can differentiate or has a prejudice against eating horse meat because they can somehow sense they may be domesticated vs. wild. (Regardless, horses evolved entirely here in North America for over 55 Million years with the modern horse having appeared between 2 and 4 million years.)
NOTE: Puppy Mill Management (unchecked breeding): Under
the current management structure, the wild horse has lost its value through
(unchecked breeding), due to the expensive wipe out of predators and virtually
no contraceptives substituted in their absence.
To wit, the BLM states that it started with only 25,000 wild horses, however proudly claims it has homed 245,000 horses.
Further removals of thousands of wild horses have significantly affected supply and demand for adoptions, which is clearly self-defeating for the BLM and detrimental to the horse industry, and many of these are at high risk of slaughter.
Occasional mares are PZP’d off range and released after an expensive and illegal helicopter round up, thereby completely defeating the feasible, legal, and humane purpose of (non-experimental) and dartable PZP – ON Range Management.
Reference: Citizens Against Equine Slaughter (CAES) Muddy Creek Utah Administrative Appeal No. IBLA-2018-0192 awaiting IBLA* Action.
Wild Horse Observers Association IBLA-2017-0048 awaiting IBLA Action. CAES IBLA NO.s IBLA-2016-243 and IBLA-2019-0015 : Both were remanded back to BLM: regarding blind surgical sterilization by ovariectomy which is also illegal, inhumane, and fiscally irresponsible, moreover requires routine round ups as usual.
CAES IBLA NO.s IBLA-2016-243 and IBLA-2019-0015 : Both Remanded back to BLM regarding blind surgical sterilization by ovariectomy which is also illegal, inhumane, and fiscally irresponsible,
Moreover sterilization by ovariectomy requires routine round ups as usual and all the horses are still rounded up because the BLM cannot easily only round up the un-sterilized mares.) Cruel and Costly.
CAES filed two administrative appeals to STOP ovariectomies rather than to WATCH ovariectomies, which are done blind anyway without ability to see internally by scopes! CAES filed IBLA Administrative Appeals and stopped this unnecessary and expensive barbaric process and Won both times.
Additionally, regarding humane animal affairs no employee or contractor with DSM-5; PID-5; antisocial personality disorder; personality disorders; psychopathy should play any decision making or hands on role for wild horses and burros.
Puppy Mill Management thereby puts all sides at risk on many levels including legal, fiscal, humane:
We understand that change is sometimes difficult. However, under this new structure, young and old public lands ranchers and Permittees can have hands-on education, based on each area’s environmental and wild horse management needs.
This would help to guarantee
their long-term ranching future by continually paying them equitably for
providing some of the services they currently already do in part for free, in
order to enhance their ranching incomes.
Asterisks
Explained
*1 The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: 12 year ultimatum
*2Albedo: is the percentage of solar radiation reflected by an object. … A pure black object would absorb all radiation and have an albedo of 0%. Bright Earth features such as clouds, fresh snow, and ice have albedos that range from 50% to 95%
*4AML: Appropriate Management Level (AML), which is the number of wild horses and burros that can thrive in balance with other public land resources and uses.
*5Overage: Total census (including babies) minus AML.
*6PZP: Porcine Zona Pelucida an Immuno-contraceptive: The formulation for wild horses is registered with the EPA as Zona Stat-H for wild horses and as Zona Stat-D for Deer. It is not hormonal and does not affect behavior. This contraceptive lasts for 1 year and reaches full efficacy once boosted. Thereafter boosters are no longer needed even if a year is skipped.
*7 Enteric Fermentation: Ruminant Digestive process. Per EPA “Enteric fermentation is the largest
anthropogenic source of CH4 emissions in the United States. . .This increase in emissions from 1990 to 2017 generally follows the increasing trends in cattle populations. (This does not even include the Methane from associated manure).
Wild horses of New Mexico can and do legally roam just as do other wildlife. This includes public and private lands except the State lands which are set aside to raise money for schools in NM.
WHOA’s Legislative Work includes: The NM Wild Horse Protection law passed in 2007 carried by the honorable former Senator Steve Komadina MD for WHOA, has been upheld in now by 8 of 9 judges. The latest ruling is below and is quite clear.
Brief Summary of the Wild Horse Protection legislative work/upheld in court/s in WHOA v NMLB in two cases. ———————————————————– 1. These wild horses are subject to the animal cruelty laws of the state unlike all privately owned livestock which are exempt from these protections in NM. (Appellate Court Ruling) 2. If a private property owner does not want them on their property, they not only have the right, but the obligation to fence them out. ( District Court Ruling below) 3. It is illegal to trap or lure a wild horse in NM. 4. These wild horses are not under the jurisdiction of the New Mexico Livestock Board given that they are not owned and are not livestock (born and raised on a ranch). 5. These horses are protected/regulated under statute, hence common law (called ratione soli) which allows for ownership of wild animals that come onto one’s private land (like “bunnies”) no longer applies since at least 2007 when these wild horses became protected/regulated legislatively. NMSA 77-Â 18-5. (General Animals section which the Livestock Board does not have jurisdiction over, including skunks, chimps, wild canines, etc. ) 6. These horses belong to the people of the state as a natural resource and as such, cannot be legally rounded up. Horse Theft in NM is a minimum sentence of 2 yrs and a maximum sentence of 7 yrs in prison.
NOTE:
+WHOA is the only non-profit in New Mexico that has passed protective legislation for wild horses in NM. This legislation calls for management by contraception and management of the range.
+WHOA is the only non-profit in NM that has gone to court to uphold this new law in New Mexico. WHOA has won for the wild horses both times.
+WHOA also stopped the brutal helicopter roundups in the USDA Carson National Forest in 2004 through administrative appeal and large media supported protest. + This has caused the USDA Forest Service to utilize lure trapping instead of helicopters. + WHOA has also caused immuno-contraception to be an allowed option for population management in the Carson National Forest since 2004.
+WHOA has defended these wins for the our New Mexico wild horse treasures and their habitat against the opposition promoting BAD Bills SB126 in 2017 and Kill Bill SB158 in 2018. These two bills were carried by Senator Pat Woods recipient of over $1 Million in USDA funding for his ranch through time. These BAD bills are now ended and replaced, by HM093 and https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/19%20Regular/memorials/house/HM093.pdf.
———————————————————————————————–
The bad bills were supported by the following lobbyists:
Cattle Growers of New Mexico
APV lobbyist of APNM (Yes, this is counter intuitive!  )
New Mexico Farm Bureau
Wool Growers
Send your email, we’ll be happy to send this entire ruling. Scroll down for the entire Appellate ans Supreme court
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on State’s Wild Horses of New Mexico – Win and Win, Wildlife!
 Wild Placitas Horses overlooking their Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the Placitas area called the Buffalo Tract.
WHOA has documented many divisive acts against the overwhelming majority, in order to remove Placitas’ wild horses from the Placitas Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands between 2008 to 2018, by two of our U.S. Senators, Heinrich and Udall. To be sure, the writer is a democrat, who chooses to lead rather than follow when a party goes against “wild horses and Indians”, the law, and the overwhelming majority of people, literally.
In this particular divisive instance, Heinrich works against a pro-wild horse neighboring Pueblo’s rightful reparations as Ordered by Teddy Roosevelt, in favor of FALSE Reparations by the San Antonio De Las Huertas Land Grant (SADLH) in the tug of war over the current area BLM lands (both the Buffalo Strip and the Crest of Montezuma).
The elected officials in New Mexico are apparently held hostage for rural votes by the Land grant Leadership, not the Land Grant People. WHOA has documentation showing that the people are not informed as to what their leadership is doing against wild horses of New Mexico.
There is even the attempt by the Land Grant to secretly make the rest of us pay for their Land Grab acquisitions. All the while Heinrich and Udall block proactive population management under the state law passed by WHOA in 2007. This in and of itself has caused deep and irreparable damages.
This was a plot that was planned to hand these BLM lands over to a government entity, a Land Grant (leadership only), against the people and against the wild horses of Placitas. Moreover, Udall and Heinrich are currently working to “saddle” the kind Pueblo WITH the horses Heinrich did not want on the BLM as well as those already rounded up as they are still trying to illegally remove the wild horses from Placitas and the BLM lands to make way for development, all while, illegally blocking legal population management of these Placitas Wild horses for 10 years and counting.
Once the wild horses no longer protect these BLM lands, the SKY is the LIMIT for Development!    Recent picture of wild horses of Placitas on their homelands, the Buffalo Tract BLM Lands                                                             Â
This plan utilizes their divisive Non-Profit NM First and Governor Martinez appointee to the Sandoval County commission for local support! Together with NM First they accomplished a second Orwellian non-scientific survey, with a not so hidden agenda, of secretly installing the BLM and the NM Livestock Board in their planned (since 2014) multi-jurisdictional team, to REMOVE the wild horses from the BLM lands next to Placitas as well as from the rest of Placitas. No SURPRISE!!!
They are working quickly to remove them from the Placitas Area to Tribal lands where the Freedom of Information Act can’t reach! Where Placitans and the wildlife corridor are no longer soothed by their presence, where Placitan realtors will no longer be able to use them in their ads, impacting home values and time-to-sale, undoubtedly. This would irreparably change the nature of our rural mountain community of Placitas again, irreparably.
It’s been divisive moves by both Heinrich and Udall, and WHOA’s counter moves for almost 12 years now, and the wild horses are STILL on the BLM lands in and around Placitas. WHOA has never given up to this very day.
BTW, please DONATE to the WHOA LEGAL FUND if you like our work. We are all volunteer, no salaries, have multiple court wins and legislative wins in NM for these wild horses to remain and to protect the wildlife corridor here off the Sandia Mountain. If the wild horses are removed, this last viable wildlife corridor off the mountain will be lost. Importantly, as always, over 100% of your donation will go to the cause for the wild horses and their habitat.
Heinrich and Udall have allowed the Land Grant Leadership to hold Conservation efforts of both the Crest of Montezuma and the Placitas Wild horses hostage now for over 10 years. Heinrich hid his role regarding this Attempted Public Lands Grab by illegal Back Door reparations, until WHOA uncovered the two documents below. This was a plan to give away the BLM Buffalo tract to a group which all ancient and current maps show, they had no aboriginal claim to.Â
WHOA also has obtained communications from Udall’s office showing that he cannot support the wild horses on the BLM Lands (Buffalo strip) in Placitas until the Land Grant Leadership gives him written permission.
Hence, it would appear that the NM Land Grant Leadership is holding our elected federal officials hostage for rural votes at the same time they have withdrawn their previous legislative support of our state’s wonderful natural resource, our esteemed wild horses and their families.
These are illegal acts on a number of levels, and was clearly against the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) as predetermined, illegal with respect to state and local laws, and arbitrary and capricious, chilling of speech, as well as huge transparency issues federal open records requests, FOIA’s, long unanswered as well).
These actions are also illegal under the Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Title 18, and altogether against the presidential executive order by Teddy Roosevelt in 1902 regarding the pro-horse Pueblo which has also declared these horses as wild. These actions taken together along with other illegal acts locally are clearly Unequal Protection under the law, and are, grounds for action which WHOA has well documented.
  Â
Teddy Roosevelt out West, NPSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Teddy Roosevelt, Santa Fe NM, NPS
A SADLH member who is named in the documentation below even denied this to the writer’s face while proceeding to publicly deny and to defame the writer in public, claiming that since the (bottom) letter was not signed, and it hence, was not true. However, he did not know that the writer had procured both letters below, from an official source, one signed by Martin Heinrich. This man was one of the five (5) SADLH Land Grant board members listed on the June 11th 2010 letter below.
Moreover, WHOA obtained proof that the SADLH people were unaware of all that their Board members were doing against the wild horses of Placitas, and against the rest of the Placitas community which their leadership had attempted to kick out of Placitas, deeming their area as Bernalillo Heights stating that the new comers had been involved in name theft at the Senate interim committee on Land Grants where much of this planning has taken place.
The end game per the documentation below, was to stall preservation of the Crest of Montezuma for the Land Grant, buy lands for the Land Grant near the Crest of Montezuma, which they would then trade for the Buffalo Tract BLM Lands. Hence holding all conservation efforts hostage to the Land Grant, whose leadership would remove the wild horses from their rightful range on the Placitas BLM lands, as well as allow a 20,000 trips per day highway through it.
Importantly, there was and is both no need, and no public support, for this politician’s dream highway, often called the Loop Rd, or the North East corridor, which was also illegally denied and hidden in Udall’s BLM RMP, documentation outed by WHOA. BOTH of these Acts to remove wild horses and install a highway are against the overwhelming majority at 86 and 87% respectively, by independent poll of 2014 as well as, non-transparent, and against the law.
The SADLH Land Grant is a government entity, a “political subdivision of the state of New Mexico”, that had already broken the Open records Act with WHOA, had already received a warning from the NM Attorney General’s office for this and also, did not inform its people of the nefarious and secret deals it was making against their will, against the wild horses of Placitas, and against their then, very united community for the wild horses at 99% by the first WHOA scientific poll of all Placitans by bulk mail, now still united at 86%.
Importantly also, the BLM illegally denied receiving the SADLH Land Grants plan for the BLM (Part of the NEPA process RMP) and it too was obtained and outed by WHOA.
Again, currently, (11/25/18) Udall and Heinrich are after the Placitas horses utilizing their non-profit New Mexico First to both block population management in Placitas as well as move the wild horses of Placitas away from Placitas.
New Mexico First is a ‘public policy’ group whose board consists of corporate interests, yet pretends to involve the citizenry in resolving issues. Senator Udall and Senator Heinrich are the Honorary Co-Chairs on the Board of this group and New Mexico First prefers to illegally remove wild horses than simply follow the law and advocate for contraception.
New Mexico First has the BLM and the NM Livestock Board, at the table, ‘problem-solving’ though WHOA has proven in court that they have no jurisdiction over these states wild horses. They have yet again, tricked constituents, wild horse advocates, Land Grants peoples, and Pueblos and have again used divisive, bully tactics to harm the people, the advocacy, and the Pro-wild horse Pueblo while the BLM RMP seems to be now, illegally and non-transparently, dead in the water since about 2014.
With our tax dollars, New Mexico First has spent $24,000.00 ignoring the simplest, most effective, and most humane management remedy, under the law- contraception. Basically, like ALEC, New Mexico First exists to simply allow both senators to feign a public interest while serving a corporate agenda. For more on New Mexico First, you can look at these links:
PLEASE DONATE to our Legal Fund. 100% of your contribution is used soley for the cause. WHOA is 100% volunteer. Though WHOA has just won freedom for the Alto NM wild horses in court, we see no end to the counter moves of Udall, Heinrich and Governor Martinez though she is not re-elected.
PLEASE CALL
Please CALL in support of keeping the Placitas Wild Horses free-roaming in Placitas and lawfully managed with PZP as well as ON the BLM Lands in and around Placitas.
A NEPA process would be needed to remove them at a minimum, and so far the NEPA process has been fraudulent, treating them as livestock and deeming Placitan and pro-wild horse comments and anti-Loop Rd comments as OUT OF SCOPE!
The people of New Mexico speak for the wild horses- not the corporate/gov’t. agenda of New Mexico First. Thank you!
U.S. Senator Tom Udall : Â 505-346-6791
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich : Â 505-346-6601
N.M. Senator Liz Stefanics, Chair of the Senate Land Grant Interim Committee: Â 505-699-4808
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on Senator Martin Heinrich – Divisive actions, (against Placitas Wild Horses, and Sandia’s Cibola Forest), speak louder than words
The New Mexico First PR Group, aka Senator Udall and Senator Heinrich’s PR firm, along with a Placitan Group, are working to give illegal jurisdiction to the NM Livestock Board (NMLB) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over our state’s legally wild horses in Placitas.
This in order to block the use of contraception and cause a round up of many, if not most, of the Placitas Wild Horses. They will then put some of them in a tiny “Sanctuary” or Corral, and then get Placitans to pay for their maintenance in this corral.
The Senators’ PR Group, NM First has put out a survey to the entire state of New Mexico on a channel 7 “news” story, (link below) in order to try and gain support for this illegal “multi-jurisdictional” Board, which they do not have support for in Placitas. Again, they are not openly mentioning, that multi-jurisdictional means the NM Livestock Board and the BLM. (Please also know, that the NM State Veterinarians are indeed NM Livestock Board employees, and have presided over all the illegal round ups and sales of wild horses in Placitas to kill buyers.)
The likely reason that the Senator’s PR Group NMFirst, is blocking the use of the contraceptive (native PZP), is that once darted with PZP, the wild horses cannot be sold for human consumption.
In the Channel 7 story (link below), two “go-to” Placitas Wild Board members, side-slam the wild horses as fence destroyers and road safety issues, and thereby advocate that the Wild Horses of Placitas be removed from our neighborhoods and the BLM lands where they legally roam free, welcomed by the over whelming majority of Placitans, as proven by independent poll, at 86% !
Moreover in this choreographed Channel 7 story, Channel 7 feigned a “heated debate”, which was actually a one person’s 3 minute rant about owned domestic horses that had gotten out of their corral into the street. Channel 7 also highly inflated more than 2 times, the number of wild horses in Placitas, as usual, stating that there are to 70 to 200 wild horses roaming in Placitas on the story version that aired, but not the one they posted.
Channel 7 never mentions the 1.4 million cattle free ranging in NM (almost as many as people in NM) or the 200,000 Deer, 70,000 Elk, 40,000 Antelope, and thousands of other hooved animals freely roaming in NM, as also shared by WHOA’s president.
++Demand they call of their DOGS, (NMFirst) and Placitas Wild, and STOP putting the Placitas wild horses, on the menu over the borders!
++ Ask them  to allow contraception as legislated under the (WHOA) NM Horse Protection Act of 2007 and initiate a New Mexico Wild Horse License Plate to bring in any needed funding and help grow tourism’s already 84,000 + jobs!
WHOA WINS vs NM Livestock Board in NM Supreme Court – Thanks to Placitans
Court details are in the online newspaper here, also: Which entity should get the Placitas Area Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands: WHY and WHY NOT?
No Surprise! The June edition of the local monthly tabloid of Sandoval County continues to misrepresent the NM State Supreme Court which upheld WHOA’s WIN, in their tabloid’s current June edition. The tabloid intentionally misleads its community readership and especially it’s Placitan readership again, on a number of points including:
THE USUAL TABLOID – MISLEADING: “In October, the New Mexico Supreme Court declined to hear the case, so now back in the hands of the Albuquerque judge. . . .”
This implies that WHOA lost: NOT SO! The Supreme Court declined to hear the NM Livestock Board’s/Reynold’s request for appeal of the WHOA’s Wins so far. Hence it did NOT dismiss WHOA’s case, and hence, remanded it back for further proceedings in District Court. There is further controversy between the parties to be decided by the courts.
TABLOID OWNER – CAUGHT: The owner and publisher of the local tabloid in Sandoval County was rounding up horses himself, as stated in a Sandoval County Sheriff’s police report (see page 8 of WHOA e-newspaper above). However he refuses to openly declare his conflict of interest to his readership, as journalistic integrity would require, and as formally requested by WHOA.
The Wild Horse Observers Association (WHOA) is a public 501 c3 non-profit corporation.
To make donations:
Or send checks to:
Wild Horse Observers AssociationPO Box 932Placitas, NM 87043
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