Court battle for Humane Care wages on

By Laura Leigh on November 9, 2012

Manifest for a Win for the Mustangs and Burros this Wed in Court

This Wed Nov. 21^st is our conference call hearing with the Reno Federal District Judge, the BLM, and WHE to gain a humane handling standard for horses and burros managed by BLM.

Imagine us winning, and the judge ruling in our favor. Write it on a post it put it on your mirror and say it out loud often: WHE WINS IN COURT. Light a candle,say a prayer, feel us winning, do whatever you can.

This is an administrative hearing by conference call so there is no way for you to attend. When we have our hearing in February about freedom of access to the horse and burros under BLM control, you will be able to attend. WHE will keep you posted.

Thank you for the wild ones

Laura Leigh, Pres. WHE

BLM leaves Wild Horse welfare unaddressed

Wild horse Education moves forward with litigation

On November 21, 2012 Wild Horse Education (WHE) continues the Federal Court “battle” to gain a humane handling standard for wild horses and burros managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). An hearing is scheduled to answer Discovery questions and a request made by WHE for a mandatory settlement conference.

This case began during the Triple B helicopter removal of 2011. During that operation Laura Leigh, founder of WHE, gained documentation that led to the filing of a complaint against inhumane conduct. The documentation led to Federal Judge Howard McKibben granting the first Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to conduct in the history of the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act (WFRH&B Act).

The court case continued and BLM began a review of operations to address concerns of the Court. That review was known as the “Triple B team review.”

The “Triple B team review” done by BLM confirmed the following: “Horses were observed being struck in the face, and often confused due to aggressive loading procedures and excessive pressure by multiple handlers. Several videos reveal that a few horses were repeatedly shocked with an electrical animal prod, sometimes in the face, and in one case, the use of this electrical prod led to a horse becoming stuck in a panel at the loading site. Some videos reveal horses being struck in more than one instance with the trailer gate to induce loading, and in one instance a horse appears to have been kicked in the head by a Sun J employee. In one video it appears that a horse was dragged into a trailer by a rope around its neck.” As well as the incident where a single wild horse is pursued and apparently struck intentionally by the helicopter skids.

Leigh’s attorney, Gordon Cowan of Reno, amended the case, three times. Once to address continued conduct outside the scope of Triple B, again to address that the issue of mootness did not apply to Triple B and to include conduct occurring at the Jackson Mountain operation of 2012. The amended motions gained a second TRO to conduct at Jackson and an further Injunctive Order to conduct at Triple B.

In spite of BLM’s continued reassurance that the agency is addressing these issues, and creating an enforceable policy, the conduct documented at Triple B continues in practice. Leigh has continued to document similar conduct (when her access is not overly restricted) that demonstrates no change on the range during operations.

“It appears that we have no other option but to continue with the case and prepare to file new actions.” stated Laura Leigh, founder of WHE, “In the year 2012 in the United States of America, this conduct left unaddressed by a government agency is an obscenity.

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These cases, investigations and supporting documentation, are supported solely by Wild Horse Education, a registered Nevada non-profit. http://wildhorseeducation.org