Note: After the first day of phase 2 (good observation) we were placed 1.25 miles from the trap. A number of factors created this situation and we will write more about that soon.
The Triple B operation originally was slated to remove 1000 and release 500 of the targeted 1500 wild horses. Now there will be no release at the end and the removal number has been changed to 1300.
The total captured at the end of 15 days of operations now stands at 869, with 15 dead (edited to add todays numbers, 2/14).
A legal action was filed by an East coast animal rights activism group against the fertility control prior to the start of the operation. A pro-slaughter group put out a statement just days ago that was almost word for word of the statement that came from far away from the range. Yesterday the BLM simply upped the capture number to reflect any results obtained from the fertility control and 300 more wild horses will never set foot in their homes again (rumor has it that this number will rise to 100 more soon). What you need to remember is that there has never been any legal win against fertility control but simply one more mistake BLM made in simple paperwork. There is no court ruling now, just a mimic statement from pro-slaughter.
Plain and simple; fertility control buys time for freedom while we address serious flaws in management as the land itself suffers consequence of a century of bad management for profit.
There are multiple issues at this roundup, and in the surrounding areas, that refute all the claims, statements, assertions being made by multiple entities. Today we will try one last time to address them through official channels as both the FY 18 and 19 budgets push to resume the sale to slaughter and outright killing of our wild horses.
Politics, all sides, rule the reality our wild ones live. Politics are destroying our western landscape.
“Thriving natural ecological balance?” This roundup began clearing the grazing allotments of a State Legislator of wild horses (remember “grazing allotments” are public land and used under permit). At the exact same time mountain lions were being killed. Turnout for the livestock is just around the corner. The first phase also had horses in amazing condition on a very healthy range, but the mine trucks wont slow down and hit them. The second phase was a reservation complaint. (note for BLM that is reading this page: wild horses move off HMA because you did not restrict livestock as you should have during drought and let them be reimbursed by the USDA. They could have had a paid vacation. The beef they produce in fractional, in NV less than 1% of all beef produced in the US in total. Local economies would not suffer because the USDA would reimburse loss.)
This last phase? It is also placation. If range work were actually done, and these areas actually were noted to be in this “grave state,” we should have started on this side, not hit it now when mares are so heavily pregnant and babies are starting to drop. The most fragile edge of foaling season is NOW. (to understand more about “why” read here)
If you are just now noting wild horses off HMA maybe it is because a chopper is flying in the HMA and wild horses are smart? It’s either the chopper in the area or really bad pre-work.
So much of what we have seen is a tragedy of inexperience, fear of reprisal, prioritization of absolutely everything except the horses actual welfare. At one point even inconvenience of a man grading a public road, in a grazing allotment, was placed above appropriate action for the horses.
We mentioned in another article that Nevada is often given this time spot in the “gather schedule”, the end of February. In Nevada this is NOT a safe capture time. We have seen this over and over and over. Other states get Sept-Jan. so often and we have sat at the end of February and watched BLM pull mares that are on the verge of giving birth and never know how many newborns laid down to hide as the herd flees the chopper… never to see their family bands again.

On range. New life now appearing on the range.
There are multiple ranges where we do not have powerful politics at play but severe neglect of every aspect of “management.” Why are those ranges not prioritized? Perhaps because we need a “good show” to seal the deal on the budget bill that will create one more profit driven scheme… the slaughter of wild horses where the tax payer foots the bill for overhead? Is that where we are going?

Palomino Valley will be a place of many babies soon. If you want to adopt you should go visit.
More soon. We are working very hard today behind the scenes on multiple fronts.

Very pregnant, cute. The end of February is not appropriate for roundups on most ranges in Nevada.
Just a note to address the claims by proslaughter that this is “just fine;” go out and run a fancy cutting horse breeders mares in winter for ten miles at full tilt with a helicopter or ATV just days, or hours, before they are due to give birth… or run her away from her newborn. You might just get shot for that.
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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