Our teams are just reporting in from the Shawave roundup in NV.
A very rough estimate of 130 wild horses were captured today (we will give you a full report after review and include video).
In spite of heavy smoke, BLM flew choppers and worked the ground crew. The day began dark and very cold and warmed to a thick hot mix of dust and smoke.
We are editing video; the dust and smoke today are well illustrated by video comig as soon as time allows.
“A dustier trap could not have been found if they tried. Dust control was done only once at least an hour before the first run. It was as if CAWP (humane policy) is just a box to check and has absolutely no meaning to actual welfare of wild horses. It is as if ‘dust control’ is in name only and was done because we complained that the policy was ignored. Wild horses are obligate nasal breathers, they can only breath through the nose. The dust and smoke, heavy exertion, are really bad for the breathing system nature gave them.
Those horses were run in the smoke and dust, trailered to the end of the road, loaded on a semi (that sat and waited for the trailer to be filled) and then transported directly to Broken Arrow in Fallon. No rest, no water.
Do you think any horse owner you know would do that to their own horse? Absolutely not. The vet bill would be immense, not to mention a citation from animal control. The wild ones that die from the effects of today? they wont be listed on the ‘gather update.’ Any Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request will be ignored.
BLM has 18 days left to this operation. There was no need to push so hard today, they have plenty of time to meet the quota on that spreadsheet.
Maybe this is just the latest memo off William Perry Pendley’s agenda? Ignore the law and slam those numbers to make those on his recusal list happy, even if it kills the horses outright. His days are numbered in that chair; get it done fast.
I’m disgusted.” ~ LLeigh
“I was really taken aback that BLM went ahead with the roundup today, surprised helicopters even took to the air. Aside from visibility issues, running horses in thick smoke that seriously obscured the view of the operation, BLM pushed beyond any window of acceptability. The smoke was bothering observers. My horse snorts and coughs when the roundpen is dusty; I cannot imagine the difficulty breathing for them today. Stressed, running miles with pounding fearful heart, breathing smoke and copious amounts of Nevada’s powdery dust?
I would never subject a horse to exertion in the smoke conditions, let alone select a trap site with powdery dust. No one I know would. In California we are having fires near my home, too, and no one I know is working or exercising their horses when the air is like this.
Every year it gets harder to keep a straight face when someone from BLM says they care about the wild horses while they push wild horses in the extreme conditions I witnessed today. I would never leave my horses in the care of someone who approved run after run today. I thought for sure they would have called it off after the first drive, but they just kept going. And now because of the protocol BLM has chosen, that keeps the wild horses essentially out of sight, the fact I cannot even visit these horses in the holding facility, cannot see with my own eyes or camera how they are faring after this ordeal, seems truly unAmerican to me. It is not right. My American heart is troubled and furious.
I’m disgusted. ”
~ Elyse Gardner Walsh
Our full team report with video will be out soon.
We will be addressing the BLM state office again and sending todays report to our legal team.
You can write to these representatives of BLM as well. Ruth Thompson BLM WHB state lead NV: rthompso@blm.gov , State Director NV, John Raby (has used 2 email addresses): jraybee@blm.gov and jraby@blm.gov , Alan Shepherd in the DC on range chief: ashepher@blm.gov (these are the work email addresses)
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Categories: Wild Horse Education
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