Preface to update in a fast editorial: After 5 years of the “new direction” BLM began in 2018 (that was formalized in the 2020 Plan and fully funded) we are now back where we were over a decade ago.  Thanks a lot Path Forward corporate lobby groups that were, and are, never, ever, on the ground watching the consequences of their actions. 

The video below is significant. The quality and editing of the video is what you would see 13 years ago. The situation mirrors what we have today. Skip to timecode 5:55… and then read our update. I had a concussion from being rear ended by a drunk and spending the day before in a courtroom, we drove out to get to trap with no sleep (many have asked in the past what was wrong with my face).

I’m having flashbacks.

We see many of you calling on the big corporate orgs to take BLM to court over abuse at this roundup. They did not take them to court back then. They are not taking them to court now, either. But we are.

UPDATE

Before we give you yesterdays rundown, we want to inform you of what is happening today.

BLM is saying that “In order to get to trap you have to go through private land.” Our observer responds, “So the road to trap is not public and there is no other way to get there?” BLM says: “Yes, we cannot get you to trap.”

Then she asks for coordinates and at least a picture of trap configuration. At first it looked like he would. He talked to other personnel. The reply? FOIA it.

Observers were not told last night there would be no trap access and went to the meeting location before being notified. In checking in with our team lead: “Funny, there are no sections of private land out in that area you cannot get through or around on a public road.”

Video above: Just a straight clip to show you a typical clip from yesterday after the horses were pushed out of the trees. You can see our observer scanning for foals lagging due to the lack of foals in the group.

073023

BLM captured 165 (70 Stallions, 71 Mares, and 24 Foals) wild horses. You can see that the rate of foals coming in remains at 14% or less. This is the 4th day at this trap location where BLM slammed 2 choppers, 2 traps and has denied public access (or even allowed knowledge of the location of) the second trap. So either BLM is lying about foaling rate (as no day has had over 25% foals to make up for the low days), or BLM is lying that it is NOT foaling season and mares are pregnant, or foals are being left out there; BLM you pick which one is the reason the foal rate is so low.

Above: BLM might show you a short clip that shows horses moving a bit slower. We wanted to show you how far these horses have run, at the beginning of another heat index rise. BLM was flushing the trees.

Death toll is now 26. A foal was killed for something called “wryneck” (Torticollis). It is a muscle spasm that causes the neck to twist and is not a fatal condition. BLM is calling it a “pre-existing condition” (probably so they do not have to count it as a roundup related death in the statistics BLM public affairs gives the media). Wryneck is usually an acute condition and many of you have probably had a day in your life when your neck went into spasm and twisted. People can get wryneck. 

BLM used the semi trucks today to take horses to holding. It works like this: Wild horses run by chopper into trap, loaded into a stock trailer, driven down by the highway and then loaded onto a semi. Our observer saw this as she was leaving trap, documented and left…

A stock trailer holds about 35 horses (or more if BLM crammed them in like sardines) and has 3 compartments. So the horses loaded onto the trailer first and squished in when the gate was closed…. could stay there for well over an hour before the truck has a full load and left for holding sorting corrals. The following morning they would be reloaded to take the very long drive to the off-limits to the public facility in Fallon, NV.

As you watch the video… you can see the big gap between the loading chute and the door. At prior operations our team lead has seen a foal fall out of that gap. BLM says their crew is trained in their welfare standards. That gap is a violation, but considered unimportant and therefore ignored.

punctured eye, pvc

NOTE: Many of you have viewed the videos we posted from the public visiting Palomino Valley Center (PVC) north of Reno. The last wild horse shipped to PVC was on July 26 from south trap.

ALL of the north trap wild horses were shipped to the off-limits to public view facility in Fallon NV. A white sand reflective mess of heat and wind. BLM won’t let the public in there for months… until the mess has been cleaned up.

The impacts of this operation are very clear… death, injury and illness will continue to create ROUNDUP RELATED DEATH for a long time… but those numbers will never be included in any BLM statistic.

The average death rate from roundups is actually around 12%. 

Our observers are in the field today. Our onsite and offsite team will report in later. 

Thank you for keeping us in the fight!

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