Our team has been onsite at Blue Wing since it began on July 8.
Blue Wing is leading in death ratio (percentage) for the entire 2024 fiscal year to date. Deaths at Blue Wing are four times higher than the ongoing North Lander roundup. In three days, Swasey has not reported any deaths. (Learn more about Blue Wing death rates and why we need a transparent and enforceable welfare policy. If given “discretion,” there are those that abuse that discretion time and again. They never place the welfare of wild horses and burros on the priority list and race to reach numbers as fast and under budget as they can. Click HERE.)
The Blue Wing Complex has four Herd Management Areas (HMAs) and five Herd Areas (HAs) which encompasses over 2,283,300 acres north of Lovelock, NV. BLM states only 333-555 wild horses and 55-90 wild burros can be sustained in the area. The target is the low number and BLM is pushing hard to reach that unsustainable and genetically bankrupt number.
Blue Wing has ended. You can read more about the last day HERE and some final thoughts.
Cumulative totals
Captured: 1,665
1,305 Wild Horses (536 Stallions, 544 Mares, and 225 Foals)
360 Wild Burros (186 Jacks, 152 Jennies, and 22 Foals)
Shipped: 1,538
1,185 Wild Horses (476 Stallions, 495 Mares, and 214 Foals) off limits to the public facility in Fallon, NV.
353 Wild Burros (183 Jacks, 148 Jennies, and 22 Foals) to off-limits to the public facilities in Fallon, NV and Axtel, Utah
Deaths: BLM reports 42 (We will not know the full death toll until BLM publishes numbers from yesterday after 6 through today and shipping).
15-year-old, Gray jenny found deceased on trailer upon arrival at temporary holding. (She died during transport from trap to sorting corrals probably from heart failure or was fatally injured during capture or transport.) 2-year-old, Gray jack BLM put down due to a broken leg. 20-plus-year-old, Gray jack killed because it had club foot. 4-year-old, Brown jenny BLM killed because they said she had deformed front legs. 18-year-old, Brown jenny killed because BLM said she had deformed front feet. 20-plus-year-old, Gray jack put down due to severe arthritis in front right knee. 5-year-old, Gray jenny died due to Colic (a stress and heat related condition). 2-year-old, Pinto jenny found deceased on truck upon arrival at Indian Lakes Off-Range Corrals. A 5-year-old, Bay stallion broke his left hind leg. BLM put down a 15-year-old Sorrel stallion for arthritis in front left knee. 5-year-old, Bay stallion put down for arthritis in front right knee. 20-year-old, Black stallion put down due to arthritis in front right knee. 16-year-old, Dun mare put down, BLM said due to deformed right front leg. 3-year-old, Grulla stallion due to club foot, right front. 11-year-old, Bay mare BLM said had a developmental deformity, right hind leg. 17-year-old, Bay stallion BLM said fractured front left shoulder. 12-year-old, Bay stallion due to lameness, BLM said “previous injury to right rear hock.” 20-year-old, Roan mare killed due to heart disease-failure (our commentary if you look for the old roan w/foal in video: if she had issues with her heart, it was probably capture stress). 9-year-old, Sorrel stallion killed due to lameness, BLM said “previous injury to front right knee.” 25-plus-year-old, Gray stallion put down BLM said “due to poor body condition (BCS 1) with a poor chance of recovery (this is a body score 1 horse, We saw no body score “1”. 12-year-old, Bay mare put down due to broken left hind leg. 16-year-old, Roan stallion killed due to lameness, BLM said, arthritis in right hip. Foal, Buckskin mare killed, BLM said congenital deformity front legs (baby with lax tendons, very common in domestics not run by helicopter). 1-plus-year-old, Bay mare due to broken neck. 11-year-old, Bay stallion died due to broken neck at trap. 20-plus-year-old, Pinto mare killed because BLM said she was in poor body condition (BCS 1). 16-year-old, Bay mare died due to blunt force trauma caused by a horse kicking her in the head (BLM said this happened on trailer, but we cannot figure out how anyone saw it was a kick from another horse?). 30-plus-year-old, Sorrel stallion put down, BLM said having “no teeth and a poor chance of recovery.” 6-year-old, Bay mare humanely euthanized due to club foot. 17-plus-year-old, Black mare put down for having a sway back (Lordosis). 14-year-old, Roan stallion put down because BLM said he had blindness in right eye (this was assumed apparently because they said they had trouble getting him into trap). 20-plus-year-old, Sorrel stallion put down due to arthritis left hind fetlock. 20-plus-year-old, Sorrel stallion put down due to arthritis in front knees. 20-plus-year-old, Sorrel stallion put down due to deformity front left foot. 3-year-old, Sorrel mare humanely put down due to hernia. 19-year-old, Black mare put down due to blindness right eye. 11-year-old, Bay mare found deceased on truck upon arrival at holding. 11-year-old, Sorrel stallion, in right eye. 9-year-old, Brown mare died due to broken neck. 12-year-old, Sorrel stallion killed, previously broken left hind leg. 15-year-old, Roan stallion killed, previously broken right hind leg. BLM is claiming another “body score 1,” the type of body score that would not even have the energy to run from a chopper, came in and they killed the 20-year old sorrel stallion.
BLM reports 3 released. BLM means 3 escaped during active capture operations and could be captured later.
5 horses/burros have dropped dead simply during transport. Another died from an injury that happened on a trailer.
The death ratio at Blue Wing is now 4 times that of the North Lander roundup in Wyoming.
BLM has claimed that they put down 3 horses that were a “body score 1.”
A horse with a “body score 1” is basically a walking skeleton that would not have the energy to run to trap. This is a body score 1.
There have been no “body score 1” horses coming in. BLM is NOT documenting with photos before euthanizing any horse or burro in violation of CAWP.
Picture of body score “1” taken from “The Horses Advocate”
Newest report will appear at the top. Scroll down for earlier reports.
July 31
This mare and her foal were captured on the last day.
44 (20 Stallions, 18 Mares, and 6 Foals) wild horses were captured on the last day of this travesty. The number of foals remains alarmingly low.
Our observer was the only person onsite again today and she did document 5 wild ones that escaped capture including this small family in the video below.
We see the same type of flying that resulted in a helicopter crash at Triple B where the tail rotor hits the ground.
3 more died.
Once again BLM is claiming a “body score 1,” the type of body score that would not even have the energy to run from a chopper, came in and they killed the 20-year old sorrel stallion. BLM also killed two that had broken bones that healed, without veterinary care but BLM decided they should die.
July 30
BLM squeezed the last 28 (10 Stallions, 13 Mares, and 5 Foals) wild horses from this trapsite on the 5th day of dangerous air quality registering 12 times the World Health Organization (WHE) guidelines. Wildfire smoke will continue to plague the area.
Our observer was the only member of the public at trap.
BLM broke trap and set a new one. We expect this operation to end today or tomorrow.
July 29.
60 (27 Stallions, 26 Mares, and 7 Foals) wild horses were captured during a health warning for air quality from wildfire smoke blowing into the area.
5 more wild horses have lost their lives. A young mare that had no problem running from the helicopter was killed because she had a hernia. 3 old stallions were killed because they have arthritis and a 19-year old mare was killed because she was “blind” in her right eye.
July 28
33 (15 Stallions, 16 Mares, and 2 Foals) captured. The Air Quality in the area PM2.5 is 11 times standard set by the World Health Organization.
BLM simply notes “it was breezy.”
The extremely low number of foals coming in does not even come close to the number of foals BLM says are born on this range (used to calculate removal numbers). We are really afraid they are leaving babies on that range
July 27
34 (17 Stallions, 11 Mares, and 6 Foals) Smoke is pouring in from California wildfires. We are editing video. Mare put down due to clubfoot.
Video of mare breaking her neck on the trailer below:
July 26
37 (16 Stallions, 16 Mares, and 5 Foals) 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals) captured.
6 adults roped.
2 deaths: 11-year-old, Sorrel stallion, in right eye. 9-year-old, Brown mare died due to broken neck.
Please take the action item.
BLM is running this like a zero out and we have real concerns they are removing below AML. Click HERE.
July 25
Above: Date is the 0725, not 24. Sleep deprivation.
July 24
We thank 8 News Now for covering the roundup. However, we wish they would focus on an actual humane policy.
July 23
BLMs website has been down since July 23rd at 2 p.m. so we do not know official count or deaths as of 2:15 pm PT on July 24.
We were told verbally the count was 81 (37 studs, 35 mares and only 9 foals). The total number of foals for this roundup is alarmingly low. Out of 412 mares, only 162 foals have come in! Less than 50% of mares have foals. This number does not reflect the asserted population growth rate BLM is using to justify the numbers of this roundup.
We have been waiting to do a full update but do not have numbers of deaths for July 22, 23 or 24. Deaths BLM posts at noon happened the day before so there is a lag time.
More of the same: no dust control. horses being placed on semi truck at a standstill for over an hour in the heat, babies run and zero visibility to report anything meaningful beyond the fact that the roundup continues to remove horse and burros (we believe to below AML, the lowest legal number that should be on range).
July 22
Above: Tiny baby races down steep mountainside. Family and 2 others go into trap out of sight. We can see chaos and a rider take off toward wings. A few moments later our observer thought she heard a gunshot (on video). In the morning BLM said “blind stud roped in wings because wouldn’t go in trap” during the run featured above. They said it was trailer to holding and put down.
126 (54 Stallions, 48 Mares, and 24 Foals) wild horses were captured as temperatures soared into the high 90s.
Wild horses were loaded from stock trailers onto semi trucks where BLM said they sat for about 90 minutes before being taken to temporary holding.
Blue Wing continues to top the death rate for 2024.
3 more died.
30-plus-year-old, Sorrel stallion put down, BLM said having “no teeth and a poor chance of recovery.” 17-plus-year-old, Black mare put down for having a sway back (Lordosis). 14-year-old, Roan stallion put down because BLM said he had blindness in right eye (this was assumed apparently because they said they had trouble getting him into trap).
July 21
Above: A young filly comes close to observers apparently having lost her band. We believe she may have been roped later. Tiny babies run fast.
The day speaks for itself. The constant running of foals in the heat and across the long valley is jaw dropping.
This operation already leads the nation on death ratio. The increase in deaths will continue into off-limits holding.
Above: The tiniest of babies run hard. Band pushed as baby falls behind. Tiny baby roped.
BLM is now taking horses from trap by stock trailer and loading them onto a semi truck (please remember horses are not sorted by sex at trap and trucks will contain mare that have given birth or are pregnant and rival stallions). They will stand in those trailers, in the heat, for up to 3 hours. Please remember we are in a second heat index rise and the news keeps reminding people not to keep a dog in a car, even with the windows cracked open a few inches, for more than 3-5 minutes or it could get sick or die from the heat.
Above: Another tiny baby who was pushed hard, family went into trap and frightened baby was chased and roped.
Another wild horse has dropped dead on a trailer. This is the 5th death during transport.
Our team member remains onsite.
Our team has been onsite at Blue Wing since it began on July 8.
Please make a call. If you have made the call, make another. Our wild ones desperately need an enforceable welfare policy that is crafted with transparency, public participation and complies with current welfare standards for equines.
The phone number for Congress is: (202) 224-3121. You should put it in your speed dial. Call the number tell the operator who your representative is (or where you live if you do not know) and you will be connected to an aide in the office. Ask to register your concerns and request. Ask that an amendment to the funding bill for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program be crafted to simply create a line item for funding for “Rulemaking to create an enforceable welfare policy.”
Our teams are in the field, at the table and in the courts. Our wild ones deserve to live free on the range and free from abuse.
Thank you for keeping WHE on the frontline in the fight to protect and preserve our treasured wild ones!
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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