The paint stallion did escape the last day and remains free. We will upload video shortly.
The Blue Wing roundup of 2024 has ended.
On the last day BLM returned to another area to squeeze a trap they had said they had completed removals at earlier in the roundup. Repeatedly throughout this operation BLM seemed to have trouble finding enough horses to remove to reach their targeted goal for the area.
Blue Wing ended at 4 times the death ratio of North Lander in Wyoming and Swasey in Utah… 4 times.
42 wild horses and burros died since July 8. Three died on the last day. The death ratio at Swasey in Utah was .50. The final death ratio from capture at North Lander in Wyoming was .56. The final death ratio of of Blue Wing in NV was 2.53. NV continues to lead the nation in the highest deaths per animal during and after capture. This disparity has continued for years.
The final death numbers will not be known until BLM updates tomorrow with deaths from this day and shipping.
We want to thank 8 News Now for featuring this roundup twice in the last month. We know the news cycle has been filled with big world events, politics and wildfire. We really appreciate that they fit wild horses into the lineup. And, thank you, for including WHE. Maybe we could do a story in the future that includes something about the litigation for the complex?
44 (20 Stallions, 18 Mares, and 6 Foals) wild horses were removed the last day. Our observer was still the only member of the public onsite.
We are working to download all of the video from the last day and complete the edits. But we thought you would want to know that the ongoing travesty that is the Blue Wing roundup of 2024 has finally ended. The operation ended 64 horses and burros shy of the total target. We are updating final tally numbers now.
WHE and our partner Rewilding America Now (formerly CANA) filed a document with the court containing new information relevant to our litigation for the Blue Wing Complex.
Not only did the personnel involved in this roundup continue to lead the nation in preventable abuses and deaths, but they engaged in “zeroing out” areas without notifying the public and pushing other areas dangerously close, below what BLM calls “Appropriate Management Level,” into absolute genetic collapse.
Our case was fully briefed in May, long before this operation began, and we notified the court of the pending roundup where BLM made no mention of zeroing out areas that are part of the complex BLM had announced “scoping for management” just a few months ago. Then BLM raced to destroy any chance of sustainability. We are in the courts fighting back and will fight for a release to reach scientifically valid sustainability.
BLM also used a faulty survey to determine the target number for capture, including foals not born yet and failed to include attrition (deaths) from the hard winter and spring. During the operation we obtained proof that BLM was overreaching their authority and notified the court.
The roundup shut down a few hours later.
In light of the new information WHE obtained, each and every operation on the current schedule should be required to post actual census data, not simply the “estimate” BLM asserts.
As our team winds down from the grueling month, covering 3 roundups in 3 states, we will be updating you on actions we are taking and ask for your help. If you have not signed up for our mailing list, please do. We do not add names to the list we have purchased or gotten from other sources not directly from WHE. Sign up HERE.
For now, let’s remember the 42 wild horses and burros that lost their lives.
Let’s honor the burro that made a last ditch attempt at escape during a heat wave and was brutally roped and, it appears, was hit and beaten.
Let’s honor the burros that collapsed and died simply being taken on a trailer from trap to the temporary corrals during a dangerous Heat Index warning.
The horses that valiantly fought for freedom and were mercilessly run down and roped (a record number of adults were roped).
Let’s honor the ones put down for “lameness” probably caused by relentless pursuit but not even counted by BLM as “gather related.”
Let us always remember the old ones with arthritis, that could have lived out the remainder of their lives free, but killed by BLM.
Never forget the ones that, in the wild, survived broken bones years ago and survived with no veterinary care, killed by BLM once captured.
Never forget the horse that had a heart attack during transport and BLM claimed it was a preexisting condition and will not take responsibility that her brutal capture and transport in a heatwave caused her heart to fail.
Let’s honor the horse that caused the final outrage after escaping with another (that was also roped) only to be choked down by the cheap nylon ropes used by all BLM contractors, collapsing probably because it could not breathe, roughed up by being kicked and the rope around it’s neck yanked and eventually used to drag the horse to its feet.
A horse later died after bumping its head on a trailer bar and its neck snapped. We have reason to believe this was that same horse. (you can see both videos HERE)
Let us all vow to track Blue Wing horses and burros into holding. These animals experienced brutality during capture through 2 heat index rises and air quality warnings. The death rates will continue to remain high due to illness and capture myopathy that we wrote about extensively during this operation.
Do not despair, change is on the horizon. Let these deaths never be forgotten. Now is the time to push harder, not give up in sorrow.
During Blue Wing we have seen a rise in advocacy. People that have not spoken out about abuse directly in a very long time are speaking again. People that have other agendas over the last several years are now speaking broadly about abuse again. The public is truly fed up.
We hope all of you (orgs) that have broken silence will put pressure on Congress.
We must have rulemaking to create a clear and concise welfare policy that includes public participation and enforceability.
PLEASE put pressure on Congress to designate funding for rulemaking for an enforceable welfare policy.
To our readers… we are eternally grateful to all of you for making the calls and keeping the pressure on, consistently, for the last 6 years. YOU are being heard.
WHE also has additional litigation that directly addresses abuse. WHE is the only org to ever walk BLM into a courtroom directly over abuse. (More HERE)
As WHE battles it out in the courtroom, please make a call.
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.”
You can visit our daily logs from summer 2024 roundups:
We won an amazing victory earlier this year where the courts recognize removal is NOT management. We have three additional cases in the system now. We need your help to keep our teams in field and expand our litigation.
Thank you for keeping WHE running for the wild.
There are only 5 days left to order a t-shirt designed by Jim Brown featuring the wild stallion named Krazy from the North Lander Complex. If you would like to support the work of WHE with a t-shirt purchase, CLICK HERE.
A bit from Jim about Krazy. We are truly honored that Jim chose Krazy to put on a shirt to represent support for the work of WHE.
Categories: Lead, Wild Horse Education
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