The Triple B roundup has moved into the third week as winter arrives on the range. Cattle and sheep are being turned out and a big mine expansion is underway on ranges BLM says can’t sustain wild horses through the winter. Using a repetitive water situation that BLM has not addressed in decades in the Maverick-Medicine HMA (where BLM already removed 106 wild horses in the emergency zone) as an example of “the horses will die if left on the range” in a courtroom to keep the roundup running as we continue the fight against the ten-year removal plan.
This is a roundup taking place without any disclosure of actual data, no supplement to the gather plan addressing changes in herd and range. This is a roundup taking place where BLM is pushing to hide the lack of data and to placate the profit driven “buddy system.”
We are not giving up and are fighting the ten-year plan so this never happens again. We won two court rulings already this year that show clearly that BLM moves mountains to avoid disclosure of data and to avoid creating anything but roundup plans. Removal is not the same as management, not for any living species. The same holds true now.
Week 3 began with “no fly” days as the temporary holding corrals were moved and weather moved in.
When there are “no fly” days we have time to write. Every advocate should read about the failure of BLM to fully document and review a helicopter accident and change policy accordingly. This incident is a simply illustration that points to the deep flaws in the entire program: failures to follow protocol and manipulation of a system to keep the status quo of roundups running. Read HERE
You can find our onsite team reports:
Cumulative Totals:
Captured: 1,679 (646 Stallions, 652 Mares, and 381 Foals)
Shipped: 1,462 (572 Stallions, 540 Mares, and 350 Foals) NOTE: BLM is weaning all but the smallest of foals at trap. Foals (the most adoptable) are being sent to the off-limits to the public facility on Indian Lakes Rd in Fallon (along with stallions) and mares are being sent to Palomino Valley in Reno. Many people believe BLM reunites all foals. No, they do not.
Released: 18 (6 stallions, 12 mares) BLM is doing a re-treatment of GonaCon to mares given a 2-dose regime back in 2022 that will render them sterile for the rest of their lives. BLM also did the release back into an area of active trapping because they needed to empty pens to move the temporary holding corrals. BLM NV does NOT place individual tracking numbers on the rumps of released mares anymore after the NV Dept of Ag told them not to; stallions are not marked in any way. There is nothing from preventing these 18 from being recaptured.
Deaths: 17, 20+ year-old Bay stallion BLM said put down due to blindness — missing left eye. 5-year-old Sorrel stallion BLM said put down due to blindness — missing right eye. 6-year-old Bay mare BLM said put down due to blindness — missing left eye. 8-year-old Bay stallion put down for sway back. 17-year-old Black mare killed because BLM said “pre-existing injury — fractured left front leg.” 15-year-old Black mare killed as BLM said “pre-existing injury — fractured right front fetlock.” 10-year-old Palomino stallion suffered a fractured leg. 14-year-old Sorrel mare broke her neck. 18-year-old Sorrel stallion put down BLM said due to “club foot — both hind legs.” 20+ year-old Bay stallion humanely put down BLM said “severe tooth loss.” 3-year-old Black stallion broke neck at trap and did not “die instantly” and was killed. BLM killed another horse, 3-year-old Black mare saying she was blind. A gorgeous 12-year old black stallion was killed after relentless chases in the valley over 2 days: he coliced, was roped and shot. Instead of taking these horses to holding or finding a rescue to take them (as several other states do) BLM NV said a 4-year-old Dun mare and a 10-year-old Black mare had to be killed because they were thin. 3-year-old Grulla stallion was killed because BLM said he had Wry nose. A Sorrel foal died in transportation (we have no more details like age or cause). NOTE: BLM has weaned all foals so far at trap and sent moms to a facility north of Reno and babies off-limits to the public to Indian Lakes R. in Fallon.
Every wild horse being removed from the range and placed in holding sits at the whim of politics and in danger. Please learn more and take ACTION by clicking HERE.
Newest reports will be at the top. Scroll down for earlier reports.
(Note: We are still editing video from the last three days that tells a deeper story about how these operations are being run and need time to write a more in-depth report. We will publish as soon as time allows)
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BLM is (likely) removing below AML. An increase in roping indicates that horses are being literally squeezed out as BLM moves from area to area.
133 (53 Stallions, 49 Mares, and 31 Foals) were captured during a very long day as BLM expected weather to move in and cancel operations the following day.
2 more died: 3-year-old Grulla stallion was killed because BLM said he had Wry nose. A Sorrel foal died in transportation (we have no more details like age or cause). NOTE: BLM has weaned all foals so far at trap and sent moms to a facility north of Reno and babies off-limits to the public to Indian Lakes R. in Fallon.
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Another chaotic day at a poorly set trap that fails to take into account how wild horses see and safety.
Pursuits were relentless and ropings were happening all over the valley.
115 (38 Stallions, 50 Mares, and 27 Foals) captured (nearer to the area BLM did an emergency roundup in September) after focusing the first 2/3rds of this operation simply in the area of the Bald Mountain mine expansion and the most powerful permittee in the county as priority where both the range and wild horses were fine as both sheep and cattle moved into the area.
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BLM captured 20 (8 Stallions, 8 Mares, and 4 Foals) at the new trap site where absolute chaos occurred with two choppers and high speed chases in an area BLM has “hard targeted” every other year with roundups.
BLM moved the trap location but did not fly the new trap. Our team member watched site construction.
BLM decided to kill two horses today.
Instead of taking these horses to holding or finding a rescue to take them (as several other states do) BLM NV said a 4-year-old Dun mare and a 10-year-old Black mare had to be killed because they were thin.
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For the 4th day in a row BLM hit the same trap and relentlessly pursued small groups and roped adults. 60 (17 Stallions, 26 Mares, and 17 Foals) were captured.
We are editing additional video.
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140 (58 Stallions, 50 Mares, and 32 Foals) wild horses were captured as BLM squeezed the last from this trap location. Multiple days of capture at one location are of wild horses stressed for multiple days in a row. Increasing stress results in increased deaths from capture myopathy one wild horses get to holding. Capture stress is a very real thing BLM never evaluates. More HERE
As visibility to assess handling has been really bad at that trap location. Our welfare team member went to the holding corrals to watch loading. It is important to note that Stallions and all but the tiniest of foals are going to Indian Lakes Rd. in Fallon, NV. All mares are going to Palomino Valley Center north of Reno. Any youngster over what BLM considers “weanable” (can be as young as 10-12 weeks) is being weaned at the time of capture at trap.
When our team member arrived she went to the observation location she had been assigned the previous day. She was not there long and was quickly moved to another location with a low vantage point. She was not allowed to walk up and stand by the Rangers vehicle (the white pickup in the video) to obtain a vantage point that would have provided her the ability to see more of the actual horses heading onto the semi.
Access issues to assess handling have been at the forefront of this fight for a long time. There once was a time when the public was not even permitted to have daily access to anything. It took us 6 years in a courtroom to gain “meaningful daily access” in 2013. Over the last seven years access rapidly rolled backward, not forward.
At this trap there was no meaningful access at trap. Access at holding is minimal. More than half of these wild horses are being shipped to an off-limits to the public facility.
Our team member is back at trap.
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Stress. Something BLM never accounts for caused a beautiful black stallion that has had a helicopter descend in his home for 2 days in row, roundups every other year, to colic. Did they leave him to rest and recover? No, the chopper and wranglers descended on the distressed horse, applied multiple ropes all around his body and legs. Then BLM made the decision to kill him.
His life ended with these words on the BLM update: “12-year-old Black stallion humanely euthanized due to acute intestinal compromise.”
RIP peace Beauty.
BLM killed another horse, 3-year-old Black mare saying she was blind.
125 (48 Stallions, 51 Mares, and 26 Foals) were captured as the temperatures drop and the stress rises.
Our team member is onsite. BLM will return to the area of the recently approved Limo mine for a third day and continue to cause undue stress to the entire valley.
Access continues to be an issue.
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Our welfare team members have documented really horrible incidents like a foal hog-tied and slammed to the ground, horses run through barbed wire, foals hot shot (electric prod) in the face, a helicopter hitting an exhausted wild horse, on and on.
But one of the hardest things to watch occurs at holding: the permanent separation of families. Anyone that knows horses knows the chewing and calling and stress of separation. This stallion kept his family safe on the range roundup-after-roundup, picking up the pieces and protecting them. Here he is trying so hard to find his mares (that have been separated from their babies already). This will be how he spends all of his time through the night (and maybe two nights) before his mares are shipped to one facility and he goes into a closed to the public facility where we could not even find him if we wanted to. Being a mature stallion his prospects are really slim. He stands in real danger of being bought through the sale program (that reached record numbers in 2023) and going to slaughter. If he is lucky enough not to meet that fate, he stands in danger of being considered a “tax-payer burden” and killed if the budget is slashed in the next debate.
This scene can bring tears to the eyes of the most seasoned team member.
NOTE: We have absolutely no idea why BLM is watering down pens that are already wet from the snow making the ground, that will freeze hard overnight, wetter. Maybe BLM really can’t “change gears” and is treating holding as if it were summer? These horses were run hard in the cold and then put in pens… that BLM then wets down to make them colder?
Every wild horse being removed from the range and placed in holding sits at the whim of politics and in danger. Please learn more and take ACTION by clicking HERE.
Access to observe was really bad. Only glimpses of the run could be seen.
149 (66 Stallions, 52 Mares, and 31 Foals) were captured. We are still in the area of active domestic livestock grazing and the mine expansion.
The last horse of the day captured was a a colt born in spring (that will be sent to an off-limits facility). This baby was roped far from trap and we could see part of it. Operations ceased suddenly before noon after this little one was captured.
We now know a black stallion broke its neck at trap and do not know if the two incidents happened at the same time (BLM is being vague).
Our welfare team remains onsite and reports will continue.
You can find our onsite team reports:
End of year funding is critical to keep our team in the field reporting to you and all of the other work we do like investigations and litigation. Without your support, none of our work is possible. Thank you!
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Categories: Wild Horse Education
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