Lawmakers sign letter to stop wild horse roundups.

Lawmakers seek to end horse roundups in Nevada
(AP) – 6 hours ago
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of 54 lawmakers pleaded with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to halt a series of wild horse roundups on the Nevada range.
A letter sent Monday by Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, cites wild horse deaths in recent horse and burro roundups in explaining the request.
The letter brands the roundups "a deeply flawed policy" and points to reports that 21 of 636 horses died in a herd collection effort near Tuscarora in northeast Nevada.
Jordan Montoya, an Interior Department spokeswoman, said officials were reviewing the letter. Also, she said the department was committed to the protection of wild horses and the lands they roam.
The letter recommends that the National Academy of Sciences be assigned to review the Bureau of Land Management's plan to cull about 12,000 of 38,000 mustangs and burros from herds roaming 10 Western states.
Lawmakers said the bureau was making similar mistakes to a roundup during the winter that resulted in the death of more than 105 horses.
"Given this pattern, and the continued threat of death and suffering to these animals, we request that the Tuscarora Complex roundup be suspended, along with any pending gathers, until the agency demonstrates that it has addressed the failings of the current program and can ensure the safety and well-being of the animals you are charged with protecting," the lawmakers wrote.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Kentucky Bill HB 398

KY Governor issues a statement

Statement from KY Gov. Steve Beshear:

There has been a great deal of confusion about House Bill 398 which I signed into law earlier this year and I am glad to set the record straight.
House Bill 398 in no way permits the slaughter of horses in Kentucky. This legislation created the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Council (KEHWC) – the first of its kind in the nation – under the state’s Department of Agriculture. The council will assist and advise the department on issues of
equine health and welfare, and take action to keep horses safe in the Commonwealth. The council will offer help to unhealthy or abused horses that are identified by Kentucky equine veterinarians or others, and will never participate in the slaughter of these animals.
In fact, the non-profit Equine Health and Welfare Alliance (EHWA), which aims to provide for the basic needs, proper care and dignity of all equines throughout life, helped draft and promote this legislation. No funds contributed to the EHWA will be used to promote any position on horse slaughter.
By initiating this law, combined with the commitment of the EHWA, Kentucky has actually been *proactive* in animal welfare protection. To date, no other state has offered the same horse protection package.
The First Lady and I consider ourselves among Kentucky’s leading horse advocates and we commend you for fighting for the ethical treatment of animals.
Your views about Kentucky’s premier industry are important to me, and I hope this information may persuade you to change your plans about attending the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and other equine events in Kentucky.
For more information about KEHWC, visit www.governor.ky.gov
……………………………….

Laura Leigh tries to witness the BLM's Tuscarora Roundup

Trying…
Trying my best.

I have spent over a week trying to get access to any of the activity in Tuscarora. Owyhee is over and went without witness. Little Humboldt is over with one day of observation (sort of). Rock Creek is under way, so far one day of any type of observation. Much less than in the past.





(My comment here: Does this look like horses coming in at a slow trot?)

Full picture here:

The Rest of Laura's blog here:

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

The BLM's shameful treatment of America's Wild Horses

A closing of public lands:

An end-run around a judge's order to let the roundup be viewed:

Not wanting "interference" from the public.

This has never been Whale Wars. What is the BLM afraid that we might see?

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2010/07/23/opinion/knappster/iq_37053323.txt

US Horses Exported for Slaughter - Mexico, Canada, Japan

USDA Slaughter Statistics through June 2010

January Export Total: 9386

February Export Total: 7485

March Export Total: 8425

April Export Total: 8523

May Export Total: 9745

June Export Total: 3603 (Canada # not listed)

FEDERAL JUDGE UPHOLDS 1ST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO VIEW ROUNDUPS

Judge Hicks Strikes Victory for First Amendment

Court sees Each Roundup as Separate—Allows Pubic to Observe Roundup

Link here:

Reno, NV (July 15, 2010)—First Amendment rights are upheld for wild horse advocate and journalist, Laura Leigh Field Manager of Herd Watch, a Cloud Foundation program. Federal Judge Hicks strikes victory today despite his order to proceed with the Owyhee roundup. The other pending roundups in the complex such as Rock Creek and Little Humbolt have been acknowledged as separate events.

“This ruling was made by a judge that is obviously willing to listen,” said Laura Leigh. “And he ruled with an absolute recognition of the reason our forefathers made the First amendment first. A free press is vital to the system of government accountability in a Democratic society. I am on my way to Owyhee…. We are not done with making a stand for these amazing beings that are such a vital symbol of American Freedom.”

When the BLM shut off the gather areas from public viewing they violated this concept, at least this is what federal Judge Larry Hicks conveyed in his Order.

Judge Hicks struck down the BLM’s blanket closure of public lands in the Gather area. He agreed with Laura Leigh that this “closure” amounted to a prior restraint on her First Amendment rights because she would not be able to observe and report on the health of the horses and the BLM’s management of the gather.

The Cloud Foundation hopes that this ruling will allow observation of all roundups of the public’s horses.

Now, any member of the public may have access,” explains Gordon Cowan the attorney for Leigh.

Wild Horse foal dies at the Broken Arrow

Visitors went to the Broken Arrow facility as they do every Sunday. Observers have been traveling to the remote privately contracted facility to document the conditions our wild horses are held in after being rounded-up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) this past winter. 

Dean Bolstad of the BLM led the tour. Bolstad informed the visitors that there had been over 300 births at the facility and the daily number of births had slowed.

As the tour was ending observers came across a severely emaciated foal. The mare was present and protective but appeared to have no bag. They notified Bolstad who said he would contact the vet immediately after the tour.When questioned as to how often the horses were observed by the on staff veterinarian Bolstad responded that the vet was out to the facility daily. 

"I'm assured repeatedly that these horses are cared for," said Elyse Gardner "so why does it seem that it is the public observers that continually need to bring so many overlooked injuries, illness or orphaned foals to the attention of the BLM?"

The foal was euthanized Sunday after observers vacated the facility.

Births and deaths of foals are not counted in inventory until they are freezemarked at 4-5 months of age. So the death of this foal is not expected to appear on the BLM update page.

The War Against the Horse

Article by Deanne Stillman

One front in this war involves agencies tasked with wild horse management, primarily the Bureau of Land Management. It recently carried out a mandated although deadly mustang roundup in Nevada during which foals were harried by helicopter over rough terrain until their hooves apparently fell off and other horses later died of stress and exhaustion.

The other front involves lone operators who venture into the wilderness and kill wild horses—which is illegal, although arrests are rarely made and when they are, the cases often fall apart. Many of these incidents have occurred in Nevada, where more than half of the country’s wild horses still roam, having gone there like others to hide. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” may be a cute reflection of the local condition, but behind that is another statement that surfaced in an official piece of state travel literature several years ago: “Seize life and throttle it like a rag doll.”