BLM probes foal death at CA-NV wild horse roundup

Link to Washington Post article on Foal Death

By SCOTT SONNER
The Associated Press
Friday, August 13, 2010; 1:45 PM
RENO, Nev. -- Federal agents at a contentious wild horse roundup on the California-Nevada line are investigating the death of a young mustang that may have been shot before the government this week began gathering 2,000 animals from herds it says are causing ecological damage to public rangeland.

The Bureau of Land Management is "actively investigating," but it hasn't determined the cause of death of the foal that a wildlife biologist from a horse protection group found Wednesday near the roundup, BLM officials said Friday.

"BLM rangers did an initial site inspection and observed the animal appeared to have been dead for some time, preceding the start of the gather," said Jan Bedrosian, BLM deputy state director for California. "BLM special agents are actively pursuing the case as to the cause of death."

The BLM plans to round up 2,000 horses over the next month because it believes the range cannot sustain the overpopulated herds in the Twin Peaks Horse Management Area about 120 miles northwest of Reno.

Critics argue that the horses have more of a legal right to be there than the thousands of head of livestock grazing under BLM permits, but that argument has been largely unsuccessfully in court. On Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to halt the roundup with an emergency stay sought by In Defense of Animals and others.



Craig Downer, a wildlife biologist working with the pro-horse Cloud Foundation, said he and a colleague came across the foal's carcass Wednesday.

The two-week old horse was shot in the belly and appeared to suffer other injuries, Downer said. He said it likely was killed within the past month.

"It looked as though the foal was abused, lassoed around the legs and dragged," added Chrystie Davis, an independent roundup observer accompanying Downer.

Downer, a fourth-generation Nevadan and longtime critic of BLM horse management, said he complied with a request from agency officials for copies of photographs he took of the carcass.

"They were not dismissive. They say they are going to give it a serious investigation," he told The Associated Press on Friday from Litchfield, Calif., near the roundup area.

Downer said he's worried the foal may have been the victim of growing tension between area ranchers and horse advocates over allocation of the precious forage and water resources on the high desert rangeland.

"I think it is related to the animosity against control, against having to be responsible and share the land," said Downer, who argues livestock also should be removed from the land if ecological damage is a concern.

The Twin Peaks Horse Management Area where the foal was found is not far from an area across the Nevada line where two men recently pleaded guilty to shooting and killing five mustangs in November.

Todd Davis, 45, admitted in federal court in Reno in June that he and Joshua Keathley, 36, had been drinking and used "poor judgment" when they shot the horses with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Prosecutors said they offered no plea bargain and intend to seek the maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $100,000 fine for each man at the sentencing set for Sept. 14.

"The intentional and malicious harassment, abuse and killing of federally protected wild horses should not and will not be tolerated," said Dan Bogden, U.S. attorney for Nevada

15 Mile Wide HMA

Link to Pam Nickoles Blog:

Lots of cows .. where are the horses?

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.