Is this the beginning of the end for America’s wild horses? That’s sure what it sounds like to me.
Look at the countless numbers of animals that have been driven to extinction by humans, thinking they know better than God, how to control them.
Horses are a part of American history and, a great majority of the human race, could care less. American greed has gotten so rampant that if it doesn’t serve to enrich our pocket books in some way, then we have no use for it. There are so many back handed deals and shady practices going on now days, we would absolutely be astonished if we knew them all.
Wild horses are being driven out of their homes, rounded up and shipped off to holding facilities, where they await their fate. Herds that have lived together for years are being split up and shipped off in different directions.
We all know horses are herd animals, and they establish very tight knit groups, of family. These horses care about 2 things, Family and Freedom. Now once again the “Powers that be”, are taking all that away. They are being stripped from their homes and forced to face horse adoption, or worse. Only a lucky few are actually adopted.
The “Powers that be”, of course, being The Bureau of Land Management (BLM). They are, in my opinion, abusing their authority and executing some very questionable practices.
This Has To Stop!
Wild horses are being driven, by helicopter, down 5,000 feet of rocky trails in 90 degree heat, for hours. Please remember, there are newborn foals in these herds as well as older horses. This is what the BLM calls a successful roundup, no matter what the cost to the horses.
There is one thing I want you to remember as you read on: These wild horses are roaming on “Public Lands” managed by the BLM, that our tax dollars pay for! Don’t you think we should have a say in what happens on that land? We do, we just have to say it!
I can think of countless ways that our government and public officials are fleecing us as American people. That’s not my opinion, that’s fact. Nothing is ever going to change, until we, as Americans, stand up and say, Enough is Enough!
Gather Statistics for the year 2010: Upwards of 12,000 horses are expected to be removed. Check out the numbers here.
There are countless websites on the internet, telling horrible stories about the horse abuse, unwanted horses, horse slaughter and wild horses. None of them, including mine, do any good unless people get involved. There is power in numbers!
As of September 14, 2009 there were 31,753 horses in holding facilities and 98 burrows.
The BLM and it’s Wild Horse Adoption program are constantly taking thousands of horses out of the wild to put up for adoption. We don’t have room for the domesticated horses, how in the world do they expect to find homes for all these wild horses. If these horses fail to be adopted after the third try, they go to slaughter. Of course the BLM says they go to long term holding facilities, but where are these so called “long term” holding facilities?
The BLM manages more than 250 million acres, that’s more than any other Federal Agency, with a budget of about $1 billion dollars. They currently are holding more than 32,000 wild horses and burros within their facilities. As of September 30, 2009 the cost of caring for these animals was approximately $29 million dollars.
On September 7, 2009, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar proposed that wild horse preserves be set up in the Midwest and the East. No mention was made of the millions of acres, that BLM manages, in the American West nor the near 13 million acres that the BLM leased out, thereby reducing the wild horse habitat.
This is land that would not cost the taxpayers a cent to set aside for wild horses. He also states that the horses that will be placed in these preserves will be non-reproducing. So when they die, there gone! Kinda reminds of the how the government treated the Indians!
Instead Mr. Salazar proposes to round up thousand of horses, load them up and ship them clear across the country. Who do you think will have to foot the bill, and do you think these horses will really end up on some lavish ranch to live out their days being free? I think not. On more than one occasion, Mr. Salazar has made mention of his authority to make these decisions. Since when should one government official be aloud to make decisions that will affect the American taxpayer?
Mr. Salazar also failed to mention that equine geneticists have charged that the BLM roundup over Labor Day week, reduced one herds numbers beyond genetic viability. Some animals were injured as well in a helicopter driven stampede down a 5,000 foot rocky slope for up to 10 miles.
This is a video taken from the roundup of Cloud's Herd. Cloud is the most famous of the wild horses.
To Learn more about Cloud and his herd go to the TheCloudFoundation.org. You can also go to this website and sign a petition, every name helps!
The question was raised to Mr. Salazar, about the removal of wild horses to make room for more cattle grazing? Of course, they answered, “Absolutely Not”. What else did they expect him to say? Did I mention that Ken Salazar’s family owns a huge cattle ranch in the heart of Colorado?
The Restoring Our American Mustangs (ROAM) Act, was passed in the House of Representatives on the morning of July 17th, 2009. This bill amends the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. It adds new protections and provisions which include banning helicopter round-ups and reclaiming lost land by America’s wild horses over the past thirty years. Now it has to make it past the Senate. To view the ROAM Act,click here.
Congressman Nick Rahall states that it is incredible that this nation would even think of allowing the commercial sale of horse flesh for human consumption. He further states that we must put a halt to this process, one that is nothing short of inhumane. In 2005 and 2006, Rahall successfully offered legislation as amendments to the Interior Appropriations bill. However, neither of them were signed into law, leaving thousands of wild horses and burros victimized, and at increased risk to sale or slaughter.
We as taxpayers need to make sure that these make it through the Senate. Laws have to be passed now, before anymore of these beautiful animals are captured.
Is This What You Call Success?
We need to take a stand now and stop this before it’s to late. We need to flood the White House with post cards, demanding that Ken Salazar be fired and the BLM get a complete overhaul. It’s time we stood up for our rights and speak up for the rights of those who can’t defend themselves.
When Roundups Go Bad
Below I have a list of people that we should all contact to see that this atrocity is ended. Don’t wait until there all gone, and think, If only I had spoken up for them. I don’t want to have to tell my great grandchildren stories about the wild horses that once roamed free on the range.
Committee on Natural Resources 1324 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 225-1931 Please direct all press inquiries to the Communications Office at: (202) 226-9019
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands 1333 Longworth House Office Building (202) 226-7736 Fax: (202) 226-2301
President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Comment line: (202) 456-1111 www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar \ DOI 1849 C Street NW Washington DC 20240 ph: (202) 208-7351 exsec@ios.doi.gov
BLM Acting Director Ron Wenker &Acting Deputy Director Mike Nedd 1849 C Street NW Washington DC, 20040 ph: (202) 208-3801 Ron_Wenker@blm.gov Mike_Nedd@blm.gov
Let us know what you think of the BLM and the Wild Horses!
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See What Others Have Said:
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
The Death of The West
I am a horse woman in Maryland. I recently attended an adoption in Delaware. There I met some of the nameless numbers that are wild horses have become....
Mr. David dean
The cost of the BLM to take care of a horse on a refuge? A year, the life time of a horse? My family and I have 9 horses that we love and cherish. I have ...
ANNA WAHPOOSE; NATURALIST
oh my goodness; I had not seen the pix of the Beautiful White Mare in the pen entitled: When Roundups go bad...What a Pity !
A Pity the very people ...
carrie welsh
We need to stop Slaughter House Bob ( Bob Abbey) . We must expose the truth about the BLM - THAT THEY DETERMINED TO EXTERMINATE ALL WILD HORSES & BURROS ...
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