Public Opposes Salazar’s Request for Millions to Move Mustangs East
Americans want to keep their wild horses in the West

Colorado Springs, CO (March 1, 2010)—The Cloud Foundation and members of the public are calling on their Senators to oppose the dubious Salazar Plan— to move captured wild horses East. On March 3rd Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to request $42 million to implement phase one of what many are calling the “SalaZoo Plan”, a call for moving thousands of mustangs (mares and neutered stallions) to taxpayer purchased lands in the Midwest and East.

With Salazar’s plan, announced last October, only a few “treasured” wild horse and burro herds may be left in the West. The Secretary, a former Colorado U.S. Senator and will attempt to convince Senators that the West is out of room for wild horses and they must be moved East for their own good. The Cloud Foundation contends that the Salazar Plan this is cruel, unnecessary, and enormously costly to taxpayers and wild herds alike.

There are now more wild horses in expensive government holding than there are on 29 million acres of public lands and less than a quarter of wild herds are managed at genetically viable levels. Advocates continue making clear demands for the return of wild horses to the over 24 -58 million acres of public lands where legally designated wild horse herds have been zeroed out since passage of the Wild Horse and Burro Act in 1971. When Congress unanimously passed the Act, it stated that our wild herds were to be managed as “an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.”

“How about putting the mustangs back out on the lands where BLM zeroed them out?” asks Eric Wright, Nevada resident and wild horse photographer. “BLM can’t even explain what happened to 24 -58 million acres where wild horses were to be managed. Just last fall they completely zeroed out 12 herds outside of Ely, Nevada—lands where mustangs have roamed for centuries. Now the land is suddenly ‘inappropriate for wild horses’ but still appropriate for some thousands of head of cattle.”

After a 2006 town hall meeting in Greeley Colorado, then U.S. Senate candidate Salazar, told Barbara Flores, a longtime wild horse advocate, that wild horses don’t belong on public lands. Clearly, his opinion remains unchanged. The Secretary’s plan to move thousands of mustangs East onto private lands purchased on the taxpayer’s dime and to continue the massive roundups would spell the end of America’s celebrated Western Herds on the public’s land.

“The Secretary’s plan is fiscal insanity and just the opposite of what Congress intended when it passed the Wild Horse and Burro Act,” stated Ginger Kathrens, filmmaker of the Cloud series and executive director of The Cloud Foundation. “Whether you like wild horses and burros or not, every taxpayer should be up arms over this. And the SalaZoo plan is a potential health disaster for western wild horses shipped east. Did the Secretary ever think about trimming the feet every six weeks of thousands of wild horses now on grassy pastures? Or the risks of humidity and non-native forage? What about rain rot, colic, founder, or the other illnesses and conditions wild horses would need to overcome in the East?”

Already over 34,000 wild horse are warehoused by the BLM at a cost of over $3.3 million per month. According to American Herds an estimated 15,000 or fewer wild horses and burros remain in the wild. BLM admits they have no accurate census. The remaining half of their $67.5 million budget goes directly to removing thousands more wild horses in expensive helicopter roundups by private contractors, one of whom was convicted of using aircraft to hunt wild horse horses, aiding and abetting. Those horses were sent to slaughter in Texas. “This contractor has continued to receive millions of taxpayer dollars even though he violated the very law the BLM is mandated to uphold,” commented Julianne French, an Arizona wild horse and burro advocate. “The management of this program is so broken, it’s hard to know where to clean house first. And Salazar’s plan just compounds the problem.”

The public disagrees with the Salazar Plan. “It seems a real stretch that captured, neutered mustangs would be an ecotourism draw the East,” remarked advocate Marian Jo Souder of Ohio. “I’d sure rather see mustangs and burros in their natural western ranges, not in eastern holding fields.” Already over 22,000 wild horses are kept in holding pastures in Kansas and Oklahoma. The only difference between BLM’s current “long-term holding” and Salazar’s “preserves” according to DOI Undersecretary Sylvia Baca is that the public would be allowed to view these captured horses. Her comments were made at the December, 2009 BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Reno, Nevada.

The Salazar plan only highlights the enormous disconnect between the public and the so-called Rogue BLM agency. One advocate in Oklahoma remarked, “As far as the Salazar plan, my great grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee who walked the trail of tears.  I don’t see Salazar’s ‘preserves’ as much different from the reservations my family members were forced to move to.”

In the recent million dollar-plus, 40-day Calico Roundup, over 1900 mustangs were pushed by helicopters from their stark and beautiful mountain stronghold in NW Nevada. At least 64 mustangs have died in this winter roundup with that number climbing daily and over 35 late term abortions have been reported in the Fallon, Nevada holding pens. BLM stopped the roundup early when they admitted they had significantly over-counted the wild horses left on the range. Meanwhile thousands of privately-owned cattle still graze those same wild horse herd areas bringing in revenues to the BLM of around $40,000 per year – less than what it cost to hold the Fallon horses for four days.  Annually American taxpayers lose $123 million running the taxpayer subsidized grazing program, referred to as “welfare ranching”. The grazing fee is currently the lowest allowed by law—$1.35 per cow/calf pair per month. A grazing fee hike of 600% would be required to pay for just the costs of administration of the program. Outnumbered 100:1 by cattle on public lands, wild horses and burros represent less than 0.5% of hooved animals on our public lands.

Americans from across the nation will gather in Washington DC on March 25th (March for Mustangs) to protest Salazar’s plan for the removal and destruction of America’s Western wild herds. Advocates want a truly sustainable plan to protect wild horses and burros in the West.

“It is time to reveal the BLM wild horse and burro program for what it is— a deceitful and inhumane waste of taxpayer money. What other program aims to destroy what it is charged to protect with such willful disregard to the public they serve?” asks Ginger Kathrens.

American Herds – “What’s Left?”

March for Mustangs- March 25th, DC Rally:

News Story on Calico, rising death toll & skewed numbers from George Knapp (KLAS- Las Vegas)

BLM Daily Reports from Calico Roundup/Fallon Holding

Humane Observer blog

“A Cruel Waste” – explanatory youtube video

Rebuttal to Salazar’s plan in LA Times

The Cloud Foundation position paper on Salazar plan—Oct. 2009

Good Morning America at Calico

New York Times “Horses Die in Roundup”

Feds Deny Gas Pipeline Related to Wild Horse Roundup

After campaigning for Obama, Sheryl Crow at odds over his administration’s wild-horse plan (Associated Press)

Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses- A History

Frequently Asked Questions on Wild Horses

Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now

Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
news@thecloudfoundation.org
719-633-3842

Media Contacts:
Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187

Anne Novak
Anne@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454

Captured Wild Mustangs Die As BLM Bars Public Observers

The Calico Wild Horse Roundup death toll exceeds 60
as public alarm grows

February 25, 2010 release— At least 62 federally-protected American wild horses have died due to the controversial Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Calico roundup in Nevada as of today. An additional 35 late term abortions have been recorded in the Fallon feedlot-style holding facility where 1869 captured mustangs are corralled at enormous taxpayer expense. Advocates are being denied access to observe horses as the death toll rises. At least one horse died during BLM “processing” operations. The public and humane observers want access to view how their tax money is being spent and to verify the horses are being treated humanely. Standard processing procedures are generally open to the public to observe without issue. Advocates question if there is something to hide.

“Moving forward with this winter roundup was a huge mistake on the part of BLM. Two years ago a February roundup in Nevada resulted in the death of 85 horses. I would hope BLM never rounds up wild horses again in the dead of winter,” says Ginger Kathrens, Director of The Cloud Foundation.

American taxpayers are paying over $10,000 a day to hold the captured Calico horses at the privately owned Broken Arrow holding facility. Processing (freeze-branding, inoculating, tagging) adds thousands more to the cost. BLM has denied repeated requests for even two humane advocate observers to be present during processing and allows public visits by reservation only for two hours each Sunday. The Cloud Foundation. and the public are seriously alarmed by the rising death toll and BLM’s complete lack of transparency and accountability. Promised vet reports have not been posted since February 1st as horses perish daily.

“The public deserves to have people who can watch and document how our tax dollars are being spent. Allowing humane advocate observers into the facility would be a good first step in restoring trust in an agency that has thumbed their nose at the American public while rounding up and destroying America’s mustang heritage,” states Ginger Kathrens.

Humane observers would not inhibit the processing or frighten horses during processing and would allow the concerned public a view of what is going on during processing of these publicly-owned horses. The BLM removed the mustangs from public lands despite a federal judge’s suggestion that the roundup be delayed and over 10,000 public comments asking the BLM to stop their winter roundup plans.

BLM has given indications that they will select “impartial” observers to watch the proceedings. “I think that the public and wild horse advocates should be able to send their own humane observers, not hand picked and selected people that will not criticize the BLM. That would be much like the skewed public Advisory Board that also fails to represent the welfare of our wild herds,” stated Julianne French, an Arizona wild horse advocate.

Wild horse and burro advocates will protest in Washington DC on March 25th. The rally “March for Mustangs” will start in Lafayette Park at 1:00pm with a press conference at 1:30pm, concluding with a march to BLM offices.

Special thanks to Mark Terrell for the photos.

Links of interest:

News Story on Calico, rising death toll & skewed numbers from George Knapp (KLAS- Las Vegas):

Humane Observer blog

Court Case: In Defense of Animals and Craig Downer v. Secretary Salazar

Good Morning America at Calico

New York Times “Horses Die in Roundup”

Ruby Pipeline: The Smoking Gun?

After campaigning for Obama, Sheryl Crow at odds over his administration’s wild-horse plan (Associated Press)

Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit.
America’s Disappearing Wild Horses- A History
Frequently Asked Questions on Wild Horses

Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now

Unified Moratorium letter and signatories

Roundup Schedule- updated January 11, 2010
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
news@thecloudfoundation.org
719-633-3842

Media Contacts:
Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187

Anne Novak
Anne@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454

For Immediate Release
BLM Denies Public Access to Captured Calico Mustangs During Processing

Americans are wondering what BLM is hiding as processing of nearly 1900 wild horses begins in Nevada. Protests continue to save an American icon as President Obama heads West.

Colorado Springs, CO (February 17, 2010)— The Cloud Foundation objects to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) severe limitations placed on viewing of the wild horses captured in the controversial Calico Wild Horse roundup. Despite the enormous cost to the American taxpayers and the controversial nature of the roundup, the BLM and the Department of Interior (DOI) are denying requests for independent humane observers during the processing of nearly 1900 mustangs over the next few months in preparation for their long term holding or adoption.

During this dangerous time for the mustangs, the public will be denied an opportunity to view BLM running the animals through alleyways and into chutes where they will be freeze-branded, inoculated and neck-tagged.

“I’ve been watching the processing of mustangs on and off for 15 years. What is the big deal this time?” Asks Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation, “There’s something very wrong when it’s easier to crash a party at the White House than go view our wild horses being freeze-branded in Nevada. Makes you wonder if there’s something to hide out in Fallon?”

49 horses have died as the result of the roundup. This does not include the 30 plus mares that have aborted their late-term foals in the feedlot style corrals in Fallon, Nevada. The 4% death rate is over eight times the BLM expected level for a helicopter roundup. Foals are now being born in the pens and the public is not permitted to confirm young, sick and old animals are being humanely treated in a timely fashion.

BLM says that the shut down of the facility is a safety issue due to the horses being continuously in facility alleyways during the preparation process. Given the high level of interest The Cloud Foundation asks BLM to figure out a way to safely allow the public to observe.

“Processing our wild horses in secret does nothing but promote suspicion on the part of the public who simply request to have independent representatives present to verify that our horses are being treated humanely,” said Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist and Nevada wild horse advocate. “Denying American citizens the right to watch over their horses is a very disturbing trend, and simply throws fuel on a spreading fire.”

1922 wild horses were captured in the 40-day dead-of-winter helicopter roundup which stopped weeks early and over 600 horses short when BLM discovered fewer wild horses than anticipated in the huge 500,000 acre Calico Mountains of northwestern Nevada. The horses are now being housed at a cost to the taxpayer of approximately $75,000 per week while the death toll continues to rise. One stallion was euthanized on Monday, however, vet reports are now being withheld so the official reason for killing the stallion is unknown.

Despite Wild Horse and Burro Chief Don Glenn’s promise that the public is welcome  “anytime” to view the roundups, the BLM conducted the Calico roundup with limited access. Now BLM has repeatedly denied official requests from the Cloud Foundation and others to allow even two members of the public to be present during processing of horses which began February 15. Ed Roberson, Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning with the DOI told The Cloud Foundation in an email last week not to worry about the horses as “we have a licensed vet on site during the prep work to ensure humane treatment.” Given BLM’s reticence to release vet reports from Fallon this is no consolation to the concerned public.

By disallowing access to any independent humane observers, BLM’s “bunker” mentality appears to have trumped any requests for transparency. “If American citizens are willing to travel to Fallon, Nevada to check on and observe wild horses that have been removed from public lands against the public will by a federal agency, why is this access being denied?” asks RT Fitch, Texas author of the popular book Straight from the Horses Heart.

Meanwhile the captured Calico wild horses, many still with swollen joints and injuries from being run over sharp volcanic rock by helicopters, stand in pens without windbreaks. “Topography credited by the BLM as a natural wind break is a joke. I’ve been to Fallon and I’ve seen the conditions these horses are exposed to—no cover, no windbreaks except for some of the ‘hospital’ pens”, explains Terri Farley. The celebrated children’s author of the Phantom Stallion series, based on the Calico mustangs, visited the holding facility on February 11th with a professional photographer whose photos will soon be posted at www.thecloudfoundation.org.

To combat the continuing roundups of America’s wild horses and burros, Nevada is planning two protests in coming days to gain the attention of a visiting President Barack Obama. On Thursday, February 18th, protestors will unfurl over 50 banners along Las Vegas Boulevard calling for a stop to the roundups which will remove half of Nevada’s wild horses this year. On Saturday, February 20th the public will gather in Carson City, Nevada to further protest the tax-payer funded destruction of America’s Wild Horses and Burros.

According to Wild Horse and Burro Chief, Don Glenn, the facility is charging the government around $5.75 per day/per horse. That amounts to over $10,000 taxpayer dollars per day to house the mustangs. The cost of the Calico roundup alone was at least $1 million and holding of horses will cost taxpayers additional millions.

While nearly 2,000 Calico mustangs languish and die in Fallon, thousands of privately-owned cattle still graze the Calico wild horse herd areas, bringing in revenues to the BLM of around $40,000 per year. The cost to administer the grazing program for the Calico area is six times this amount based on the national average for the program as calculated by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The GAO reported that yearly revenues from the national public lands grazing program are $21 million per year, while the costs to administer the grazing program are $144 million per year, resulting in a yearly loss to the American taxpayer of $123 million. This taxpayer subsidized grazing program is often referred to as “welfare ranching” due to the small fees charged to livestock permittees. The rate is currently the lowest allowed by law—$1.35 per cow/calf pair per month.

Special thanks to Mark Terrell for the photos.

Links of interest:

News Story on Calico, rising death toll & skewed numbers from George Knapp (KLAS- Las Vegas):

Humane Observer blog

Court Case: In Defense of Animals and Craig Downer v. Secretary Salazar

Good Morning America at Calico

New York Times “Horses Die in Roundup”

Ruby Pipeline: The Smoking Gun?

After campaigning for Obama, Sheryl Crow at odds over his administration’s wild-horse plan (Associated Press)

Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit.
America’s Disappearing Wild Horses- A History
Frequently Asked Questions on Wild Horses

Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now

Unified Moratorium letter and signatories

Roundup Schedule- updated January 11, 2010
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
news@thecloudfoundation.org
719-633-3842

Media Contacts:
Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187

Anne Novak
Anne@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454

February 01, 2010, 10:1AM MT
Rich Crook, a veteran rapid response manager for Best Friends Animal Society, will lead the society’s effort as part of the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), which is on the ground in Port-au-Prince ready to help animals affected by the earthquake.

Crook will arrive Monday in Port-au-Prince where he will lead a team of veterinarians to set up a series of animal care clinics in the capital city.

“My mission will be similar to previous assignments we had in Ethiopia and Peru, but somewhat different than Hurricane Katrina,” Crook said. “We’ve learned from the ARCH assessment team that there isn’t the acute need that we found in Katrina, and we are dealing with animals that typically roam free in the city.”

Crook will work with a current on-the-ground team that includes representatives from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the American Humane Association and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. He also will work closely with the Dominican Republic Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SODOPRECA).

Crook’s mission to Haiti follows an ARCH team assessment of the situation Jan. 23-25 that included a short field visit to Port-au-Prince and meetings with Haitian governmental officials. Once the ARCH clinics are set up, Crook said the emphasis will be making sure that animals are vaccinated to stop the possible spread of disease and to ensure an adequate supply of vaccines. He expects to be in Haiti for at least a week and perhaps longer.

In the past, Crook has led Best Friends’ rapid response efforts in natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Gustav, the floods in Mexico and Iowa, and the earthquake in Peru. He also led Best Friends’ work in the airlifting of dogs from the war zone in Lebanon and brought a deceased serviceman’s dog back to his grief-stricken family in the United States.

The ARCH coalition was co-founded by the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Key coalition members are Best Friends, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, the American Humane Association, United Animal Nations, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (United Kingdom).

We at Best Friends thank our members for their donations and interest in our efforts to help with Haiti animal relief. All donations sent to Best Friends through Haiti-specific donation mechanisms are put in a restricted fund that will be used solely for Haiti animal relief.

For ongoing updates about Best Friends’ involvement in Haiti, visit our Rapid Response group on the Best Friends Network.

How You Can Help

Text SAVE to 90999 to donate $10 to
Best Friends to help Haiti’s animals.

I’m sure you are already very savvy on all this but basically you:
·       Text the word SAVE to 90999 to give $10
·       When prompted, reply with YES to confirm your one-time gift
·       The $10 one-time donation will appear on your next mobile bill
As always , please let me know if you have any questions,

Thanks for any help with this,

Silva Battista
Co Founder
Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, Utah 84741
(435) 644 4896 Office
http://network.bestfriends.org

About the ARCH Coalition
Animal welfare organizations formed the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) in a collaborative effort to bring aid to as many animals, and in as short a time, as possible. At present, ARCH partners include: International Fund for Animal Welfare, World Society for the Protection of Animals, American Humane Association, Best Friends Animal Society, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (UK), In Defense of Animals, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Antigua and Barbuda Humane Society, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, United Animal Nations, Kinship Circle, One Voice, Swiss Animal Protection and Petfinder.com Foundation.

Photograph (c) WSPA/IFAW

Please Act Today!

Letters needed in support of the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act and the Pet Safety and Protection Act.

Dear Humanitarian:

REFUGE FROM CRUEL TRAPPING ACT (H.R. 3710)

As the trapping season commences across the country with the beginning of fall, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) has introduced legislation to end the use of brutal traps on furbearing animals within federal wildlife refuges.

H.R. 3710, the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act, which was submitted with a total of 35 original cosponsors, helps to restore the original intent of the National Wildlife Refuge System by placing a ban on the use of cruel body-gripping traps within the refuge system.

Currently, animals living within national wildlife refuges are at risk of falling victim to body-gripping traps where they may endure excruciating pain.

More than half of our nation’s 550 refuges currently allow trapping using steel-jaw leghold traps, Conibear traps and snares. Steel jaw leg-hold traps clamp shut with bone-crushing force on an animal’s leg; the pain is so intense that an animal may chew off his or her own limb to escape on three legs.  Conibear traps are designed to crush the animal’s spinal column for a quick kill.  However, the trap often misses and clamps down on the chest or pelvis, crushing but not immediately killing the animal who suffers horribly.  Snares are among the oldest form of trap, a simple noose made of thin wire, which tightens around an animal’s neck or body as he struggles to get away.

H.R. 3710, the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act, will put an end to use of these traps within the refuge system. Body-gripping traps have been restricted in several states and leghold traps have been banned in 89 other nations. Because body-gripping traps and snares do not discriminate, they jeopardize the birds, deer and threatened and endangered species inhabiting wildlife refuges.

Bald eagles, Canada lynx, gray wolves and other imperiled species are frequent victims of traps set for other species.

A national Decision Research public opinion poll showed that 79% of Americans believe trapping on national wildlife refuges should be prohibited, while 88% believe wildlife and habitat preservation should be the highest priority of the refuge system.

Trappers, who comprise less than one-tenth of 1% of the population, already have access to millions of acres of public and private lands outside the refuge system for their activities.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please write or e-mail your U.S. Representative today, urging him or her to cosponsor H.R. 3710, the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act. For more information about the bill, to find your legislator or to send an email please visit AWI Compassion Index.

PET SAFETY AND PROTECTION ACT (H.R. 3907 and S. 1834)

Class B dealers sell non-purpose-bred dogs and cats for research.  They are supposed to acquire the animals they sell only from other dealers, pounds, and individuals who have bred and raised the animals
themselves.  However, these dealers routinely flout the Animal Welfare Act, obtain animals through fraud, deception, and outright theft, and falsify their records.  They are notorious for keeping the animals in horrendous conditions. 

USDA spends hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars each year unsuccessfully trying to regulate them and has acknowledged that it cannot guarantee that dogs and cats are not being acquired illegally for use in experiments.

A National Academy of Sciences Committee report released on May 29, requested by Congress and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), concluded there is no scientific need to purchase dogs or cats from Class B dealers for NIH research.  According to the USDA, there are 10 Class B dealers selling live dogs and cats for experimentation.

Of these, one has a five-year license suspension, and six are under investigation for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. In addition, there are at least 15 investigations underway related to illegal
activities uncovered during the traceback of records.

H.R. 3907, introduced by Congressman Mike Doyle (D-NY), and S. 1834, introduced by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), titled The Pet Safety and Protection Act, will end this abuse-ridden system by prohibiting Class B dealers from selling dogs and cats for use in experimentation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please write or e-mail your U.S. Representative and both U.S. Senators today, urging them to cosponsor H.R. 3907 or S. 1834, the Pet Safety and Protection Act. For more information about the bill, to find your legislator or send an email please call us or visit AWI Compassion Index.

We hope you will share our Dear Humanitarian eAlert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators.

When contacting your members of Congress, please respectfully request a response from them on the issue(s) so that you, as a constituent, will know their position.

As always, thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely,
Cathy Liss
President