The Bureau of Land Management’s roundup of wild horses and burros in Nevada began as scheduled Jan. 3 in the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas. According to the BLM, the area has become overpopulated and the roundup is a necessary part of management.
However, some contest that the roundup is occurring based on a flawed Environmental Assessment Report and fear it will irreparably and permanently harm the equines’ genetic pool.
A request for a temporary restraining order, filed by America’s Wild Horse Advocates and Wild Horses 4 Ever, was denied by a federal court judge. While an appeal has been submitted, roundups are planned to continue through Jan. 18.
Since the beginning of the roundup several allegations of animal mistreatment have also been made, including one involving video footage of what appears to be a burro being kicked in the head by a wrangler.
“The animals are treated humanely,” Cannon says. “The burro was not going into the horse trailer, so to protect the burro from getting its head stuck, the wrangler was waving a noise maker in front of the burros face. The wrangler needed to take action to move it away from the corral.”
In the end, 370 horses and 900 burros will be gathered, with a re-release planned for 104 horses and 120 burros, based on sex and age to control breeding. The rest will be moved to a short-term holding facility for health inspection, vaccination and freeze-marking. From there, equines that are 10 years of age or under will be made available for adoption. Those that are older than 10 years or make three unsuccessful attempts at adoption are moved to sale, meaning ownership rights belong to the purchaser. In these cases, the BLM says it takes measures to prevent them from ending up in slaughterhouses.
“[Purchasers] sign a statement saying they will not send the horse to slaughter,” Cannon says. “The Purchasers are generally involved with wild horse interest groups, and nationwide we work with the slaughterhouses so they will not accept horses with the BLM freeze mark on their neck.”
I believe that the BLM should leave the mustangs alone. In some intstances where mustangs are endager of being killed (hit by cars, trigger happy cattlemen) they should round up and remove the animals. But these round ups they are doing are going to hurt the wild horse population. They will remove only young adoptable animals realseasing older horses back, hense taking away the next generation. Some older animals won’t make it through the winter, and a certain percentage of foals are lost each year to predetors and natural causes. So removing the younger aniamls they are making the herds are shinking anyway. Plus the older horse that they keep and fail to be adopted (thanks to senator Burns) can be sold to slaughter. And about the abuse complaints filed against the BLM, they said the Ranger was protecting the burro from getting his head stuck. Last time i checked Kicking an animal in the head only makes it more unmanageable than making it corporative. The BlM should reveiw there handling methods and do their research about the animals their working with before they decide to round up the mustang herds. And the only reason they round up so many mustangs is because of cattlemen (no offense ment to cattle ranchers.) say the horse are taking their livestocks grazing land. Hores are wild cattle are not, and cattle do more damage to the land than horses, because horse move from place to place cattle don’t. It is my belief that like there are national parks for Buffalo, wolves, and elk there should be governmet run sancuarties, with land chucks large enough to substain our wild horse herds set aside for wild horse and other animals such as pronghorn and olny these animals no range cattle.
Its alfull, special because horses over 10 only have 3 tries to be adopted.
I dont trust the BLM nor Texas SouthWestern Cattle Assoication that profits off horse slaughter. If it wasnt for ford rescuing wild horses from a slaughter plant in Illinois. The public would of been left in the dark. Its time the BLM overhaul they way they do the horses. Its the Cattle Assoications that want the land for there profits. They already get 3.00 per horse slaughtered in Texas. For more info visit SaveDaHorses.com for the Truth and the Sellouts.
Well personally, I think people and associations should just leave the wild horses alone!!! I mean i understand when the population gets too big, but that isn’t really an issue right now is it? I thought that the percentage of wild horses still alive is decreasing each year. Leave them be. it’s simple, and i think we need more conserves and presevations for them to insure that their habitat is not destroyed.
thank you horse channel for letting people post their opinions!
Who do the people at the BLM work for? Certainly not for the over 80% of Americans who voted to keep the wild horses viable and free. Why don’t they read updated reports and unbiased research?
I think they work for the conglomerate ranchers who selfishly want the land for cattle and they have their hands in the pockets of the foreigners with Burns. They are supposed to be protecting the horses and burros. They are NOT doing their job.
I want all aspects of the BLM investigated.
My mom works for the BLM and the Wild horse and burro adoption program. They are not cruel or men to the animals. Please dont post stuff saying the animals are being hurt in any way, it is all lies I have gone to every adoption and round up with my mom. The animals are treated fairly and with the respect that they are wild. I dont enjoy you posting stuff saying a wrangler would intentionally hurt either a horse or a burro.
This is for all you people who dont understand the BLM’s process. So you think it is cruel to the animals to round them up and sell them, and you dont think that their population will surrvive. Well the BLM leaves a certain number of wild animals on the public lands. The breads wont go extinct, but they also wont over populate. If the BLM where to just leave the animals alone, they would over populate the area, and either die of starvation or over population would wipe they out completely. my mom works for the BLM, trust me most of the wild animals get good homes. If it weren’t for the BLM and their wild horse and burro program there would be any wild animals left to save. So all you people set against the program, get over it, and adopt a Wild Horse or Burro if your so worried about them getting good homes.
This is for all you people who dont understand the BLM’s process. So you think it is cruel to the animals to round them up and sell them, and you dont think that their population will surrvive. Well the BLM leaves a certain number of wild animals on the public lands. The breads wont go extinct, but they also wont over populate. If the BLM where to just leave the animals alone, they would over populate the area, and either die of starvation or over population would wipe they out completely. my mom works for the BLM, trust me most of the wild animals get good homes. If it weren’t for the BLM and their wild horse and burro program there would be any wild animals left to save. So all you people set against the program, get over it, and adopt a Wild Horse or Burro if your so worried about them getting good homes.
The BLM is goverment opperated. If we let the musanges all run free we might as well just shoot them now, they will eventually run out of food and water. and unless you want to supply feed for over 23,000 animals you better get all your facts striaght!
What an atrocious injustice BLM is doing to the wild horses and burros in the wild in the Spring Mtns. It is plain they are targeting them in a must dishonest and malicious way, ignoring so much that is positive about them in their natural and free state, their right state.
No one that I know is against BLM Adopting horses out. I would adopt one myself if I had the time and money, but college kinda dries that up. I have no problem with the BLM in general, just certain people who believe that the way to make an animal listen is by force, whether intetional or not. And as to leaving the horses alone the populations can be managed properly without finding nessesary to remove so many horses from the range and only taking young (adoptable) horses. And if the populations where left alone, yes some animals would stave, but hey animals sarve to death everyday and no one really seems to care about them! The saying goes only the strong survive. And as I pointed out before, the BLM removes only young horses leaving the older horses to starve. And the horses wouldn’t be starving if not for all the cattle out destroying the range, and consuming all the grass and feed. (no offense is ment to cattle ranchers.)I know the BLM is trying to do a good thing but, not all people think of animals the way most of us horse people do. I know my facts, and intend to do something about it. My problems not the BLM its the Horse Slaughter industry.