Big Nevada wild horse muster called off
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reza eslahi
Member
The Bureau of Land Management has called off its big muster of horses from the Antelope Complex in northeast Nevada, around 650 horses shy of its intended target.
It gave no reason for the decision to halt the roundup, which ended with 1368 horses pulled from the complex, well short of the 2000 target it set for the operation.
Wild horse advocacy group, The Cloud Foundation, claimed the range had been left "completely devoid" of horses and labelled the operation a "scorched earth removal".
"The reason for this sudden halt appears to be that many of the mares are on the verge of foaling and additional deaths were imminent," Cloud Foundation director Ginger Kathrens said.
"Another reason may be the BLM's current attempts to appease Congress and the public as they make a bid for more than $US30 million to fund more roundups."
The bureau's acting state director for Nevada, Amy Lueders, said long-term contraceptives used in the muster would slow population growth and help maintain the population size within the herd management area.
"These actions also will extend the time before another gather will be required to remove excess wild horses."
However, the Cloud Foundation says few family bands remain following the agency's muster and it called on the bureau to return wild horses to the areas of the Antelope complex from which they have been removed.
The foundation noted that, to date, only nine had been released. Fatalities are reported to total an additional nine horses with 20 mares slated for fertility control treatment and subsequent release.
It said taxpayers are outraged as the bureau continues to expend precious tax dollars to harass and remove wild horses.
It says recent proposed changes to the wild horse programme announced by bureau director Bob Abbey, including a reduction in musters and greater use of contraceptives, will not preserve America's diminishing wild horse herds.
"The minimal reduction of removals along with the use of birth control does not take into account that 75 per cent of America's mustang herds are currently under-populated, according to independent reviews," the foundation said.
Katrens says: "The bureau has proven they have no desire to manage wild horses on their legally designated ranges. Why would we believe they would use fertility control in a responsible and sustainable manner?
"And what constitutes fertility control? We know the BLM wants to create gelding herds and that they are experimenting on ways to surgically remove the ovaries of wild horse mares."
The foundation called for a halt to all musters. "Stopping the Antelope roundup is a good start, but it is high time for BLM to explain to the public their reasons for managing America's wild horse and burro herds to extinction," Kathrens said.
It gave no reason for the decision to halt the roundup, which ended with 1368 horses pulled from the complex, well short of the 2000 target it set for the operation.
Wild horse advocacy group, The Cloud Foundation, claimed the range had been left "completely devoid" of horses and labelled the operation a "scorched earth removal".
"The reason for this sudden halt appears to be that many of the mares are on the verge of foaling and additional deaths were imminent," Cloud Foundation director Ginger Kathrens said.
"Another reason may be the BLM's current attempts to appease Congress and the public as they make a bid for more than $US30 million to fund more roundups."
The bureau's acting state director for Nevada, Amy Lueders, said long-term contraceptives used in the muster would slow population growth and help maintain the population size within the herd management area.
"These actions also will extend the time before another gather will be required to remove excess wild horses."
However, the Cloud Foundation says few family bands remain following the agency's muster and it called on the bureau to return wild horses to the areas of the Antelope complex from which they have been removed.
The foundation noted that, to date, only nine had been released. Fatalities are reported to total an additional nine horses with 20 mares slated for fertility control treatment and subsequent release.
It said taxpayers are outraged as the bureau continues to expend precious tax dollars to harass and remove wild horses.
It says recent proposed changes to the wild horse programme announced by bureau director Bob Abbey, including a reduction in musters and greater use of contraceptives, will not preserve America's diminishing wild horse herds.
"The minimal reduction of removals along with the use of birth control does not take into account that 75 per cent of America's mustang herds are currently under-populated, according to independent reviews," the foundation said.
Katrens says: "The bureau has proven they have no desire to manage wild horses on their legally designated ranges. Why would we believe they would use fertility control in a responsible and sustainable manner?
"And what constitutes fertility control? We know the BLM wants to create gelding herds and that they are experimenting on ways to surgically remove the ovaries of wild horse mares."
The foundation called for a halt to all musters. "Stopping the Antelope roundup is a good start, but it is high time for BLM to explain to the public their reasons for managing America's wild horse and burro herds to extinction," Kathrens said.