Sunday, August 16, 2009

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, NV, June 2006 – Your Tax-Dollars at Work









Despite a public outcry and pleas by humane groups to at least postpone this round-up, FWS proceeded in the summer heat, at the height of foaling season. Even the BLM doesn’t conduct helicopter round-ups during foaling season.
This days-old foal is struggling to keep up with the herd.

FWS would not allow the public within a two-mile range of the round-up site. Despite the secrecy, our investigators were able to document the process up close.

Several foals were injured, orphans separated from their mothers in the chaos. Some mares reportedly aborted their fetuses under the stress of the round-up.

Some foals, exhausted by the chase and unable to follow the herd, were left hog-tied in the desert heat for wranglers to pick up later.

Others were just lost in the chaos, left behind to fend for themselves. Wranglers reportedly managed to locate eight of these orphan foals on Friday (the round-up had started on Monday). Five of them were already dead. (See photo above) The three survivors were taken by a good Samaritan to a veterinarian for emergency care.

It is unknown how many others, too young to survive on their own, died on the range. Mares could be seen in the holding pens showing signs of recently giving birth but with their newborns unaccounted for.

FWS got nervous and became more secretive as the process unfolded. However, a vet report by Dr. Krebs, who treated the three survivors, confirms that these foals were left for days alone on the range

STOP THE WILD HORSE WIPE-OUThttp://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign- AWHPC

America’s wild horses are being eradicated in violation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse & Burro Act, which protects them as “living symbols” of our Nation's spirit. From over 2 million in the 1800s, fewer than 25,000 remain on our public lands. There are now more wild horses in government holding pens than remain in the wild. Still, the round-ups continue, and a recent change in the law opens the door to thousands being sent to slaughter.

Although in-the-wild management would save millions of tax-dollars, special interests have been successful in pressuring the government to systematically remove wild horses from public lands - specifically corporate cattle interests who want our horses replaced with private cattle for subsidized grazing.

AWHPC is coordinating a letter-writing campaign: In addition to signing this petition, it is important that you please send individual letters to your federal legislators calling for a Congressional inquiry into the government’s wild horse management practices. Tell them that our national heritage does not belong on European dinner tables.

Please sign petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/166841148
For more information and to sign up for email updates, please visit
www.wildhorsepreservation.org