WASHINGTON (February 3, 2012)—On the eve of another expensive Tonopah roundup in Nevada, Protect Mustangs voices their concern for the welfare of the American wild horse during roundups as well as government transparency, fiscal responsibility, public access and accountability. The preservation group awaits the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) response to the following questions:
1.) We are very concerned about the lack of transparency at roundups and keeping visitors miles away from the trap site is unacceptable. In 2009 and 2010 members of the public and media were allowed closer access to document the roundups. Why has this policy changed?
2.) We want to go on the record to ask that the canvass on the metal corral panels—blocking the ability to see inside the trap site even from a distance—be taken down. It appears the BLM shrouds the mustang removals in secrecy and does not want the media or public to see what is going on when wild horses are captured. This protocol is very upsetting to members of the public. Will BLM take down the canvas tarps blocking media and public visibility to document the roundup?
3.) We would like to see a burro expert on site to prevent animal cruelty at taxpayer expense. Will a burro behavior expert be on site the whole time burros are being rounded up so the cruel hot-shotting incident at Calico will not be repeated?
4.) The American public wants to know that all roundup-related deaths are counted correctly. If a wild horse—enjoying life out on the range—is removed from the range alive and BLM kills it because it is "old" or for whatever other reason this needs to go on the record as "roundup related". The horse would have continued to live for some time if the BLM had not rounded it up. Will BLM count all deaths from wild horses rounded up from 30 days of their capture as "roundup related" deaths?
5.) We also want to go on the record to ask that BLM hold all aspects of capture, temporary holding, processing and adoption on public land, giving reasonable access to the media and the public, as an act of good faith showing the global community that the Wild Horse and Burros program has taken the new direction the courts are expecting you have taken. Will you hold all aspects of the roundup, holding, processing and adoption on public land to build trust with the public?
Upon receiving the response from BLM Protect Mustangs will post it to their website: www.ProtectMustangs.org
Rounding up healthy wild horses illustrates fiscal irresponsibility during America's economic crisis. The overpopulation myth was created by BLM to justify spending millions of tax dollars.
In 1900, 2 million wild horses roamed the West. Protect Mustangs believes today less than 20,000 exist in the ten western states combined.
"After hearing the State of the Union address we are concerned that the Obama Administration will forfeit wildlife for the New Energy Frontier," explains Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. "We want to see genetically viable wild horses and other wildlife remain on public land for the public to enjoy. There must be a win-win for wild horses and energy. Industrialization must not wipe out wildlife."
The preservation group urges interested people to contact the Tonopah BLM to adopt a wild horse or burro at the roundup site. Their office telephone is 775-482-7801.
Protect Mustangs is a Berkeley based preservation group who's mission is to educate the public about the American wild horse, protect and research wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.
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Media Contacts:
Anne Novak
415-531-8454
Kerry Becklund
510-502-1913
Photos, video and interviews available upon request.
Links of interest:
Protect Mustangs' videos: http://www.youtube.com/ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs in the news: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=218
Protect Mustangs website: http://protectmustangs.org/
Josh Fox (GASLAND HBO) denied 1st Amendment rights & arrested: http://bit.ly/zqVCZF
Obama Continues Destructive Federal Grazing Subsidy on 258 Million Acres of Public Land: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2012/02/01-3
Cloud Foundation Captures Burro Hot-shot Abuse on Video: http://bit.ly/tDXkkl
Deb Coffey's Open Letter to Tonopah BLM: http://ppjg.me/2012/01/03/open-letter-to-the-blm-hee-haw/
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