Wild horse roundup drawing fierce opposition

[Algorem]

Source: KTNV Las Vegas

Posted: Dec 27, 2009 08:33 PM EST


...Wild horse advocates gathered outside the entrance of Red Rock Canyon, managed by Bureau of Land Management, on the eve of the roundup to make their voices heard.

Their efforts follow a plea from singer Sheryl Crow, who has reached out to President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Crow is among many horse defenders trying to block Monday's roundup...




Gawne says the roundup process is not only inhumane but is costing the taxpayers of Nevada millions of dollars.

...

"Why isn't Obama having the BLM see what they can do to create jobs and have wild horse sanctuaries and build a wild horse safari industry," added Gawne...



Read more: http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11735639

---

Wild horse advocates protesting Nevada roundup

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14077496

The Associated Press
Posted: 12/27/2009 02:47:17 PM PST
Updated: 12/27/2009 04:43:18 PM PST


LAS VEGAS—Wild horse advocates held placards and waved down motorists Sunday to protest a federal roundup of mustangs from private and public lands in Nevada.
The hastily scheduled event drew more than 30 protesters at an entrance to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, said Makendra Silverman of the Cloud Foundation, which takes the name of a wild horse featured on PBS documentaries.

Another group, California-based In Defense of Animals, scheduled a demonstration Wednesday outside the San Francisco office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Feinstein is seen as a powerful senator who would be in sympathy with protesters' calls for a moratorium on wild horse roundups, Silverman said.

Yet another protest was being hastily planned for Wednesday in Chicago, where the Colorado-based Cloud Foundation has supporters, she said. The Cloud Foundation was named after a striking pale palomino that roams Pryor Mountain along the Montana-Wyoming border...

———

On the Net:

http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov

http://nvwildhorses.ning.com/



Willie Nelson joins Barbi twins to try to save mustangs

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1521688.php/Willie-Nelson-joins-Barbi-twins-to-try-to-save-mustangs

Willie Nelson joins Barbi twins to try to save mustangs

...In a letter urging support for the cause, the country star stresses this is a 'bipartisan issue' and that he believes 'these horses should be allowed to run naturally on their land'. He implores the federal Bureau of Land Management not to 'manage these creatures into extinction'.


Nelson also states in the letter that he's personally rescued 25 to 30 mustangs directly from slaughter.


The Barbi twins have been champions of the wild horse cause – in July, they targeted Republican Doc Hastings for his opposition to the 'Restore Our American Mustangs Act', which would provide about $200 million a year to preserve land for the horses to live on.


'This is an important bipartisan cause, and I am asking all Americans to join with us before it's too late,' Nelson writes...

[EFerrari]

1. We adopted one of those horses about 20 years ago.

I can't believe that after all this time, this still hasn't been worked out. :grr:

[winyanstaz]

2. If they would stop milly mucking around with nature it would take care of itself..

Leave the horses alone dang it.

[Elfin Yeti]

4. One of the problems is...

...there's nothing natural about the cattle ranching that competes with horses. Mother nature doesn't stand a chance against powerful beef industry lobbyists.

[taurus145]

8. There's also nothing natural about the mustangs being there

I'm just sayin'

It's definitely a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. I don't have the answer unless it's a time machine so we can go back a few hundred years and stop the release of horses in the "New World" by explorers and settlers.

[winyanstaz]

10. yup..I hear you there...

[izquierdista]

12. Cattle in Red Rock Canyon??

I think the closest beef cattle to Red Rock Canyon would be the ones being served up as prime rib at the Silverado buffet. Horses are not native to Nevada. They are all feral descendants of horses that the Spanish brought in the 16th century. The only thing that would bring them into balance would be to have apex predators like lions or wolves. Somehow, I don't think that would go over well in Las Vegas.

[hunter]

13. Horses would be typical of North American fauna before humans.

When humans arrived on the continent the horses became extinct.

The natural environments that remain co-evolved with horses, and the great success of feral horses indicates they are pretty much a drop-in replacement for the horses that became extinct.

I say let the horses be, along with the wolves and mountain lions, and focus on the environmental damage done by the cattle industry.

[WriteDown]

11. If you want to be all-natural then you should survive the removal of all wild mustangs...

Not native.

[tblue]

3. Are they rounded up for slaughter?

Oh please no!

[chatnoir]

5. Ugh, what happens when they appoint a rancher to be Sec of Interior

[Vidar]

6. K&R.

[underpants]

7. I thought this was settled and then settled again

My wife and I have been following this story (and posting it here) since Peter Jennings had a report on it on ABC --yes several years ago

I thought T.Boone Pickens wife was going to cover this

Damn, the beef and sheep industries REALLY want that land huh?

[hamsterjill]

15. I thought so, too.

Last year, I thought Mrs. Pickens stepped in and put a stop to it. Am I wrong? And where is she this year????

[underpants]

16. She probably got out bid by the cattle and sheep ranching industries

yes they would probably bid to kill the horses

money is money you know

[MisterP]

9. We must balk at even the most "justified" of massacres. nt

[Tailormyst]

14. I wish I had the space/finances to adopt one of those beauties.

[and-justice-for-all]

17. "Wild horse roundup"?! appalling..! nt

[wpsedgwick]

18. Nevada reins in horse herds, but critics decry methods

Source: Green Technology Daily

The U.S. government is dragging wild horses away from Nevada, using helicopters to collect 2,500 mustangs from public and private lands in an effort to control the wild herds' population sizes.

Animal advocates say the so-called "gathers" are unnecessary and inhumane, arguing that helicopters risk injuring the horses and wintertime roundups expose them to respiratory disease.

"We are very, very disappointed this is happening under the Obama administration," says a program director of one conservation group that's suing to stop the roundups. "This will devastate the herd and have a devastating impact on the horses left behind."



Read more: http://www.greentechnologydaily.com/eco-system/577-nevada-reins-in-horse-herds-but-critics-decry-methods

[AzNick]

19. Again. it's Obama's fault!

"We are very, very disappointed this is happening under the Obama administration".

Yes, the BLM is a federal administration, but this is not done under the Obama administration but under the Ron Wenker adminstration:

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/state_directory.html

[Mojorabbit]

20. I didn't think I would still

be writing letters to prevent wolf shooting either after the election but I am.

[MineralMan]

21. They should shoot them, butcher them, and give the meat to

those who can't afford to buy meat. Horsemeat is quite good. I've never quite understood the hesitance in this country to eat wholesome horsemeat. We eat venison. We eat elk. We eat moose. We eat bison. We eat cattle.

Unless there are people clamoring to adopt all these wild horses and pay for their food, converting them to edible protein seems like an effective way to control the sizes of herds of feral horses.

Everyone realizes that these aren't "wild" horses, right? They're an exotic species.

Want to save the "wild" horses? Adopt one.

:hide:

[katkat]

22. MIneralMan

How about some Mineral Man for dinner? After we hunt you down.

[MineralMan]

23. You're equating feral horses and humans?

Really? Uff da!

How about eating Elsie? You down with that? Or Bambi? How about Bullwinkle?

Are you a vegetarian?

[jaybeat]

26. I've often said, "Animals are people, too." Your point? (nt)

[MineralMan]

30. People are, indeed, animals.

But animals are not people.

Squares are always rectangles, but rectangles are not always squares. It's a common logical flaw that you're making.

People aren't horses. Horses are not people. Both are animals.

They have been eaten by other people in historical times, too. I don't eat human meat. I have no interest in it, and we have laws against murdering people. As far as I know, there are no groups on this planet who eat human meat any longer.

Which animals would you prefer I limit myself to eating? Do you have a list?

[jaybeat]

46. Respect the animal people

Living creatures are not our property to do with as we choose. I meant it the way I said it. I don't eat animals, and while I won't tell you not to, I do think it says a lot about a person when their "solution" to a problem is to kill something.

I would prefer you not eat any animals. Period. Beyond that, if an animal is not raised domestically I can see little if any justification for killing it. We are omnivores; we no longer have to be carnivores. Why kill if you don't have to?

[MineralMan]

25. Is that a threat?

Feral horses are an exotic, invasive species. They are not native to the areas they live in, and damage the environment for animals that are native to the areas. They are no different than the Asian Carp that are threatening to invade the Great Lakes.

But, you like horsies, right? So they must not be removed from the areas they have invaded, right?

Uff da! I like elephants. Let's release a bunch of them into all the temperate states. They'll do great. All that farmland to eat up.

[jaybeat]

27. They've been here almost 600 years

The only species they are a threat to are the cows that public-land ranchers raise to put on *your* dinner table.

(When you're not eating bison or emu, that is.)

And when you can explain to me the role that Asian Carp have played in the history of the Great Lakes over the 600 years they've been there, then I might consider them "no different," but otherwise, not.

[MineralMan]

29. 600 years is nothing, biologically. And they damage more than

just the cattle. The pronghorn is another, native animal that has suffered from the plague of feral horses. Direct competition.

As for bison and emu, I have eaten both, and both are quite good. Bison is frequently raised, like cattle, in this country, on farms for that purpose, as are emu. Ostrich is another popular farm animal that is enjoyed by many people.

The bottom line, I suspect, is that you would like me not to eat any animals at all. Sorry, but I'll be disappointing you.

[jaybeat]

24. Don't get me started...

When a species has been living in the wild for close to 600 years, they are, in fact, wild. Imported, yes, but they have been integrated into the ecosystem for so long that it really, REALLY doesn't matter anymore.

And, actually, there are people clamoring to adopt these horses and burros--the BLM's adoption program is absurdly under funded and can't even come close to meeting the demand. Even if the BLM had the budget to adopt out all the animals above what the ecosystems can support, there would still be unmet demand. (And its not just fluffy pony lovers. Adopted and well-trained Kiger Mustangs can easily fetch 5 figures, if you can find one.)

Every country has an eat/don't eat line that's different. Usually depends on what's considered a "pet"--we don't eat dogs, but many do.

Would you suggest the same treatment for lost or abandoned dogs and cats?

I'd say you need to grow a little compassion for those you consider "food"--or maybe eat more food that's grown and less that's butchered.

[MineralMan]

28. Why not get you started. I'm serious about this. Horses are

non-native animals. They destroy habitat used by native animals.

As for eat/don't eat lines, I don't have those, so that's uninteresting to me. I've eaten horsemeat, and found it quite palatable. I've eaten lots of exotic things in my travels, from goats and rabbits to guinea pigs and muskrats. If humans eat it, I'm likely to try it.

Dogs are carnivores, and their meat is generally unpalatable. Some cultures do eat canines, but some cultures eat sea cucumbers, too, and those just plain taste nasty.

If there was truly a market for these wild horse, then open up the lands for commercial capture of the horses, then sell them to that market. If it works economically, then it would solve the problem. I doubt that the market is there.

You may suggest that I alter my diet. I will suggest that you manage your own diet and leave me to mine.

[doodadem]

32. What a bunch of crap!

Why is it, that every time someone posts an update on mustang roundup, someone like you pops up and says, Well let's eat them!

Horses do NOT destroy habitat, and they do not compete with native animals. Deer eat trees/bark and the like, horses eat grass. The only thing they are competing with is the HUMONGOUS and insanely wealthy cattle lobby, who lease OUR public lands to graze these animals on for a pittance.

We were finally successful in closing the last two equine slaughterhouses in this country a few years ago, and it was way overdue. Horses are companion animals--like eating your pet poodle. Horses are much more intelligent than cattle--I've owned both, and currently have 3 horses and 2 miniature donkeys.

Although I haven't eaten beef for several years now either. There are diseases that are prevalent in the species that are either not tested, or the government just plain doesn't care about because the cattle industry pays them not to care about them. Profit is everything.

The premise that horses are not native in this country is on somewhat shaky ground when you start reading about how their ancestors crossed ancient land bridges to get to other continents.

Obama made a big mistake in appointing Ken Salazar, a cattle rancher himself, to this position.

[MineralMan]

33. Then you should adopt one of these feral horses and save it.

Otherwise, I don't see how you can demand I pay for it. It is that simple. These are feral animals, not companion animals. If you want one as a pet, then I suggest you get one.

[MineralMan]

35. I mentioned the pronghorn, which grazes. Seen one lately?

They are a native species. They were not hunted out of their territories. Where they are hunted, like Wyoming, they thrive. In Nevada, where they were, and I stress the word, common, they are exceedingly rare today.

Where's your desire for these native species to retake their territory? I repeat: feral horses are an exotic species in this range. They do not belong there. Like all exotic, non-native species, they should be removed from these areas and native species encouraged to reestablish their populations.

You like horses. That's very nice. So, adopt one of these feral horses and save its life. Otherwise, stand aside and let people remove them from places they don't belong.

[Robb]

31. Wow. That's not my understanding at all.

Most people I know with horses are struggling to feed them in the past few years. Seeking hay (or is it straw? I'm no expert here) and feed donations.

...Who exactly is clamoring for these horses?

[MineralMan]

34. Nobody is clamoring for them. That's the fact of the matter.

Lots of people don't like the idea of these herds being thinned down, but few are willing to adopt one of these feral horses. Because of that, we're all having to pay for them to be flown by helicopter somewhere.

If there was a market for them, commercial horse capture and sales operations would be thriving. Instead, we all must pay to move them around so as not to disturb the horse lovers who don't want one in their barn.

These are not native species we're talking about. They're not wolves, bears, or even coyotes. They're feral horses. They're not nice quiet horses that live in barns. They're feral.

No doubt there are a few outstanding specimens among these herds. Those may be in demand. Mostly, though, they have uncontrolled, undistinguished bloodlines. They don't make good pets.

[wordpix]

43. beware that those "clamoring" for the horses aren't meat packing companies

:shrug:

an underfunded BLM adoption prog. will not be able to separate the wheat from the chaff, so watch out for that argument.

[aikoaiko]

36. MIneralMan, you offer a reasonable solution

:applause:

[MineralMan]

38. Thanks. I tried.

[wordpix]

42. much as I don't love MM's solution, it's as good as we can do

I am not a pro-hunt advocate but with too many humans on the planet heavily weighing on the ecology of every biome and speeding up the extinction of species, a hunt in favor of native species is better than wild mustangs taking over the entire range.

If the reason to hunt the wild horses is to give more land to developers, that's a different story.

[wordpix]

41. National Zoo feeds the big cats horse meat ---what a conundrum

Feed endangered big cats living in zoos wild mustang meat from NV?

The big problem here is TOO MANY PEOPLE. Our human population is heading toward 7 billion. We are crowding out all other species, whether wild horses or wild cats or wild deer. My solution: BIRTH CONTROL.

[and-justice-for-all]

37. No one seems concerned about the Human population...

which does a gazillion times more damage then Horses ever will...

"control the wild herds' population sizes." what the fuck ever, sick bastards.

[MineralMan]

39. And, now, what would be your solution for the Human population?

Are you one of those "300 Million people is enough" folks? Of course humans do more damage than the 18,000 or so feral horses in Nevada.

So, what's your proposal to mitigate the human destruction? You can't just say that the problem exists without proposing a solution.

You see, I proposed a solution for the overpopulation of feral horses. Now, it's your turn.

[Paladin]

40. Give It A Rest. (n/t)

[wordpix]

44. free birth control for all, worldwide, for starters

[Boudica the Lyoness]

45. I own two BLM mustangs

They were herd mates who were captured together by the BLM. They are such beautiful creatures.
I often wonder about people who think these horses should be hung upside down, stabbed and then cut up for greedy cruel heartless people like themselves to eat.
My two horses were born and raised in the wild and lived in peace till the day they were chased by a helicopter and trapped by humans. The terror they have suffered and yet they have been so gentle and kind to me. If all humans were more like horses what a wonderful world it would be.

I've been a vegetarian for 36 years by the way.