Cedar & Onaqui Mountain Roundup – Feb. 2012

These photos are from the Onaqui/Cedar Mountain roundup in mid-February 2012 southwest of Salt Lake. Some photos are of the release of mares and stallions as well. All released mares were treated with PZP. All photos were taken by Lisa Friday.

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Stone Cabin Wild Horses Released – Feb. 2012

For the hundreds and thousands that are removed from the wild, there are still a lucky few who are released back. The Stone Cabin Wild Horse Complex roundup in eastern Nevada removed over 600 horses from their rangelands. Here are some of those that got the chance to go back home. Their families have been splintered, but at least they are free again. Photos of are both mares and stallions. All mares were treated with the infertility drug PZP. All photos were taken by Elyse Gardner, who was on site for the release. You can check out her reports from the field at her Humane Observer blog here.

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Action Alert: Your Help Needed to Protect the Pryor Mustangs

BLM Sets Sights on Cloud’s Herd Once Again

Dear Cloud and Pryor Wild Horse Defenders;

The BLM is proposing another significant removal of wild horses on the Pryor Mountains. I know. Just when you thought it was safe… they’re back!

BLM’s recently released Environmental Assessment (EA) seeks to remove via bait trapping and potentially water trapping,30 young Pryor mustangs, ages 1-3 years. Bait and/or water trapping could begin as early as mid-January. Comments are due by January 6, 2012. We urge you to comment and to support the NO Action Alternative, the only alternative that keeps a viable population of horses on the mountain.

Cloud's yearling daughter, Breeze, is just one of the horses that could be removed in 2012

An Update Video on the Divide Basin Roundup

Dear Wild Horse Champions; We invite you to screen the linked 10-minute story about our trip late last month to the vast, sage-covered landscapes of southern Wyoming. Lauryn Wachs and I attended the roundup of wild horses in the Great Divide Basin. As many of you know, I would rather be strung up by my thumbs than attend these sad and savage events. It blows me away that our tax dollars are still being wasted on helicopter roundups to scour the land of these beautiful creatures. But, the program speaks for itself—both to the beauty of the land and the horses.

Pryor Scoping Letter Issued

BLM Seeks Another Removal in Cloud’s Herd

August 16, 2011

Dear Friends of Cloud, his family, and herd;The BLM Billings Field Office mailed a Scoping Letter to interested parties on July 28th, stating their intent to reach an “Appropriate” Management Level (AML) of 90-120 adult wild horses, one year of age and older in the Pryor Mountains. If they carry out this plan 45 to as many as 75 horses would be removed in 2012. We cannot allow this to happen.Our position is clear—there is absolutely no need for any removals. Little Lynx

Stinking Water Comments Due

Late notice– this one almost slipped by: BLM Oregon plans to roundup 214 horses in Stinking Water herd management area: roundup 214 horses; return just 40! Roundup scheduled for June 21st – The Environmental Assessment is online here. Another roundup that should be stopped immediately — http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/plans/files/StinkingwaterFONSI.pdf

Pleased to Announce the Roundup has been Stopped

The BLM has stopped the roundup early and will release some of the horses. The BLM has decided to take more of Clouds offspring. The BLM is not honoring our request to release the older horses. More to come soon.

Bolder’s Filly Thin?

*****NEWS FLASH**** 2pm, Sept. 6, 2009
The Cattoor roundup helicopter just drove Cloud’s son Bolder and his band down the mountain. It is over 90 degrees now in the low country and the horses must travel over 12 miles. We cannot be in the helicopter or anywhere to observe and can only see and witness a small portion of their frightening journey. Chino’s band was with them as well and they fine coming in but at this time of year many of the horses are way out in the Forest Service and they had a very long trip down. The helicopter is going up now for more horses, very likely including the week-old foal and her young mother, both planned to be removed. This is the wrong time to do a roundup in the Pryors—later in the fall the horses would be much lower down the mountain. But this is when the roundup crew was available. Many of the foals are too young for this journey.

Roundup Update– Massive Removals Continue

Dear Friends of Cloud and the Pryor Horses:

Yesterday was one of the saddest dies of my life as whole bands of horses were driven off their home range by helicopter and into traps where they were then loaded into stock trailers and hauled the 25 miles down the twisting and rough Crooked Creek road. Following Trigger and his large family band down the mountain in a cloud of choking dust I watched these frightened animals brace against each other in the trailer.

I started filming Trigger when he was just a few days old back in 1997. Now this stunning bay stallion with the huge white blaze has grown up, winning mares of his own and his sons and daughters have faces that match their father’s. I know these horses, their history and their families. This is personally devastating to me but nothing compared to what the horses are going through. Now proud Trigger is in the desert corrals, far away from his lush mountain home. They have all been freeze-branded and wear numbered neck tags. Yesterday his family, separated from Trigger while he was put in with another band stallion, were trying to paw in their water trough to cool off. 

Bo's band

Early this morning they captured Conquistador and his family—this 19 year-old dun stallion should never be removed from the range where his Spanish ancestors have lived in for centuries.

photo by Living Images- Carol Walker

People have driven overnight to be here and flown in from all over the country but now that most of the media is gone the BLM is moving horses much faster through the chutes and yesterday Trigger’s son and one of his mares both started coming through the chute window. I was not allowed to film or observe in the chute area but the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center was back there and took this photo.

Pryor Wild photo

 

In a meeting last month in Washington DC we were told by Ed Roberson of the Department of Interior and Don Glenn, Chief of the Wild Horse and Burro Program, that all of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horses would be adopted, even the horses over 10. At the first morning briefing of this roundup Field Manager Jim Sparks reiterated this promise. But in a taped interview yesterday Don Glenn said that the older horses would be sold, all people have to do is sign a paper release.

Don Glenn 

The BLM has changed this from a selective removal based on genetics, age, characteristics and genetic contribution to one of the complete removal of horses who live outside the designated range. This is why Trigger and Conquistador and Bo and Shane and their families are all now at Britton Springs corrals with tags around their necks. Among these bands are young foals and 21-year-old Grumpy Grulla.

Grumpy Grulla- 21 years old (on right)

We’ve followed the law and have met with the BLM, Congressionals, the Forest Service and others. We have commented on every new document and have made our wishes known. We have requested that experts write to the BLM but they are being ignored as well. We are working through the courts and have gotten all the media here we can.

However those entrusted by the public to manage our wild horses continue without consideration for the future of this herd. Please contact all your local media as well as national outlets- ask that this story be covered and the BLM investigated. ‘The Bureau of Lies and Mismanagement’ is running rough-shod over our wild horses on our public lands. Do not let them destroy another American treasure. 

Seattle and Blizzard after release 9-4-09

One of our friends said today “I have never prayed so hard”. There are so many of you out there who are working to preserve and protect this herd in their wild home, please keep fighting for Cloud’s herd and all our mustangs.  The helicopter is in the air but the horses are not gone yet. 

Thank you,
Ginger

 

Week old Filly to be removed with mom

Cloud’s Band- Summer 2008