Received by email: Good article on our "wild horse program" and the current state of affairs. My comment below. Permission to crosspost. Monika Courtney lasvegassun/news/2013/jul/07/mustang-debate-wild-ride/#axzz2YUn5cbu9 Using language such as “emotional horsy lovers” was long used to dismiss efforts by the opposition and enemies of wild horses, which feel either exposed or threatened in their framework, to build a shield against the rising pressure to their cattle kingdoms. Keep up the good work, all of you. The call for change is loud and clear; Americans will not stand by and witness the continuing abuse and cruelty while those in charge remain passive by choice. Decades of mismanagement to cave into the cattle muscle bearing monopoly are a contributing factor to the shrill outcry by some in the advocacy. When horses continue to die, suffer and remain trapped in a propaganda oriented mindset, is it a wonder? The public has not only offered input, help and ideas how to improve this mess. The public has been pushed aside with clever PR stunts and the constant pacifying statements in hopes we go away. The excuse based communication has more than not infuriated members of the animal advocates whose sole goal is to improve the lives of these horses. A thorn in the side of those who use any twist to justify their own callous or cruel actions, the advocacy has successfully shed light onto the inhumane standards which call for national reform. The tunnel vision of those who state helicopter touching horses is justified because these horses are “wild” reflects the bigger mentality under which the wild horses have been doomed. A lack of education in the general public adds to the national crisis. The current state of affairs is a product of secretive decade-long corruption, monopolized by special agendas and greed, with leadership appeasing the outraged public with yet more shield off comments. Mocking the efforts of advocates calling for increased welfare and higher standards in a time of national scandals dooming over the agency, is a tool used by those whose superlative domains and influence are threatened. No horse responds acceptingly to being touched by a helicopter, whether it is domesticated or wild. Yet this is exactly the absurdity on which this battle is raging. An agency, aligned with profit driven agendas, using any and all twists in hopes to alleviate national outrage on their current highly flawed methods. Horses suffer, period. Horses are not treated with the respect and care that would reflect the ironic non-existent “reform and transparency” of those who shout it coming. The American public needs to continue to demand reform, as the silence of new Secretary Jewell deems instructive of the shepherding that exists deep within, while BLM wants the public to believe they care. I am awaiting more action for horses in holding as the current facilities reflect the dire minimalist attitude dooming over any aspect of the program that is not in the interest of the very animals involved. Americans must continue to call in a chorus for reform, to see betterment against the sinister establishment inflicting this irreparable destruction while alternatives such as Reserve Design and proposals for self-stabilizing, sustainable solutions in the wild are on the table. We call on BLM to work with us, not against us. I call on HSUS to mandate immediate measures to take effect. The standby or diplomacy approach has failed our horses. Provision of shelter for holding is a call that has gone national as of last week. In a program allocating millions of tax funds to malignantly driven round ups to evict horses as I type, the agency’s claim of horses in “the open” not needing shade to excuse their absence of shelter is refuted by experts. It is a matter of priorities in which we have seen where they stood for BLM for the last 40 yrs. Any horse seeks shelter, if given a choice. Chutes, flags, panels, fences are not part of the “open range” yet they pose no concern to BLM. Dismissing mustangs as feral is another ploy to distract. Honing such statements shows the core value of those we have exposed to be deceptive. Dismissing real science and the work of capable experts willing to contribute to the much needed improvement of the program shows a fiefdom mentality of biblical proportions to gear to those who used the wild horses to benefit. Options are available to improve herd management in the wild as BLM was assigned to do. The extended research by experts on how to achieve a balance and truly manage, not extinct these animals, is smugly dismissed. Instead, the pilfering of wild horses continues under guise of managing, whilst all input from the public is ignored. The disregards for welfare in holding, where deaths are deflated or go unreported, are of great concern. The initial installing of a sprinkler for relief is noted and must lead to more efficient permanent infrastructure. These horses have no enrichment, no basic comfort but minimal care. They can be given a better quality of life after the traumatic experiences of being evicted, separated from their bands and degraded into warehoused, sacked commodities. It is just once again the question: where are the priorities of BLM? To mock those who drive for more humane treatment? To push for slaughter as a ploy to deter those defending the horses and their rightful habitat? To issue trivial statements instead of seeking real progress and work with the American public? It remains to be seen. In the meantime, the collective call of people for betterment in holding and on the range will continue. The inevitable urgency is clear and demands the attention of all animal welfare organizations to take note and get involved. The lingering of this debate as a politically influenced soap opera is not acceptable. These are America’s horses, and Americans are calling on BLM to change course. Provide appropriate shelter/relief to holding (suffering exacerbated to increased numbers of equines who should be on the range, not corralled), proposals of workable, cost-efficient ideas have been submitted. Contemplate solutions that reflect a result of a dialog with the public as well, not only the cattle parties. Balance must be restored, not only on our public lands, but within the think tank that has led to the current reality.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:40:00 +0000
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