There are four times as many desert tortoises living in the wild right now than wild horses living in the wild.
The treatment of the Bundy cattle by the BLM is no surprise to wild horse advocates who've seen BLM animal cruelty up close, as the graphic video at the link douments. The BLM had become accomplished in running rangestock to death long before the appauling treatment of Bundy's cattle caused an outrage. It was only a matter of time before the practices used against wild horses carried through to treatment of all rangestock.
If any good can come from the destruction and maltreatment of Bundy cattle, perhaps it will be cattle ranchers finally hearing the voices of wild horse advocates and joining with them to ensure BLM abuse of ALL rangestock is brought to an abrupt and absolute closure.
and just because I'm feeling froggy, here's a side-connect between former DOI secretary Salizar, and his buddy Tom Davis:
http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/14/17708998-the-case-of-the-missing-mustangs-what-happened-to-1700-wild-horses
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/11/u-s-secretary-of-interior-threatens-to-punch-out-local-reporter/#.U2AwIZtcZ8N
i hate big brother. /winston smith, 1984
I made it 2 minutes through that...I can’t watch anymore. Does BLM stand for “Barbaric Land Management?”
Isn’t horse meat the foundation of a lot of dog/cat food?
There’s a lot of dog food going to waste.
If not culled, wild horses degrade the rangelands by overbrowsing. As long as the contractors hired do it an accepted manner, we should allow it. Wild means hard to control, so a few horses getting broken legs happens. Those are put down to limit suffering.
Once caught, not all get bought for riding or pets, the rest should go to slaughter or pet meat or exported for human consumption. Holding them for long times in pens is more cruel than prompt disposition.
I hate the BLM and their extraordinarily cruel treatment of these wonderful animals. Not watching the video link, I’ve seen all I can stomach of gorgeous little foals run down by helicopters until their hooves are ground off by rocks.
Here’s a link to American Wild HOrse Preservation, an organization that has the horses’ best interests at heart and often prevails over the BLM…but too often on a temporary basis. The bloodthirsty BLMers can hardly wait to murder another wild horse. http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6931/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1291006
Yes, I’m beyond logic, just furious and extremely sad.
There is no such thing as a wild horse in the US. These are feral horses. Many of these are horses that are dumped for various reasons, particularly a poor economy. There are very few that can trace their ancestry to the Spanish settlers.
By what reasoning should these animals stay and someone who pays for a lease and does mandatory improvements and manages the lease to have feed forever available out there be forced out? By what reasoning should the tax payer foot the bill for these animals and forego the income from the leases? In any of these videos does anyone see any reasonable amount of grazing available for these animals (Note that one horse eats considerably more than one cow calf unit). No one cries for the preservation of wild cows (and feral cows do exist).
We should note that this is what they want us to see. One woman says it is better they die of old age. Does anyone see any animals in the wild die of old age? They eventually slow down, become prey or fail to make it to food and water and starve or then become prey. No “wild animal” dies of old age.
They play on your sentiment. THey play you for a sucker. They lie and say they feel as you do. They never appeal to your logic or reason. Their entire pitch is the noble horse. Watch the documentray “Cloud” and tell me how noble the stallion that dismembers the colt is.
Read the NYT Magazine article about the lawyer who is suing for personhood for chimps. Do you really think it will stop there? THis animal sentimentality is a slope waaay more slippery than the gay marriage transgender issue.
Horse owner here.....thoroughbreds....Hanoverians.....TWHs
I really detest folks being cruel or murderous to horses.....but no I’m not PETA zealot with my sights on Shelbyville TN or the Derby or the Iroquois
Horses are no joke...they are tough and kick your ass but as a rule they don’t fear humans by nature anymore
Its just wrong
They can be so inspiring.