September 16, 2011 - AIRPLANE HARASSES WILD HORSES AND PUTS HELICOPTER PILOT, WRANGLERS, BLM, AND OBSERVERS IN DANGER DURING SPRING CREEK, COLORADO WILD HORSE GATHER.
On September 16, 2011 Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc. was doing a wild horse gather in Southwestern Colorado in Spring Creek which is located in Disappointment Valley. There were many observers and several protesters present that day. A viewing area had been chosen up on the hill above the trap and temporary holding site. The helicopter did not start herding the wild horses until afternoon because of a mechanical problem that had to be addressed. A small airplane had circled the area several times during the morning hours. The helicopter was bringing in the second band of wild horses when this airplane suddenly appeared and flying very low above the helicopter followed it all the way up the wings of the trap. Dave Cattoor was down on the wings with the Judas horse and told the pilot that the airplane was just above him and to stay very low and then to land as soon as he could safely do so. That is what the pilot did. The airplane made another circle and flew down very low beside the helicopter on the ground and then flew low over the observers on the hill and at the entrance gate. There was a photographer hanging out of the window of the plane taking video or pictures.
Dave and Troy Cattoor and the pilot then met with the BLM COR and PI’s overseeing the gather operation and when it appeared the airplane has left the area they decided to put the helicopter back in the air and bring in another band of wild horses. The pilot had just picked up another band not very far from the trap when the airplane suddenly showed up again. Someone there at the gather observation site had contact with the airplane and was telling him when and where the helicopter was. This time the airplane again flew very close to and parallel with the helicopter. The photographer was still hanging out the window taking pictures. As the helicopter brought the wild horses close to the wings of the trap the airplane moved ahead and turned the wild horses in front of the helicopter causing them to go up the hill. The airplane pilot was harassing the wild horses and trying to turn them out of the wings of the trap. He was once aging very close to the helicopter putting the pilot in danger. Dave again told the helicopter pilot to land as soon as he could. When the helicopter was safely on the ground we shut down for the day.
We reported this incident to the FAA and they are doing an investigation of the pilot. The observers working with this pilot are just as guilty and really do not care about the wild horses. They only care about themselves, getting close up pictures no matter what, and their own notoriety. Our pilots do everything they can to herd the wild horse to the trap as humanely as possible. They should not be put in this kind of a dangerous situation.. Nor should the wild horses be subjected to this extra stress. Our wranglers, the BLM personnel and the other observers should not have been put in this kind of danger either. The actions of this pilot and these other individuals was very irresponsible. This only gives the good advocates and others a bad name, which is sad because most of the public coming out to observe the roundups are really good people who just care about the wild horses.
Club Footed Wild Horses in Wyoming
We just finished the roundups in White Mountain and Little Colorado in Western Wyoming. During this roundup ten wild horses were humanely euthanized. Three were badly crippled with pre-existing injuries but seven were club footed. These club feet are a genetic defect and the horses have a hard time traveling to feed and water. These two pictures are of one pinto stud horse with club feet from White Mountain.
On September 16, 2011 Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc. was doing a wild horse gather in Southwestern Colorado in Spring Creek which is located in Disappointment Valley. There were many observers and several protesters present that day. A viewing area had been chosen up on the hill above the trap and temporary holding site. The helicopter did not start herding the wild horses until afternoon because of a mechanical problem that had to be addressed. A small airplane had circled the area several times during the morning hours. The helicopter was bringing in the second band of wild horses when this airplane suddenly appeared and flying very low above the helicopter followed it all the way up the wings of the trap. Dave Cattoor was down on the wings with the Judas horse and told the pilot that the airplane was just above him and to stay very low and then to land as soon as he could safely do so. That is what the pilot did. The airplane made another circle and flew down very low beside the helicopter on the ground and then flew low over the observers on the hill and at the entrance gate. There was a photographer hanging out of the window of the plane taking video or pictures.
Dave and Troy Cattoor and the pilot then met with the BLM COR and PI’s overseeing the gather operation and when it appeared the airplane has left the area they decided to put the helicopter back in the air and bring in another band of wild horses. The pilot had just picked up another band not very far from the trap when the airplane suddenly showed up again. Someone there at the gather observation site had contact with the airplane and was telling him when and where the helicopter was. This time the airplane again flew very close to and parallel with the helicopter. The photographer was still hanging out the window taking pictures. As the helicopter brought the wild horses close to the wings of the trap the airplane moved ahead and turned the wild horses in front of the helicopter causing them to go up the hill. The airplane pilot was harassing the wild horses and trying to turn them out of the wings of the trap. He was once aging very close to the helicopter putting the pilot in danger. Dave again told the helicopter pilot to land as soon as he could. When the helicopter was safely on the ground we shut down for the day.
We reported this incident to the FAA and they are doing an investigation of the pilot. The observers working with this pilot are just as guilty and really do not care about the wild horses. They only care about themselves, getting close up pictures no matter what, and their own notoriety. Our pilots do everything they can to herd the wild horse to the trap as humanely as possible. They should not be put in this kind of a dangerous situation.. Nor should the wild horses be subjected to this extra stress. Our wranglers, the BLM personnel and the other observers should not have been put in this kind of danger either. The actions of this pilot and these other individuals was very irresponsible. This only gives the good advocates and others a bad name, which is sad because most of the public coming out to observe the roundups are really good people who just care about the wild horses.
Club Footed Wild Horses in Wyoming
We just finished the roundups in White Mountain and Little Colorado in Western Wyoming. During this roundup ten wild horses were humanely euthanized. Three were badly crippled with pre-existing injuries but seven were club footed. These club feet are a genetic defect and the horses have a hard time traveling to feed and water. These two pictures are of one pinto stud horse with club feet from White Mountain.
August 19, 2012
Subject: Desatoya Gather - Roped Foal
Holly Hazard with HSUS was an observer at the first day of the Desatoya Wild Horse Gather we are doing near Austin, Nevada. She has issued a press release criticizing the way one foal was handled at the trap site. In her statement she said the foal was hogtied and left in the path of galloping wild horses. This statement is not the truth. It is misleading and exaggerated. The little foal was captured and tied down but certainly not in the path of galloping wild horses. .
This is what happened and why the foal was handled the way it was and why certain decisions were made. The pilot radioed that he had a foal that appeared to be very weak and was dropping back from the band. Our pilots herd the wild horses at their own pace so they know if something can not keep up it usually has a problem of some kind. CLR’s protocol is to immediately send a wrangler on horseback to the foal so that it will not become lost and can be brought in to be evaluated and reunited with the mother. A wrangler captured the foal and could immediately tell this foal was very weak. He knew not to stress it further by trying to drive it on into the trap but to try to get a trailer and the vet to it as soon as possible. At this same time the helicopters were bringing in other bands of horses that also contained foals. The wrangler, again following CLR protocol, tied the foal down at the end of one of the long wings. He then rode out of the way so as not to scare and turn back the bands of horses the helicopters were bringing in. As soon as the bands were safely in the trap this wrangler went back to the foal and brought it to a trailer that was dispatched to take it to the temporary holding. Here the foal was given water and put in the pen with the wet mares to find it’s mother.
After all the wild horses had been sorted through the chute and were settled in pens with food and water I gave Holly a “walk around” of the holding facility. I showed her this foal and she could see that at that time it appeared to be OK. We spent some time observing these wet mares and foals to make sure they were pairing up and that everything was OK. This again is CLR’s protocol when we are doing gathers and have small foals. But also we knew that today we had captured some very weak foals. Several were really thin and their hair was rough - they were not slicked off like healthy foals should be in the summer time. This foal and one other appeared to not be doing good so they were caught and given electrolyte paste and some more water.
We could not save them They later both died. The APHIS vet performed necropsy’s on them. The little foal that had been roped was starved and very weak. You can read the report. The other foal had gone immediately to the hay that was provided for the horses and ate too much and had coliced. Again you can read the report. We all felt bad but knew we had done all we could to save them. Yes the gather may have hastened their deaths but they were so weak and the wild horses were traveling so far to water that they would not have survived for very long. We lost these two but because the wild horses were gathered other weak foals that might have died out on the range were saved.
We, Cattoor Livestock Roundup really resent Holly’s insinuations that the treatment of this foal was not humane and that we did something to cause it unnecessary stress. We also resent her insinuations that we tied the foal down and brought in the other bands of horses for only gather efficiency. She insinuates that we were not looking out for the best interests of the foal. We feel that the best decisions that could have been made under these circumstances were made. The foal was very weak and the wrangler knew he would need to bring a trailer to load it and not try to drive it on into the trap. He knew the other wild horses were close to the trap. He knew theses other bands also has foals. He did not want to scare them and cause extra stress on those bands so he tied the foal down in a safe place where it was certainly not in any danger from the other wild horses being driven into the trap. He went back and got it as soon as he could. The other bands could continue on into the trap. This is especially important because, as I have described in my information about what happens as wild horses are located and driven to the trap, the helicopter gets the animals to move away from it and to move in the right direction. If the helicopters would have backed off and the bands allowed to turn back under the helicopters and escape and then the pilots try to bring them back around and in to the trap these animals would have had lots of extra distance and lots of extra stress put on them. That if anything would have been inhumane.
I would also like to add that we closely monitored several more of the foals that were captured this day and the next day. These wild horses that were living out in this area were really short of feed and were traveling a very long ways to water. They had not had any green grass this spring or early summer and so the mares did not have much milk. We had two foals that we weaned from their mothers because they were in very poor shape and the mares did not have any milk. They were taken to an individual in Dayton for some TLC. Several more were marked so PVC could monitor them.
Subject: Desatoya Gather - Roped Foal
Holly Hazard with HSUS was an observer at the first day of the Desatoya Wild Horse Gather we are doing near Austin, Nevada. She has issued a press release criticizing the way one foal was handled at the trap site. In her statement she said the foal was hogtied and left in the path of galloping wild horses. This statement is not the truth. It is misleading and exaggerated. The little foal was captured and tied down but certainly not in the path of galloping wild horses. .
This is what happened and why the foal was handled the way it was and why certain decisions were made. The pilot radioed that he had a foal that appeared to be very weak and was dropping back from the band. Our pilots herd the wild horses at their own pace so they know if something can not keep up it usually has a problem of some kind. CLR’s protocol is to immediately send a wrangler on horseback to the foal so that it will not become lost and can be brought in to be evaluated and reunited with the mother. A wrangler captured the foal and could immediately tell this foal was very weak. He knew not to stress it further by trying to drive it on into the trap but to try to get a trailer and the vet to it as soon as possible. At this same time the helicopters were bringing in other bands of horses that also contained foals. The wrangler, again following CLR protocol, tied the foal down at the end of one of the long wings. He then rode out of the way so as not to scare and turn back the bands of horses the helicopters were bringing in. As soon as the bands were safely in the trap this wrangler went back to the foal and brought it to a trailer that was dispatched to take it to the temporary holding. Here the foal was given water and put in the pen with the wet mares to find it’s mother.
After all the wild horses had been sorted through the chute and were settled in pens with food and water I gave Holly a “walk around” of the holding facility. I showed her this foal and she could see that at that time it appeared to be OK. We spent some time observing these wet mares and foals to make sure they were pairing up and that everything was OK. This again is CLR’s protocol when we are doing gathers and have small foals. But also we knew that today we had captured some very weak foals. Several were really thin and their hair was rough - they were not slicked off like healthy foals should be in the summer time. This foal and one other appeared to not be doing good so they were caught and given electrolyte paste and some more water.
We could not save them They later both died. The APHIS vet performed necropsy’s on them. The little foal that had been roped was starved and very weak. You can read the report. The other foal had gone immediately to the hay that was provided for the horses and ate too much and had coliced. Again you can read the report. We all felt bad but knew we had done all we could to save them. Yes the gather may have hastened their deaths but they were so weak and the wild horses were traveling so far to water that they would not have survived for very long. We lost these two but because the wild horses were gathered other weak foals that might have died out on the range were saved.
We, Cattoor Livestock Roundup really resent Holly’s insinuations that the treatment of this foal was not humane and that we did something to cause it unnecessary stress. We also resent her insinuations that we tied the foal down and brought in the other bands of horses for only gather efficiency. She insinuates that we were not looking out for the best interests of the foal. We feel that the best decisions that could have been made under these circumstances were made. The foal was very weak and the wrangler knew he would need to bring a trailer to load it and not try to drive it on into the trap. He knew the other wild horses were close to the trap. He knew theses other bands also has foals. He did not want to scare them and cause extra stress on those bands so he tied the foal down in a safe place where it was certainly not in any danger from the other wild horses being driven into the trap. He went back and got it as soon as he could. The other bands could continue on into the trap. This is especially important because, as I have described in my information about what happens as wild horses are located and driven to the trap, the helicopter gets the animals to move away from it and to move in the right direction. If the helicopters would have backed off and the bands allowed to turn back under the helicopters and escape and then the pilots try to bring them back around and in to the trap these animals would have had lots of extra distance and lots of extra stress put on them. That if anything would have been inhumane.
I would also like to add that we closely monitored several more of the foals that were captured this day and the next day. These wild horses that were living out in this area were really short of feed and were traveling a very long ways to water. They had not had any green grass this spring or early summer and so the mares did not have much milk. We had two foals that we weaned from their mothers because they were in very poor shape and the mares did not have any milk. They were taken to an individual in Dayton for some TLC. Several more were marked so PVC could monitor them.
NATI0NAL HORSE & BURRO RANGELAND MANAGEMENT COALITION
Advocating for commonsense, ecologically solid approaches to managing horses and burros to promote healthy wildlife and range lands for future generations.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Terra Rentz, NHBRMC Chair
Phone: 301-897-9770 x309/ E-mail: horseandrange@gmail.com
Horse and Burro Coalition Statement on NBC's Wild Horse Stories
Washington, DC (May 15, 2013) - The National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition issues the following statement in response to two stories released by NBC News today on wild horses:
"Recent stories by NBC News (Today Show: Wild horses: Endangered animals or menace, and Cruel or necessary? and NBCNews.com: The true cost of wild horse roundups) portray only select facts and a narrow part of the reality surrounding wild horses and burros on the western range.
While regarded by many as icons of the American West, free-roaming horses and burros are in fact nonnative species that threaten rangelands and native plant and animal species. But managed at appropriate population levels, wild horses and burros are not a "menace," even to those with whom the range is shared. Nor is it accurate in any way to call wild horses and burros "endangered." In fact, the problem is an overpopulation of horses and burros in and beyond many herd management areas. lt is inaccurate for these reports to depict only healthy horses or rangelands. While this exists, so do unhealthy horses and degraded range. Finally, considering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Federal agency tasked with managing most of the wild horses and burros in the West, has gathered tens of thousands of horses over the past decades, it is an unfair portrayal of those gathers to focus on a few instances of potentially inappropriate gather methods. While not perfect, the BLM works hard to maintain humane gather methods.
The BLM faces a daunting task. Current herd sizes, which greatly exceed manageable levels, stand to jeopardize other multiple uses called for by law; they do so by trampling vegetation, hardpacking the soil, and over-grazing. Current overpopulation of horses and burros on the range results in great suffering for the animals, many of which are dying of thirst or starvation. Other multiple uses that depend on healthy rangelands are suffering as well. Despite protection under the law, for example, BLM reports that since horses and burros became protected in 1971, ranching families have seen livestock grazing decline by 30 percent on BLM lands. Meanwhile, the horse population is 42 percent above the scientifically-determined Appropriate Management Level (AML) - which is the population size that BLM can graze without causing ecological damage to rangeland resources. More than 37,000 wild horses currently reside on the range, over 11,000 more than the west-wide AML of26,500 individuals. Without management, horse and burro herds can double in size every four to five years.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 was enacted to protect "Wild, free-roaming" horses and burros, as well as guide their management as part of the natural system on BLM and U.S. Forest Service lands in the western United States. The Act requires those agencies to maintain a "thriving natural ecological balance" and protect existing rights on those lands, based on the principle of multiple use. The Act, as amended, also authorizes the agencies to use or contract for the use of helicopters and motorized vehicles for the purpose of managing horses and burros. This aids BLM to reach AML. When AML is not reached, the animals and other multiple uses, such as wildlife habitat and livestock grazing, are negatively impacted.
Appropriate. scientifically sound management of wild horses and burros on the range is in the interests of all those who care about the health of the animals, the sustainability of the range and the well-being of the rural communities in the west. The NBC stories unfortunately neglect to address these legitimate issues and provide an incomplete picture of the challenges facing policymakers, rancher.;, and the conservation community.
For the sake of animal welfare and multiple-use-and in keeping with the Act--the Coalition supports actions that will bring herd sizes in line with AMLs, and emphasizes the following positions:
• The Coalition appreciates BLM's efforts to find ways to reduce reproduction rates, increase adoptions and otherwise find solutions to a problem that continues to burden the BLM, taxpayers, and ranchers and create concerns for the welfare of horses and burros and the health of wildlife and the habitats on which they depend. About 70 percent of the total program budget ($74.9 million) is currently being spent on the over 50,000 horses and burros being held in corrals and pastures. These levels are unsustainable. We support innovative strategies such as adjusting sex ratios, and we encourage more research into effective fertility control treatments. Aside from population suppression, offering trained animals for adoption is important to increase demand for excess horses and burros. We encourage cost-effective initiatives to partner with entities such as universities, prisons and the Mustang Heritage Foundation.
• The Coalition applauds the BLM's implementation of humane handling and holding practices. BLM is now supplementing their already-sound practices with a new Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program. As reported by the American Association of Equine Practitioners in 2011, BLM's "care, handling and management practices" are "appropriate for this population of horses and generally support the safety, health status and welfare of the animals"
• The Coalition believes horses and burros should continue to be cared for in a humane manner both on and off the range; integral to this goal is managing herd populations at scientifically determined AMLs and removing old and injured animals. Management decisions should be science-based and increase the ability of rangelands to support healthy horse and burro herds along with other multiple uses, including sustaining native plant and wildlife communities and livestock grazing.
The rangeland resource should be managed for multiple-use in accordance with the law and the land's scientifically proven capability to accommodate a variety of uses, including the presence of horses and burros and the biodiversity of the landscape. The consistent application of sound science and economics in relation to animal and rangeland management should be used throughout the horse and burro program."
***********************
The coalition is a diverse partnership of 13 wildlife, conservation and sportsmen organizations, industry partners, and professional natural-resource scientific societies working together to identify proactive and comprehensive solutions 10 increase effective management of horse and burro populations and mitigate the adverse impacts to healthy native fish, wildlife, and plants and the ecosystems on which they depend.
For more information, visit www.wildhorserange.org.
American Farm Bureau Federation. Masters of Foxhounds Association. Mule Deer Foundation National Association of Conservation Districts. National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Rifle Association. National Wildlife Refuge Association. Public Lands Council, Public Lands Foundation. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Safari Club International, Society for Range Management, The Wildlife Society.
Contact us at horseandrange@gmail.com
Advocating for commonsense, ecologically solid approaches to managing horses and burros to promote healthy wildlife and range lands for future generations.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Terra Rentz, NHBRMC Chair
Phone: 301-897-9770 x309/ E-mail: horseandrange@gmail.com
Horse and Burro Coalition Statement on NBC's Wild Horse Stories
Washington, DC (May 15, 2013) - The National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition issues the following statement in response to two stories released by NBC News today on wild horses:
"Recent stories by NBC News (Today Show: Wild horses: Endangered animals or menace, and Cruel or necessary? and NBCNews.com: The true cost of wild horse roundups) portray only select facts and a narrow part of the reality surrounding wild horses and burros on the western range.
While regarded by many as icons of the American West, free-roaming horses and burros are in fact nonnative species that threaten rangelands and native plant and animal species. But managed at appropriate population levels, wild horses and burros are not a "menace," even to those with whom the range is shared. Nor is it accurate in any way to call wild horses and burros "endangered." In fact, the problem is an overpopulation of horses and burros in and beyond many herd management areas. lt is inaccurate for these reports to depict only healthy horses or rangelands. While this exists, so do unhealthy horses and degraded range. Finally, considering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Federal agency tasked with managing most of the wild horses and burros in the West, has gathered tens of thousands of horses over the past decades, it is an unfair portrayal of those gathers to focus on a few instances of potentially inappropriate gather methods. While not perfect, the BLM works hard to maintain humane gather methods.
The BLM faces a daunting task. Current herd sizes, which greatly exceed manageable levels, stand to jeopardize other multiple uses called for by law; they do so by trampling vegetation, hardpacking the soil, and over-grazing. Current overpopulation of horses and burros on the range results in great suffering for the animals, many of which are dying of thirst or starvation. Other multiple uses that depend on healthy rangelands are suffering as well. Despite protection under the law, for example, BLM reports that since horses and burros became protected in 1971, ranching families have seen livestock grazing decline by 30 percent on BLM lands. Meanwhile, the horse population is 42 percent above the scientifically-determined Appropriate Management Level (AML) - which is the population size that BLM can graze without causing ecological damage to rangeland resources. More than 37,000 wild horses currently reside on the range, over 11,000 more than the west-wide AML of26,500 individuals. Without management, horse and burro herds can double in size every four to five years.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 was enacted to protect "Wild, free-roaming" horses and burros, as well as guide their management as part of the natural system on BLM and U.S. Forest Service lands in the western United States. The Act requires those agencies to maintain a "thriving natural ecological balance" and protect existing rights on those lands, based on the principle of multiple use. The Act, as amended, also authorizes the agencies to use or contract for the use of helicopters and motorized vehicles for the purpose of managing horses and burros. This aids BLM to reach AML. When AML is not reached, the animals and other multiple uses, such as wildlife habitat and livestock grazing, are negatively impacted.
Appropriate. scientifically sound management of wild horses and burros on the range is in the interests of all those who care about the health of the animals, the sustainability of the range and the well-being of the rural communities in the west. The NBC stories unfortunately neglect to address these legitimate issues and provide an incomplete picture of the challenges facing policymakers, rancher.;, and the conservation community.
For the sake of animal welfare and multiple-use-and in keeping with the Act--the Coalition supports actions that will bring herd sizes in line with AMLs, and emphasizes the following positions:
• The Coalition appreciates BLM's efforts to find ways to reduce reproduction rates, increase adoptions and otherwise find solutions to a problem that continues to burden the BLM, taxpayers, and ranchers and create concerns for the welfare of horses and burros and the health of wildlife and the habitats on which they depend. About 70 percent of the total program budget ($74.9 million) is currently being spent on the over 50,000 horses and burros being held in corrals and pastures. These levels are unsustainable. We support innovative strategies such as adjusting sex ratios, and we encourage more research into effective fertility control treatments. Aside from population suppression, offering trained animals for adoption is important to increase demand for excess horses and burros. We encourage cost-effective initiatives to partner with entities such as universities, prisons and the Mustang Heritage Foundation.
• The Coalition applauds the BLM's implementation of humane handling and holding practices. BLM is now supplementing their already-sound practices with a new Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program. As reported by the American Association of Equine Practitioners in 2011, BLM's "care, handling and management practices" are "appropriate for this population of horses and generally support the safety, health status and welfare of the animals"
• The Coalition believes horses and burros should continue to be cared for in a humane manner both on and off the range; integral to this goal is managing herd populations at scientifically determined AMLs and removing old and injured animals. Management decisions should be science-based and increase the ability of rangelands to support healthy horse and burro herds along with other multiple uses, including sustaining native plant and wildlife communities and livestock grazing.
The rangeland resource should be managed for multiple-use in accordance with the law and the land's scientifically proven capability to accommodate a variety of uses, including the presence of horses and burros and the biodiversity of the landscape. The consistent application of sound science and economics in relation to animal and rangeland management should be used throughout the horse and burro program."
***********************
The coalition is a diverse partnership of 13 wildlife, conservation and sportsmen organizations, industry partners, and professional natural-resource scientific societies working together to identify proactive and comprehensive solutions 10 increase effective management of horse and burro populations and mitigate the adverse impacts to healthy native fish, wildlife, and plants and the ecosystems on which they depend.
For more information, visit www.wildhorserange.org.
American Farm Bureau Federation. Masters of Foxhounds Association. Mule Deer Foundation National Association of Conservation Districts. National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Rifle Association. National Wildlife Refuge Association. Public Lands Council, Public Lands Foundation. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Safari Club International, Society for Range Management, The Wildlife Society.
Contact us at horseandrange@gmail.com
Retraction letter from Maureen Harmonay
"I hereby retract all of the statements contained in the Articles that accuse the Cattoors or Cattoor Livestock Roundup of cruel and improper treatment of horses during BLM roundups. I sincerely regret and apologize to the Cattoors and Cattoor Livestock Roundup for any harm caused by the inclusion of such statements in the Articles."
"I hereby retract all of the statements contained in the Articles that accuse the Cattoors or Cattoor Livestock Roundup of cruel and improper treatment of horses during BLM roundups. I sincerely regret and apologize to the Cattoors and Cattoor Livestock Roundup for any harm caused by the inclusion of such statements in the Articles."
Letter to Laura Leigh
Cattoor Livestock is the contractor doing the Diamonds Complex Wild Horse Roundup in Nevada for the Ely, Elko, and Battle Mountain BLM. Laura Leigh was not out on the roundup the first week but blogged about the gather from reports from Deniz Bolbol who was at the gather site. I felt that some of Laura's statement were misleading and voiced my concerns to Laura. She said if I would write down my concerns she would put them on her blog. I sent Laura the following letter. Sue Cattoor January 24, 2013
Dear Laura,
You and I had a conversation at our trap site yesterday and I mentioned I had some concerns about things you had mentioned on your January 22, 2013 blog concerning the Diamond Complex wild horse roundup. You said that if I would put those concerns in writing you would put them on your blog. This letter is to address my concerns.
You insinuate in your report that because of the Court ruling in the Owyhee Complex Federal Court case that gather operations are now different than what you have been observing on other previous gathers in Nevada. Quote "Observers report that the operation (to date) has gone in a slower fashion.
That handling and removal (with the exception of one run) have been paced better and done with more care than observations at recent BLM operations in Nevada." And later quote" WHE is encouraged by some of the reports so far: The trap appears to be moving more often (the trap going to horses instead of horses going to the trap greater and greater distances), the pace of loading and sorting is not rushed, the pace of animals coming to the trap appears more controlled.
You and your readers need to remember that our organization Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc is the contractor conducting this roundup. And that you yourself have not observed any of our roundups for at least a year and a half. The last one of our roundups that you attended was the Kiger gather in Oregon in July of 20 11. We are not doing anything different on this gather than we do on any of our gathers. We are not doing things different because of your court case. What your observers are reporting is how we have always operated and how we will continue to operate.
Also you say you are still concerned about temperatures. Your blog refers to a -5 degree temperature and your statement insinuates horses may have been captured at below zero temperatures. They were not. Our helicopter pilot and the BLM COR have thermometers. All of our pick ups as well as the BLM vehicles, the LEO vehicles, the PAO vehicles, and the observer's vehicles all have thermometers. But remember the vehicle temperatures don't change once you stop moving and the temperatures are different in each one even at the same time and the same place. Our policy is to carefully warm up our helicopters because cold weather is hard on them. Then we start herding animals when the temperature is zero or above. We have done this for over 37 years and have seen no ill affects on the animals from winter time gathers.
I would like to make one other point concerning your statement that the trap appears to be moving more often. We always try to put the trap as close to the animals as possible and we always try to consider the terrain, ground condition, and the condition of the animals. In an area such as this with good access this is easy to do. But sometimes this is not always possible. In some areas such as the Winnemucca part of the Owyhee Complex that you just attended the access is very limited. The wild horses must be herded out to where a trap can be built.
I appreciate your letting Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc address these concerns on your blog.
Sincerely,
Sue Cattoor, Secretary
Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc.
Link to copy of the original letter:
Cattoor Livestock is the contractor doing the Diamonds Complex Wild Horse Roundup in Nevada for the Ely, Elko, and Battle Mountain BLM. Laura Leigh was not out on the roundup the first week but blogged about the gather from reports from Deniz Bolbol who was at the gather site. I felt that some of Laura's statement were misleading and voiced my concerns to Laura. She said if I would write down my concerns she would put them on her blog. I sent Laura the following letter. Sue Cattoor January 24, 2013
Dear Laura,
You and I had a conversation at our trap site yesterday and I mentioned I had some concerns about things you had mentioned on your January 22, 2013 blog concerning the Diamond Complex wild horse roundup. You said that if I would put those concerns in writing you would put them on your blog. This letter is to address my concerns.
You insinuate in your report that because of the Court ruling in the Owyhee Complex Federal Court case that gather operations are now different than what you have been observing on other previous gathers in Nevada. Quote "Observers report that the operation (to date) has gone in a slower fashion.
That handling and removal (with the exception of one run) have been paced better and done with more care than observations at recent BLM operations in Nevada." And later quote" WHE is encouraged by some of the reports so far: The trap appears to be moving more often (the trap going to horses instead of horses going to the trap greater and greater distances), the pace of loading and sorting is not rushed, the pace of animals coming to the trap appears more controlled.
You and your readers need to remember that our organization Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc is the contractor conducting this roundup. And that you yourself have not observed any of our roundups for at least a year and a half. The last one of our roundups that you attended was the Kiger gather in Oregon in July of 20 11. We are not doing anything different on this gather than we do on any of our gathers. We are not doing things different because of your court case. What your observers are reporting is how we have always operated and how we will continue to operate.
Also you say you are still concerned about temperatures. Your blog refers to a -5 degree temperature and your statement insinuates horses may have been captured at below zero temperatures. They were not. Our helicopter pilot and the BLM COR have thermometers. All of our pick ups as well as the BLM vehicles, the LEO vehicles, the PAO vehicles, and the observer's vehicles all have thermometers. But remember the vehicle temperatures don't change once you stop moving and the temperatures are different in each one even at the same time and the same place. Our policy is to carefully warm up our helicopters because cold weather is hard on them. Then we start herding animals when the temperature is zero or above. We have done this for over 37 years and have seen no ill affects on the animals from winter time gathers.
I would like to make one other point concerning your statement that the trap appears to be moving more often. We always try to put the trap as close to the animals as possible and we always try to consider the terrain, ground condition, and the condition of the animals. In an area such as this with good access this is easy to do. But sometimes this is not always possible. In some areas such as the Winnemucca part of the Owyhee Complex that you just attended the access is very limited. The wild horses must be herded out to where a trap can be built.
I appreciate your letting Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc address these concerns on your blog.
Sincerely,
Sue Cattoor, Secretary
Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc.
Link to copy of the original letter:
| diamond_complex_letter.pdf |