Calico Complex Wild Horse Roundup - 2010
May 6, 2010 - Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc, Update – There has been a lot of criticism from the interest groups concerning the Indian Lakes Facility in Fallon that is caring for the Calico wild horses. For the truth please read the attached documents written by Eric Davis DVM MS DACVS DACVIM, Director HSVMA Field Services. (Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association)
Also these same interest groups keep saying the BLM is removing wild horses from the range and replacing them with cattle. For the truth please read the attached documents Summary Comparison: Domestic Livestock as Compared to Wild Horse and Burro Use on Public Lands May 2010.
Update - February 16, 2010 Some of the anti-gather folks are being very critical of the fact that we had to hold 30 wild horses in our trap overnight. These same folks arrived at the temporary holding facility not too long after these wild horses had been transported to that facility. They observed these wild horses and took pictures of them for over a hour. The wild horses were all standing quietly in the pens with food and water. They could clearly see that the wild horses had no side effects from their overnight stay in the trap. Also, the wild horses stay has been described as their being held in over-crowded conditions and that they were held in the alleyway. That is not true. The trap consist of two large catch pens and then the alleyway. Using the entire trap, the 30 wild horses were separated and had plenty of space.
Next, I would like any one reading this update to think about this fact. We did capture a number of very weak, thin wild horses. Most of the wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized have been these really weak and thin wild horses. If you will recall this roundup was supposed to start on December 1, 2009. It was delayed for a month because of the law suit. Had these really thin and weak wild horses been captured one month sooner, many of them would still be alive today. The same with the really poor mares that have lost their foals. These mares would have had a chance to get the proper nutrition and then would have had a better chance to carry their foals to full term.
For an in-depth report that helps explain the possible outcomes for horses that have been recently gathered from the range please read this: History and Report on Outcomes and Complications for Horses Adapting to Hay
Next, I would like any one reading this update to think about this fact. We did capture a number of very weak, thin wild horses. Most of the wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized have been these really weak and thin wild horses. If you will recall this roundup was supposed to start on December 1, 2009. It was delayed for a month because of the law suit. Had these really thin and weak wild horses been captured one month sooner, many of them would still be alive today. The same with the really poor mares that have lost their foals. These mares would have had a chance to get the proper nutrition and then would have had a better chance to carry their foals to full term.
For an in-depth report that helps explain the possible outcomes for horses that have been recently gathered from the range please read this: History and Report on Outcomes and Complications for Horses Adapting to Hay
Now, let’s consider the death loss figures for a minute. The .5% to .1% death loss figure that was given at the beginning of the roundup was for the actual gather operations. Out in the field, during the actual capture operations, 1 weanling with a pre-existing condition died and 6 others were humanely euthanized. Of these six, three were very thin and old mares with no teeth. One was the mare that received a ruptured eye ball from a kick in the head by another wild horse and two were crippled stallions, one with a previous badly broken leg and one with a deformed club foot. This makes the death loss for the entire gather operations .364%. This is less that the estimated .5%. I do not believe there was ever an estimate of wild horses that might die or that would have to be humanely euthanized at the short-term holding facility. But, as of February 11, 2010 the total number of wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized is 41 head. Of this number, approximately 30 were in very poor condition when they arrived at the facility. The number of wild horses shipped to the Fallon facility was 1,914. This means 11 animals or .5747% died or were humanely destroyed for reasons other than the fact that they arrived in poor body condition. The percent of weak and thin wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized is 1.567 %. Not the higher percentage that is being quoted by others. If you use the total numbers - 1,922 captured and 48 died or humanely destroyed the percentage is 2.507%
I am not including the aborted foals. These mares would probably not have carried these foals to full term out on the range because of their poor condition. There is an interesting article written by Tracie Lynn Thompson concerning this very subject. Her site is www.themustangproject.wordpress.com. Click on the heading “you be the judge” on the top of the home page and the article is number 8.
Calico Update - February 5, 2010. On February 3, 2010 we shipped wild horses from our temporary holding facility to the Fallon facility. It was snowing while we were loading but quit soon after. This was an observation day. About noon when the clouds had lifted up off the mountain tops the Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Jerome Fox flew with our pilot. We did not set a trap nor gather that day. After their flight and after going over all the numbers, the BLM decided to capture again the next day. On February 3rd, we transported the wild horses that had been held overnight in the temporary holding facility to Fallon and then set up one more trap. The wild horses captured were sorted and then transported to the Fallon facility. The wranglers tore down the trap and the temporary holding facility and got everything ready to move back home to Nephi. The total number of animals captured on this roundup is 1,922. Percentage of animals lost during gather operations is .003%. Only one death was gather-related. The others were the one pre-existing condition and animals that needed to be humanely euthanized.
Now that the roundup is over, the anti-gather organizations are focusing on the aborted foals and the number of weak and poor (thin and unhealthy) animals that have died at the Fallon facility. We captured a good number of really weak and poor wild horses during this gather. These animals were starving and had probably been eating a lot of brush. We, of course, do not know how many, but a lot of these and others that are starting to pick up and do good would probably have died out on the range this winter and on into the spring. That was the purpose of this roundup, to not let the animals starve to death out on the range and to remove enough so the remaining animals will have enough grass. Most of the weak, poor mares that have lost their foals in the pens would probably have lost them out on the range when the green grass came and they changed feed there, too. That usually does happen in areas when the mares have a very hard winter.
If you or I had horses in our pastures that were really weak and poor, someone would call the authorities. We would then have to feed and take care of them or risk going to court. The BLM is trying to take care of the wild horses that they are under the law required to manage and protect. We all worked really hard to capture them as humanely as possible and now they are being cared for in the very best way possible.
I will continue to update in order to answer questions or address rumors.
I am not including the aborted foals. These mares would probably not have carried these foals to full term out on the range because of their poor condition. There is an interesting article written by Tracie Lynn Thompson concerning this very subject. Her site is www.themustangproject.wordpress.com. Click on the heading “you be the judge” on the top of the home page and the article is number 8.
Calico Update - February 5, 2010. On February 3, 2010 we shipped wild horses from our temporary holding facility to the Fallon facility. It was snowing while we were loading but quit soon after. This was an observation day. About noon when the clouds had lifted up off the mountain tops the Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Jerome Fox flew with our pilot. We did not set a trap nor gather that day. After their flight and after going over all the numbers, the BLM decided to capture again the next day. On February 3rd, we transported the wild horses that had been held overnight in the temporary holding facility to Fallon and then set up one more trap. The wild horses captured were sorted and then transported to the Fallon facility. The wranglers tore down the trap and the temporary holding facility and got everything ready to move back home to Nephi. The total number of animals captured on this roundup is 1,922. Percentage of animals lost during gather operations is .003%. Only one death was gather-related. The others were the one pre-existing condition and animals that needed to be humanely euthanized.
Now that the roundup is over, the anti-gather organizations are focusing on the aborted foals and the number of weak and poor (thin and unhealthy) animals that have died at the Fallon facility. We captured a good number of really weak and poor wild horses during this gather. These animals were starving and had probably been eating a lot of brush. We, of course, do not know how many, but a lot of these and others that are starting to pick up and do good would probably have died out on the range this winter and on into the spring. That was the purpose of this roundup, to not let the animals starve to death out on the range and to remove enough so the remaining animals will have enough grass. Most of the weak, poor mares that have lost their foals in the pens would probably have lost them out on the range when the green grass came and they changed feed there, too. That usually does happen in areas when the mares have a very hard winter.
If you or I had horses in our pastures that were really weak and poor, someone would call the authorities. We would then have to feed and take care of them or risk going to court. The BLM is trying to take care of the wild horses that they are under the law required to manage and protect. We all worked really hard to capture them as humanely as possible and now they are being cared for in the very best way possible.
I will continue to update in order to answer questions or address rumors.
Calico Roundup Update February 2, 2010 - On January 27, 2010 no wild horses were captured. The Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Jerome Fox flew with our pilot to determine the location of the wild horses in the Granites and West Calicos. Trap sites were then selected based on this information. We set up a trap at a site we had used before just East of the Granite Ranch and gathered wild horses there on January 28, 29, and 30th . January 30th was an observation day. It was raining and snowing in the morning but cleared up later in the day so the observers were able to watch the wild horses come in to the trap that day. One more very old thin mare and one stud, crippled because of a club foot, were humanely euthanized on January 29th. On the 30th a mare was kicked in the head by a stud in the sorting alley and her eye was ruptured. She was also humanely euthanized. This is the first gather related death we have had here at the gather site. All the other wild horses captured were transported to the Fallon facility.
On January 31 we moved to the North side of the Granite Mountain and set up a trap. This was a warm sunny day and by afternoon the frost had gone out of the ground. Two pickups with trailers became stuck in the mud getting back to the trap site after offloading the wild horses. Another pickup became stuck trying to pull out these pickups. The decision was made to not try to haul the remaining wild horses under these conditions but to wait until the ground was more solid from the frost early in the morning. So some of the wild horses remained in the trap overnight. They were fed hay and moved to the temporary holding facility at daylight the next morning. There were no serious injuries nor any deaths. Later that day, on February 1, after the wild horses were brought to the temporary holding facility, the wranglers returned to the trap site and tore it down and moved it while the ground was still frozen. These Granite wild horses are in better shape than any we have captured so far. In fact, if anyone is interested in adopting any of the Calico Complex wild horses these would be good ones to choose.
Later in the day, a trap was set up at Leadville to gather the East side of the Calicos. This was an observation day so the observers were able to watch the trap and wings being erected. This trap site was not a real good one for observers and Dave had selected a place up on some rocks where he thought everyone could see good but the observers chose to go across the flat and up on some other rocks. That was probably the best viewing spot but quite a long walk through the snow. We captured wild horses again at this trap today, February 2. There were no serious injuries or deaths.
I would like to address a couple of rumors or myths that I have learned about while talking to some of the observers. First, when we transport the wild horses they are not packed into the trailers so they can lean against each other to stand up. Horses and wild horses stand up in the trailers just like you or I would. Second, they are given adequate room. Our contract is specific in the amount of space required on the trailers for each animal. We always adjust that according to the size and condition of the animals being transported. On this gather we have been putting 12 adult wild horses in each compartment of the trailers even though the footage supports 13 head. If there are weak animals or wild horses in poor condition, we load even less in a compartment or put those wild horses in with the foals.
Next, with reference to the habitat, everyone needs to understand that wild horses do not move from one area to another to find food or water by migrating or jumping over the fences like deer and elk do. They are not wildlife. A wild horse will sometimes go through an open gate or through a hole in a fence. But if they run short of food or water and are living inside even a very large fenced allotment area, they will just die there. And it is a slow painful death.
Calico Roundup Update January 26, 2010 - Since my last update January 19th I have been away on family business and just returned to Gerlach tonight. The temporary holding facility has been moved closer to Gerlach . On three different days wild horses from the Calico HMA have been captured at two different trap sites. Today and yesterday were again weather days and no wild horses were gathered. All the wild horses have been transported to the Fallon facility. There have been no serious injuries or deaths during the gather.
Visitors coming to the traps and temporary holding facility for the rest of this roundup will notice some changes in the areas where they will be allowed. We have been doing everything possible to accommodate the public so they can get good photos and video and to observe all operations. We have reviewed the activities of the last thirty days and have become very concerned about the safety of the visitors, and the BLM escorting them and feel we have been way too lenient in our safety precautions. Therefore we will have a barrier ribbon at the trap site and temporary holding facility to designate the exact area where the public will be safe from the helicopter and all of the activity of the vehicles our personal horses and the wild horses. Closer access will be limited to just our wranglers, the vets, and the COR & PIs assigned to the contract.
Cattoor Livestock Roundups, Inc has also reviewed their contract and under Section C which is the Description Specifications/Work Statement. Under section C.5 Trapping and Care (a.) it states “The primary concern of the contractor is the safe and humane handling of all animals captured. (h.) states “It is the responsibility of the Contractor to provide security to prevent loss, injury or death of captured animals until delivery to final destination. This is another reason for restricting the areas where the public may be. The safety of the wild horses must come first. We must do all we can to limit the stress on these animals. I am sure everyone will understand the reasons for this new policy.
January 19, 2010 - Update on Calico Complex Roundup. We gathered wild horses from the Warm Springs HMA on January 15th and January 16th then had another weather day on the 17th and no wild horses were gathered. Yesterday and today we gathered again on the Warm Springs HMA and finished that area. We used two different traps so the wild horses could be brought to the one they were the closest to. We are now finished gathering the Warm Springs HMA. Since my last update there have been no serious injuries and no deaths. We are still seeing quite a few thin and very thin wild horses. Most of the weanlings appear to be spring or early summer foals and good size but some are very thin.
We could not ship any of the horses to the Fallon facility today because the rain and snow yesterday and last night had made the road impassible for the semi trucks. Hopefully the rain will cease and the ground will freeze tonight. Some of the pens were enlarged with additional panels and the wild horses were provided plenty of hay and water. Once these wild horses are transported the to Fallon facility this temporary holding facility will be torn down and moved. Our next trap will be just above the Wheeler ranch and the temporary holding facility will be moved closer to Gerlach. We will then be capturing wild horses from the Calico HMA.
I would like to address a couple of rumors circulating about the stallion that escaped from the temporary holding facility at the Paiute Meadows ranch. One rumor is that he might have been captured and the other is that he was seen limping across the ridge above the trap site on Saturday. There was a black wild horse traveling through the rocks on the ridge that day. This wild horse was not limping. No one was very close to it and it could have been either a mare or a stallion. The Paiute Meadows ranch where the stallion escaped is clear over on the other side of the mountain in the East Black Rock HMA and there is a fence between the Warm Springs HMA we were in on Saturday and the East Black Rock HMA in which this stallion was captured. Plus it is at least 20 plus miles and not a direction he would normally travel. From where he escaped he could possibly move into the West Black Rock HMA where we gathered last week but that would be highly unlikely. It is also a fact that if by some slim chance this wild horse did join up with some of the other wild horses and come back into the trap none of us would recognize him. There are a lot of black and black looking wild horses that live here in this Calico Complex.
January 15, 2010. Update on Calico Roundup. We did not gather on January 9, 10 ,11 because of fog and rain. We did ship some horses to the Fallon facility. The wranglers set up a trap south of the ranch to be used to capture some of the Warm Springs wild horses. The Black Rock mountain was still foggy on January 12 so we captured some of the Warm Springs wild horses. There was some wind and light rain and snow in the higher elevations so we shut down operations early in the afternoon. About the same conditions on January 13. We were again able to fly on the Warm Springs HMA and captured horses there. There were no serious injuries or deaths. We are seeing some very thin horses and shaggy malnutritioned weanlings.
Yesterday, January 14, the sun was out bright and the weather clear. This is my opinion of how the day went. We shipped horses to the Fallon Facility first thing in the morning. Finally the fog had lifted on the Black Rock West HMA and the helicopters headed up to there to finish capturing the animals in that area. The wranglers took the saddle and "pilot" horses and got the trap ready. Good Morning America, Madeline Pickens, and several others representing the various interest groups were scheduled to come watch and film. At about 8:50, those of us at the holding facility could hear helicopters coming towards the ranch. We were aware that Madeline and her group might be flying to the gather. They had permission from the ranch to land on their private air strip. We were getting ready to walk down and greet them at the airport. To our dismay the three helicopters bringing Madeline’s group flew right over the air strip and into the Warm Springs gather area. They then disappeared from our view. Next we could hear them over in the West Black Rock area where our pilots were herding the wild horses towards the trap. They flew thru these areas for at least 25 minutes before finally landing at the air strip. This act of complete defiance of the explicit instructions given to them by Jerry Reynolds and Heather Emmons and caused the remaining Warm Springs wild horses to move clear up into the upper part of the HMA. They will have to be driven miles further to the trap when we go to round them up and bring them to our trap. This was very unfair to the wild horses and caused them a lot of unnecessary extra stress. Federal law specifically prohibits harassment of wild horses. But more importantly, they put our pilots in danger. One pilot was herding some wild horses and, like always, was way above them and a good distance from them just letting them drift towards the trap. The three large helicopters came between him and the wild horses and scattered the horses. I assume Madeline wanted pictures of the wild horses. Our other pilot was also herding some wild horses - they work together and are always in communication with one another. The pilots of Madeline’s three helicopters were not in communication with our pilots and had no idea where they were and could have caused a mid-air collision. Our pilots radioed Dave and he told them to leave the area as quickly as possible and get on the ground.
We did not go to greet Madeline and her party in the three helicopters after they landed as planned. We were very upset and shocked by what had just happened. We waited until the rest of the public and the people representing Good Morning America arrived by vehicle and then Alan Shephard, the Contracting Officer’s Representative for the contract asked to have a meeting with the BLM personnel accompanying the public before any public could approach the area. Following this meeting, Alan explained to the people what had just happened and how it affected the wild horses and the gather operations.
In the meantime, Dave & Troy and the two pilots got back in the air to see if any of the scattered wild horses could be brought to this trap today or if we would need to wait until another day to give them time to regroup. While they were doing this recon of the Black Rock Area, the public and news media were taken to the temporary holding facility to ask their questions and to do interviews and take video and pictures.
When the recon was finished Dave, Alan and the pilots talked about the situation and decided to try to bring in some of the wild horses that were not too far from the trap. Everyone was taken to the trap site and watched the roundup for the rest of the day. Approximately 50 wild horse were captured and taken to the temporary holding facility where they were sorted and put in pens with hay and water.
I am still very angry about Madeline Pickens causing all this extra stress on the wild horses when we always try so hard to gather wild horses in the most humane way possible. But I am even more angry because our pilots were put in danger. These two young men always try very hard to do what is best for the wild horses and their job is what you would call very high risk. They did not deserve to have this happen.
I am also adding this recent press release from Robert Abbey “Many Myths in Wild Horse Management Debate” to my web site. Many myths in wild horse management debate, by BLM Director Bob Abbey
On January 31 we moved to the North side of the Granite Mountain and set up a trap. This was a warm sunny day and by afternoon the frost had gone out of the ground. Two pickups with trailers became stuck in the mud getting back to the trap site after offloading the wild horses. Another pickup became stuck trying to pull out these pickups. The decision was made to not try to haul the remaining wild horses under these conditions but to wait until the ground was more solid from the frost early in the morning. So some of the wild horses remained in the trap overnight. They were fed hay and moved to the temporary holding facility at daylight the next morning. There were no serious injuries nor any deaths. Later that day, on February 1, after the wild horses were brought to the temporary holding facility, the wranglers returned to the trap site and tore it down and moved it while the ground was still frozen. These Granite wild horses are in better shape than any we have captured so far. In fact, if anyone is interested in adopting any of the Calico Complex wild horses these would be good ones to choose.
Later in the day, a trap was set up at Leadville to gather the East side of the Calicos. This was an observation day so the observers were able to watch the trap and wings being erected. This trap site was not a real good one for observers and Dave had selected a place up on some rocks where he thought everyone could see good but the observers chose to go across the flat and up on some other rocks. That was probably the best viewing spot but quite a long walk through the snow. We captured wild horses again at this trap today, February 2. There were no serious injuries or deaths.
I would like to address a couple of rumors or myths that I have learned about while talking to some of the observers. First, when we transport the wild horses they are not packed into the trailers so they can lean against each other to stand up. Horses and wild horses stand up in the trailers just like you or I would. Second, they are given adequate room. Our contract is specific in the amount of space required on the trailers for each animal. We always adjust that according to the size and condition of the animals being transported. On this gather we have been putting 12 adult wild horses in each compartment of the trailers even though the footage supports 13 head. If there are weak animals or wild horses in poor condition, we load even less in a compartment or put those wild horses in with the foals.
Next, with reference to the habitat, everyone needs to understand that wild horses do not move from one area to another to find food or water by migrating or jumping over the fences like deer and elk do. They are not wildlife. A wild horse will sometimes go through an open gate or through a hole in a fence. But if they run short of food or water and are living inside even a very large fenced allotment area, they will just die there. And it is a slow painful death.
Calico Roundup Update January 26, 2010 - Since my last update January 19th I have been away on family business and just returned to Gerlach tonight. The temporary holding facility has been moved closer to Gerlach . On three different days wild horses from the Calico HMA have been captured at two different trap sites. Today and yesterday were again weather days and no wild horses were gathered. All the wild horses have been transported to the Fallon facility. There have been no serious injuries or deaths during the gather.
Visitors coming to the traps and temporary holding facility for the rest of this roundup will notice some changes in the areas where they will be allowed. We have been doing everything possible to accommodate the public so they can get good photos and video and to observe all operations. We have reviewed the activities of the last thirty days and have become very concerned about the safety of the visitors, and the BLM escorting them and feel we have been way too lenient in our safety precautions. Therefore we will have a barrier ribbon at the trap site and temporary holding facility to designate the exact area where the public will be safe from the helicopter and all of the activity of the vehicles our personal horses and the wild horses. Closer access will be limited to just our wranglers, the vets, and the COR & PIs assigned to the contract.
Cattoor Livestock Roundups, Inc has also reviewed their contract and under Section C which is the Description Specifications/Work Statement. Under section C.5 Trapping and Care (a.) it states “The primary concern of the contractor is the safe and humane handling of all animals captured. (h.) states “It is the responsibility of the Contractor to provide security to prevent loss, injury or death of captured animals until delivery to final destination. This is another reason for restricting the areas where the public may be. The safety of the wild horses must come first. We must do all we can to limit the stress on these animals. I am sure everyone will understand the reasons for this new policy.
January 19, 2010 - Update on Calico Complex Roundup. We gathered wild horses from the Warm Springs HMA on January 15th and January 16th then had another weather day on the 17th and no wild horses were gathered. Yesterday and today we gathered again on the Warm Springs HMA and finished that area. We used two different traps so the wild horses could be brought to the one they were the closest to. We are now finished gathering the Warm Springs HMA. Since my last update there have been no serious injuries and no deaths. We are still seeing quite a few thin and very thin wild horses. Most of the weanlings appear to be spring or early summer foals and good size but some are very thin.
We could not ship any of the horses to the Fallon facility today because the rain and snow yesterday and last night had made the road impassible for the semi trucks. Hopefully the rain will cease and the ground will freeze tonight. Some of the pens were enlarged with additional panels and the wild horses were provided plenty of hay and water. Once these wild horses are transported the to Fallon facility this temporary holding facility will be torn down and moved. Our next trap will be just above the Wheeler ranch and the temporary holding facility will be moved closer to Gerlach. We will then be capturing wild horses from the Calico HMA.
I would like to address a couple of rumors circulating about the stallion that escaped from the temporary holding facility at the Paiute Meadows ranch. One rumor is that he might have been captured and the other is that he was seen limping across the ridge above the trap site on Saturday. There was a black wild horse traveling through the rocks on the ridge that day. This wild horse was not limping. No one was very close to it and it could have been either a mare or a stallion. The Paiute Meadows ranch where the stallion escaped is clear over on the other side of the mountain in the East Black Rock HMA and there is a fence between the Warm Springs HMA we were in on Saturday and the East Black Rock HMA in which this stallion was captured. Plus it is at least 20 plus miles and not a direction he would normally travel. From where he escaped he could possibly move into the West Black Rock HMA where we gathered last week but that would be highly unlikely. It is also a fact that if by some slim chance this wild horse did join up with some of the other wild horses and come back into the trap none of us would recognize him. There are a lot of black and black looking wild horses that live here in this Calico Complex.
January 15, 2010. Update on Calico Roundup. We did not gather on January 9, 10 ,11 because of fog and rain. We did ship some horses to the Fallon facility. The wranglers set up a trap south of the ranch to be used to capture some of the Warm Springs wild horses. The Black Rock mountain was still foggy on January 12 so we captured some of the Warm Springs wild horses. There was some wind and light rain and snow in the higher elevations so we shut down operations early in the afternoon. About the same conditions on January 13. We were again able to fly on the Warm Springs HMA and captured horses there. There were no serious injuries or deaths. We are seeing some very thin horses and shaggy malnutritioned weanlings.
Yesterday, January 14, the sun was out bright and the weather clear. This is my opinion of how the day went. We shipped horses to the Fallon Facility first thing in the morning. Finally the fog had lifted on the Black Rock West HMA and the helicopters headed up to there to finish capturing the animals in that area. The wranglers took the saddle and "pilot" horses and got the trap ready. Good Morning America, Madeline Pickens, and several others representing the various interest groups were scheduled to come watch and film. At about 8:50, those of us at the holding facility could hear helicopters coming towards the ranch. We were aware that Madeline and her group might be flying to the gather. They had permission from the ranch to land on their private air strip. We were getting ready to walk down and greet them at the airport. To our dismay the three helicopters bringing Madeline’s group flew right over the air strip and into the Warm Springs gather area. They then disappeared from our view. Next we could hear them over in the West Black Rock area where our pilots were herding the wild horses towards the trap. They flew thru these areas for at least 25 minutes before finally landing at the air strip. This act of complete defiance of the explicit instructions given to them by Jerry Reynolds and Heather Emmons and caused the remaining Warm Springs wild horses to move clear up into the upper part of the HMA. They will have to be driven miles further to the trap when we go to round them up and bring them to our trap. This was very unfair to the wild horses and caused them a lot of unnecessary extra stress. Federal law specifically prohibits harassment of wild horses. But more importantly, they put our pilots in danger. One pilot was herding some wild horses and, like always, was way above them and a good distance from them just letting them drift towards the trap. The three large helicopters came between him and the wild horses and scattered the horses. I assume Madeline wanted pictures of the wild horses. Our other pilot was also herding some wild horses - they work together and are always in communication with one another. The pilots of Madeline’s three helicopters were not in communication with our pilots and had no idea where they were and could have caused a mid-air collision. Our pilots radioed Dave and he told them to leave the area as quickly as possible and get on the ground.
We did not go to greet Madeline and her party in the three helicopters after they landed as planned. We were very upset and shocked by what had just happened. We waited until the rest of the public and the people representing Good Morning America arrived by vehicle and then Alan Shephard, the Contracting Officer’s Representative for the contract asked to have a meeting with the BLM personnel accompanying the public before any public could approach the area. Following this meeting, Alan explained to the people what had just happened and how it affected the wild horses and the gather operations.
In the meantime, Dave & Troy and the two pilots got back in the air to see if any of the scattered wild horses could be brought to this trap today or if we would need to wait until another day to give them time to regroup. While they were doing this recon of the Black Rock Area, the public and news media were taken to the temporary holding facility to ask their questions and to do interviews and take video and pictures.
When the recon was finished Dave, Alan and the pilots talked about the situation and decided to try to bring in some of the wild horses that were not too far from the trap. Everyone was taken to the trap site and watched the roundup for the rest of the day. Approximately 50 wild horse were captured and taken to the temporary holding facility where they were sorted and put in pens with hay and water.
I am still very angry about Madeline Pickens causing all this extra stress on the wild horses when we always try so hard to gather wild horses in the most humane way possible. But I am even more angry because our pilots were put in danger. These two young men always try very hard to do what is best for the wild horses and their job is what you would call very high risk. They did not deserve to have this happen.
I am also adding this recent press release from Robert Abbey “Many Myths in Wild Horse Management Debate” to my web site. Many myths in wild horse management debate, by BLM Director Bob Abbey
Below are recent press releases on the subject for your information.
Joint Press Releases Regarding The Calico Complex Wild Horse Gather
Today is January 9, 2009. I wanted to do a quick update on the Calico Roundup. Our holding facility is still located on the Soldier Meadows Ranch. Weather has been an issue. Low clouds, fog and snow have prevented the helicopters from flying for two and ½ days of the last five days. We are still bringing the wild horses to the first trap we have set here on the West Black HMA. We should finish this area today weather permitting. Then we will move the trap over west of the ranch. The wild horses we have captured have been transported to the facility in Fallon. There have been no serious injuries or deaths. One more very old thin mare was humanely euthanized because, in spite of all the criticism, we will do the right thing for the animals. I should be able to post a picture of this mare tomorrow. Three more very thin mares were transported to Fallon. The vet examined their teeth and said they were young enough that they should pick up in the facility where they will have lots to eat. We put them in a separate compartment with weanlings to transport them to Fallon.
Calico Complex Gather Numbers
Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc has been doing wild horse and burro roundups for the BLM and other government agencies since September 1975. We started sorting the wild horses in the field in 1991 and since that time I have pretty good records of each roundup we have done. This makes the 6th time we have gathered wild horses in this Calico Complex since 1991.
Every roundup was conducted during November, December, January, or February. In February of 1992 we gathered on the East Black Rock and then gathered some of the rest of the complex in January of 1993. There was a lot of snow that winter and the wild horses had nothing to eat. Even when they were able to paw through the snow or find south slopes that had melted off there was no grass. We captured a lot of very weak, thin wild horses and some had to be humanely destroyed after capture and out on the range. The older mares and studs that were supposed to be released were taken to Palomino Valley and fed until spring.
According to my records on the Calico Complex, the following number of wild horses were captured and released from February 1992 through February 2005.
Date Captured Released
1992 632 137
1993 1865 561
1994 1747 881
1995 695 301
1996 1875 718
Winter -2000 & 2001 3224 542
Winter -2004 & 2005 2228 Approximately 500 to 700
I do not have really accurate count of the numbers released on the last roundup (04 and 05)because I was absent from part of the gather caring for my mother.
The determination as to which wild horses were to be shipped or released was based on the adoption & selection criteria of the wild horse program at the time of capture. What does all this show?
Today is January 5th. There is satellite internet here at Soldier Meadows. So I am going to provide an update of the Calico Roundup. We moved our holding facility around to the west side of the Black Rock Mountain. It is on the Soldier Meadows Ranch. We moved on Sunday and the wranglers set up the holding facility and a trap yesterday morning. The weather was great, warm and no wind, so they went ahead and captured yesterday afternoon. When we are doing a roundup we try very hard to take full advantage of good weather days. The public had been told we would not be capturing until Tuesday so I am sure some will say we were being sneaky by capturing yesterday. But we just are going to go ahead and do our job. Our job is to capture the wild horses in the very most humane way possible.
I want to clarify the truth about the two wild horses that have died on this roundup. First I want to say that we will do our job and that means if we have to humanely euthanize an animal we will, even though we know full well that the interest groups will jump on the facts and change them around to make them sound horrible. The first animal was a very old thin mare. She was too weak to ship to Fallon and we certainly were not going to just release her back out on the range to die. That would be irresponsible and inhumane. As responsible humans, when we have animals that are starting to suffer - whether it be horses, cows, pigs, or other livestock or our pets such as our dogs or cats - we see that they are humanely euthanized. That is what was done with this old thin mare. She was humanly euthanized. Or shot or killed or however you want to say it. As for the foal. It had a pre existing condition as Dr Kane has explained. He performed a necropsy and this showed the pre-existing condition, a congenital heart defect. The foal would not have survived very long.
We could all have made the decision to just try to ship the old mare to Fallon and the pilot could have not even asked the wranglers to come assist the foal. But that is not how we do our job. So we will take the heat for doing what is right for the animals. And for the record the old thin mare did not have a foal. That fact was explained to the observers in a very clear way so I do not know where that rumor came from.
Also the day "Freedom" escaped from the holding pens, the pilot brought the wild horses out of a canyon and around the ranch pasture and the observers could see and video how far back he stays when driving them. I hope that one of the observers will show this because that is the way wild horses are driven. They are not run or stampeded. Also all of the other wild horses worked quietly through the alley and were put into the pens. There is video of this too.
Today we will ship two loads of wild horses to the Fallon Facility. We will ship the mares and foals. Then we will start rounding up more of the animals here close to the ranch.
I am also posting a picture of the old thin mare we humanely euthanized. The picture of the dead horse on some of the sites is not of this mare.
Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc has been doing wild horse and burro roundups for the BLM and other government agencies since September 1975. We started sorting the wild horses in the field in 1991 and since that time I have pretty good records of each roundup we have done. This makes the 6th time we have gathered wild horses in this Calico Complex since 1991.
Every roundup was conducted during November, December, January, or February. In February of 1992 we gathered on the East Black Rock and then gathered some of the rest of the complex in January of 1993. There was a lot of snow that winter and the wild horses had nothing to eat. Even when they were able to paw through the snow or find south slopes that had melted off there was no grass. We captured a lot of very weak, thin wild horses and some had to be humanely destroyed after capture and out on the range. The older mares and studs that were supposed to be released were taken to Palomino Valley and fed until spring.
According to my records on the Calico Complex, the following number of wild horses were captured and released from February 1992 through February 2005.
Date Captured Released
1992 632 137
1993 1865 561
1994 1747 881
1995 695 301
1996 1875 718
Winter -2000 & 2001 3224 542
Winter -2004 & 2005 2228 Approximately 500 to 700
I do not have really accurate count of the numbers released on the last roundup (04 and 05)because I was absent from part of the gather caring for my mother.
The determination as to which wild horses were to be shipped or released was based on the adoption & selection criteria of the wild horse program at the time of capture. What does all this show?
- First, it shows that the BLM is not trying to eliminate the wild horses from the range as they are being accused of. They are only trying to do their job and manage the wild horses.
- Second, it shows how fast the numbers in any given area build back up. As range scientist and Range Professor Emeritus Wayne Burkhardt of the University of Nevada, Reno said at a recent Wild Horse and Burro conference: "All populations of large grazers expand beyond habitat capacity, absent controls."
- Third, it shows that in vast, mostly unfenced areas such as this, only a percentage of the wild horses living there will ever be rounded up in one gather. The wild horses travel back and forth over the areas and the helicopters will not find all of them.
Today is January 5th. There is satellite internet here at Soldier Meadows. So I am going to provide an update of the Calico Roundup. We moved our holding facility around to the west side of the Black Rock Mountain. It is on the Soldier Meadows Ranch. We moved on Sunday and the wranglers set up the holding facility and a trap yesterday morning. The weather was great, warm and no wind, so they went ahead and captured yesterday afternoon. When we are doing a roundup we try very hard to take full advantage of good weather days. The public had been told we would not be capturing until Tuesday so I am sure some will say we were being sneaky by capturing yesterday. But we just are going to go ahead and do our job. Our job is to capture the wild horses in the very most humane way possible.
I want to clarify the truth about the two wild horses that have died on this roundup. First I want to say that we will do our job and that means if we have to humanely euthanize an animal we will, even though we know full well that the interest groups will jump on the facts and change them around to make them sound horrible. The first animal was a very old thin mare. She was too weak to ship to Fallon and we certainly were not going to just release her back out on the range to die. That would be irresponsible and inhumane. As responsible humans, when we have animals that are starting to suffer - whether it be horses, cows, pigs, or other livestock or our pets such as our dogs or cats - we see that they are humanely euthanized. That is what was done with this old thin mare. She was humanly euthanized. Or shot or killed or however you want to say it. As for the foal. It had a pre existing condition as Dr Kane has explained. He performed a necropsy and this showed the pre-existing condition, a congenital heart defect. The foal would not have survived very long.
We could all have made the decision to just try to ship the old mare to Fallon and the pilot could have not even asked the wranglers to come assist the foal. But that is not how we do our job. So we will take the heat for doing what is right for the animals. And for the record the old thin mare did not have a foal. That fact was explained to the observers in a very clear way so I do not know where that rumor came from.
Also the day "Freedom" escaped from the holding pens, the pilot brought the wild horses out of a canyon and around the ranch pasture and the observers could see and video how far back he stays when driving them. I hope that one of the observers will show this because that is the way wild horses are driven. They are not run or stampeded. Also all of the other wild horses worked quietly through the alley and were put into the pens. There is video of this too.
Today we will ship two loads of wild horses to the Fallon Facility. We will ship the mares and foals. Then we will start rounding up more of the animals here close to the ranch.
I am also posting a picture of the old thin mare we humanely euthanized. The picture of the dead horse on some of the sites is not of this mare.
Today is Sunday December the 26th. We are moving our equipment to the Paiute Meadows ranch in northern Nevada to start gathering the Calico Complex. This Calico Complex is a huge, and very remote area. It is actually five different HMAs. We will start on the east side of the Black Rock Mountains, then move around on the west side of the Black Rock Mountain to do the other four areas. We will move our holding facility at least three times and will probably use 12 to 15 different trap sites. We will probably be gathering for at least six weeks.
These wild horses are being gathered because there are too many horses for the land to support. The BLM is doing their job which is to manage the wild horses for the people of the United States. If the BLM just left them alone, that would be irresponsible to the people because they would be allowing the range and wildlife habitat to be damaged and the wild horses to die a cruel death from starvation. The wild horses in these areas will not all be captured because these areas are areas where the wild horses tend to move away from the helicopter and after the roundup return. It would be impossible to capture all of the wild horses in these areas during just one roundup.
We (Cattoor Livestock Roundup) have gathered these areas several times in the past. All but one time, the gathers have been done during the winter months. This is the best time to gather these areas because of where the wild horses live in the winter. To humanely capture wild horses, lots of things have to be considered and that is what we always try to do. Each area is different and the wild horses in each area are different.
The East Black Rock wild horses usually are always just above the Paiute Meadows ranch. We always try to set our traps as close to the wild horses as possible so they will have less distance to travel. We have always in the past set up our trap on this ranch because it is the best place to trap the animals. We are not setting the trap here because we are trying to hide anything. We are setting it here because it is the very best place to humanely capture the wild horses. This ranch is pretty much at the end of the road, so there is not much access except thru the ranch. We may set one more trap on this side of the mountain if some of the wild horses are further east of the ranch. We will be staying at a ranch about 15 miles from the Paiute Meadows ranch. I believe the BLM will be staying at a Bed & Breakfast about 15 miles from there. The closest rooms are at Denio which is about 70 or 80 miles from the ranch.
Then, we will move over and set up on the Soldier Meadows Ranch. This is the West Black Rock areas. This ranch is a beautiful working ranch with a lovely Bed and Breakfast. We will be staying there. We will set one trap and our holding facility on this ranch for the very same reasons as we set up on Paiute Meadows. Because it is the very best place to humanely place to capture the wild horses. That is always our first priority. More than one trap will probably be set up here also depending where the wild horses are staying this winter.
Then we will move on down closer to Gerlach. I will update later as we move along on the roundup.
I would like to add one more thing. Each and every day all of us and all of our wranglers go out and try to capture and process and transport the wild horses the most humane way possible. We all love animals, especially horses and wild horses or we would not be here. We are working with untamed horses and sometimes one can get injured or even die. I have kept track of every wild horse that has died or been humanely destroyed on all of our roundups since 1991 and it has been less than .1%. Most of the animals lost were for other reasons than because of the roundup. I have never kept track of just gather-caused deaths but I am going to do that from now on.
Here is a link to BLM Questions and Answers about the Calico Mountains Complex Wild Horse Gather for more information.
JOINT PRESS RELEASE REGARDING THE CALICO COMPLEX WILD HORSE GATHER
Date: January 14, 2010
Contact Name & Title: Jeremy Drew, President
Organization Name: Northern Nevada Chapter of Safari Club International
Phone: (775) 843-9109
Email: nnsci@aol.com
Contact Name & Title: Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director
Organization Name: Friends of Nevada Wilderness
Phone: (775) 324-7667
Email: shaaron@nevadawilderness.org
Contact Name & Title: Tina Nappe, Wildlife Co-Chair
Organization Name: Toiyabe Chapter of Sierra Club
Phone: (775) 786-1178
Contact Name & Title: Larry Johnson, President
Organization Name: Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife
Phone: (775) 359-6600
Email: ljohnson@blackeagleconsulting.com
The above listed groups (Calico Coalition) have produced this joint press release regarding the Calico Complex horse gather that is currently ongoing in Northern Nevada. Members and leaders from all four groups made on-the ground observations of the problems associated with the overpopulation of horses within the Complex well before the gather was scheduled. The groups have, and continue to, publically support the gather to get horse populations within appropriate management levels.
The Calico Coalition fully supports the presence of horse on public lands. However, active management of horse and burro herds must be conducted in accordance with the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act. The Act requires that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manage horses in a “thriving ecological balance” and in accordance with other multiple use mandates. This includes keeping an inventory of horse populations on public lands and immediate removal of excess animals.
A recent ruling against an injunction on the Calico gather reaffirmed the BLMs authority and duty to gather excess horses. Since the ruling there has been a very well orchestrated public campaign to halt the gather despite its accordance with applicable laws and reaffirmation by a Federal District Court. The subsequent media campaign has produced a public outcry that has not always been based on factual information. Furthermore, the debate has wrongly been narrowed and framed as a clash between the horse advocates and public lands rancher.
The Calico Coalition was formed to assert what we believe matters most in this debate! That is the health and long-term sustainability of the native wildlife and ecosystems within the Calico Complex. These four groups have united in order to call everyone’s attention to doing what is best for our public lands that we collectively treasure. Please review the attached information and contact any of the listed individuals for further information.
Attachments: Statements from each of the above listed groups, photos of native wildlife and ecosystems of
concern, opinion denying motion for preliminary injunction of the Calico Gather- see links below.
These wild horses are being gathered because there are too many horses for the land to support. The BLM is doing their job which is to manage the wild horses for the people of the United States. If the BLM just left them alone, that would be irresponsible to the people because they would be allowing the range and wildlife habitat to be damaged and the wild horses to die a cruel death from starvation. The wild horses in these areas will not all be captured because these areas are areas where the wild horses tend to move away from the helicopter and after the roundup return. It would be impossible to capture all of the wild horses in these areas during just one roundup.
We (Cattoor Livestock Roundup) have gathered these areas several times in the past. All but one time, the gathers have been done during the winter months. This is the best time to gather these areas because of where the wild horses live in the winter. To humanely capture wild horses, lots of things have to be considered and that is what we always try to do. Each area is different and the wild horses in each area are different.
The East Black Rock wild horses usually are always just above the Paiute Meadows ranch. We always try to set our traps as close to the wild horses as possible so they will have less distance to travel. We have always in the past set up our trap on this ranch because it is the best place to trap the animals. We are not setting the trap here because we are trying to hide anything. We are setting it here because it is the very best place to humanely capture the wild horses. This ranch is pretty much at the end of the road, so there is not much access except thru the ranch. We may set one more trap on this side of the mountain if some of the wild horses are further east of the ranch. We will be staying at a ranch about 15 miles from the Paiute Meadows ranch. I believe the BLM will be staying at a Bed & Breakfast about 15 miles from there. The closest rooms are at Denio which is about 70 or 80 miles from the ranch.
Then, we will move over and set up on the Soldier Meadows Ranch. This is the West Black Rock areas. This ranch is a beautiful working ranch with a lovely Bed and Breakfast. We will be staying there. We will set one trap and our holding facility on this ranch for the very same reasons as we set up on Paiute Meadows. Because it is the very best place to humanely place to capture the wild horses. That is always our first priority. More than one trap will probably be set up here also depending where the wild horses are staying this winter.
Then we will move on down closer to Gerlach. I will update later as we move along on the roundup.
I would like to add one more thing. Each and every day all of us and all of our wranglers go out and try to capture and process and transport the wild horses the most humane way possible. We all love animals, especially horses and wild horses or we would not be here. We are working with untamed horses and sometimes one can get injured or even die. I have kept track of every wild horse that has died or been humanely destroyed on all of our roundups since 1991 and it has been less than .1%. Most of the animals lost were for other reasons than because of the roundup. I have never kept track of just gather-caused deaths but I am going to do that from now on.
Here is a link to BLM Questions and Answers about the Calico Mountains Complex Wild Horse Gather for more information.
JOINT PRESS RELEASE REGARDING THE CALICO COMPLEX WILD HORSE GATHER
Date: January 14, 2010
Contact Name & Title: Jeremy Drew, President
Organization Name: Northern Nevada Chapter of Safari Club International
Phone: (775) 843-9109
Email: nnsci@aol.com
Contact Name & Title: Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director
Organization Name: Friends of Nevada Wilderness
Phone: (775) 324-7667
Email: shaaron@nevadawilderness.org
Contact Name & Title: Tina Nappe, Wildlife Co-Chair
Organization Name: Toiyabe Chapter of Sierra Club
Phone: (775) 786-1178
Contact Name & Title: Larry Johnson, President
Organization Name: Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife
Phone: (775) 359-6600
Email: ljohnson@blackeagleconsulting.com
The above listed groups (Calico Coalition) have produced this joint press release regarding the Calico Complex horse gather that is currently ongoing in Northern Nevada. Members and leaders from all four groups made on-the ground observations of the problems associated with the overpopulation of horses within the Complex well before the gather was scheduled. The groups have, and continue to, publically support the gather to get horse populations within appropriate management levels.
The Calico Coalition fully supports the presence of horse on public lands. However, active management of horse and burro herds must be conducted in accordance with the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act. The Act requires that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manage horses in a “thriving ecological balance” and in accordance with other multiple use mandates. This includes keeping an inventory of horse populations on public lands and immediate removal of excess animals.
A recent ruling against an injunction on the Calico gather reaffirmed the BLMs authority and duty to gather excess horses. Since the ruling there has been a very well orchestrated public campaign to halt the gather despite its accordance with applicable laws and reaffirmation by a Federal District Court. The subsequent media campaign has produced a public outcry that has not always been based on factual information. Furthermore, the debate has wrongly been narrowed and framed as a clash between the horse advocates and public lands rancher.
The Calico Coalition was formed to assert what we believe matters most in this debate! That is the health and long-term sustainability of the native wildlife and ecosystems within the Calico Complex. These four groups have united in order to call everyone’s attention to doing what is best for our public lands that we collectively treasure. Please review the attached information and contact any of the listed individuals for further information.
Attachments: Statements from each of the above listed groups, photos of native wildlife and ecosystems of
concern, opinion denying motion for preliminary injunction of the Calico Gather- see links below.
Another thin mare
click on photo for larger view
Coalition for NVs Wildlife FNL Statement 01-14-2010.pdf
Friend of NV Wilderness FNL Statement 01-14-2010.pdf
N NV Chapter Safari Club FNL Statement 01-14-2010.pdf
Opinion_Denying_Motion_for_PI.pdf
Photos of Native Wildlife and Ecosystems of Concern.pdf
Toiyabe Chapter Sierra Club FNL Statement 01-14-2010.pdf
Joint Press Release Final 01-14-2010.pdf