The Audacity of Horse Killers & How They Could Win

debbiecoffey's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Magnificent Nelson, rescued Wild American Mustang, © Photo by Terry Fitch

By Susan Wagner, Pres. of Equine Advocates

It is quite unbelievable that in the midst of all the turmoil taking place in our country now due to natural disasters that horse slaughter proponents in the House of Representatives and the special interests from whom they take their marching orders would move to satisfy their deadly agendas by voting to kill the more than 46,000 healthy Wild Horses and Burros being held captive in BLM holding facilities.

The Stewart Amendment, inserted in the House Omnibus Bill by Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, allows for the killing and sale “without regulation or limitation” (meaning to slaughter) of Wild Horses and Burros, thus removing any remaining federal protections they have.

The only hope left for these animals is for the U.S. Senate to act to protect them by passing the Udall-Graham Amendment…

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BLM’s Sally Spencer, who authorized sale of about 1,000 wild horses to kill buyer Tom Davis, gets “promoted” to Acting District Manager

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Source:  eplanning.blm.gov

BLM’s Sally J. Spencer

by Debbie Coffey, V.P. & Dir. of Wild Horse Affairs, Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Sally Spencer, as the Supervisory Marketing Specialist for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse & Burro Program, personally authorized the sale of almost 1,000 of the wild horses (that ended up going to slaughter) to kill buyer Tom Davis.  Spencer was also willing to sell 10,000 wild horses to slaughter in Canada.   In 2017, Sally Spencer signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for an oil and gas lease sale, as the “Acting District Manager” for BLM’s Southeastern States District Office.

The BLM must’ve been very happy with Spencer’s work selling wild horses & burros to slaughter, to allow her to be an Acting District Manager and make major decisions about selling off our public lands.

FONSI signed by Sally J. Spencer as Acting District…

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Action alert: focus your fight to save our wild horses & burros on the Senate

debbiecoffey's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Our thanks to Representatives Dina Titus (D-Nevada), Peter King (R-New York), Jared Polis, (D-Colorado), Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-New Mexico) for their efforts and for sponsoring the House Amendments that would have stopped the slaughter of tens of thousands of our wild horses and burros.

Unfortunately, the House Committee on Rules has voted down the amendments that were introduced to stop horse slaughter and the killing of tens of thousands of wild horses and burros.  The House Committee on Rules stopped these amendments from going to the House floor for a vote by all Representatives.

Our fight is not over.  We need to focus on the Senate.

Please fax (your letter will get to them quickly) even a simple handwritten note and/or make phone calls to your Senators, and tell them:

1) you do NOT want our wild horses and burros to be killed, “euthanized” or sterilized.

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The Troubled History of Horse Meat in America

debbiecoffey's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Thanks to our friends at Equine Advocates, who remain at the forefront of fighting against horse slaughter, for bringing this article to our attention.

SOURCE:  The Atlantic

(photo: Christian Hartmann / Reuters)

by Susanna Forrest

Excerpt:

“In 1997, the Los Angeles Timesbroke the news that 90 percent of the mustangs removed from the range by the Bureau of Land Management had been sold on for meat by their supposed adopters.  An Oregon horse abattoir called Cavel West was named in the report.”

Read this entire article HERE.

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Equine Welfare Alliance and Wild Horse Freedom Federation investigation: the paper trail of wild horses to slaughter – from authorization for sale by BLM’s Wild Horse & Burro Program Division Chief, Dean Bolstad to kill buyer Tom Davis, to kill buyer Dennis Chavez, then to Mexico for likely slaughter

debbiecoffey's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

SOURCE:  Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Wild Horse Freedom Federation issues THE TRUTH to share Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents and information with the public.  Be sure to subscribe to the blog on the home page of Wild Horse Freedom Federation, so that you can receive email alerts.

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE TRUTH #2 – Equine Welfare Alliance and Wild Horse Freedom Federation investigation uncovers paper trail:  BLM’s current Wild Horse & Burro Program Division Chief, Dean Bolstad, authorized the sale of wild horses to kill buyer Tom Davis, soon after, these horses were owned by kill buyer Dennis Chavez, and Chavez sent these horses over the Mexican border to likely slaughter.

Dean Bolstad authorized sale of 15 wild horses and 15 wild burros from the Litchfield BLM holding facility on 6/7/2011, to kill buyer Tom Davis.  Note freezemark numbers 98608643, 98608656 and 99608705:

    

The geldings with the freezemark numbers of…

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Please Comment on BLM’s Plans to Destroy and Slaughter Three Herds of Wild Horses in the Wyoming Checkerboard

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Source:  wildhoofbeats.com

by Carol Walker, Dir. of Field Documentation, Wild Horse Freedom Federation

It is a very familiar and unwelcome feeling that I have, writing about the BLM’s plans to roundup and remove over 55% of the wild horses in the Wyoming Checkerboard. It seems like just yesterday I was writing about this plan that affects wild horses on 2.4 million acres in Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin. The last roundup was in 2014 when 1263 wild horses were removed from their homes and lands. 14 died during the roundup and over 100 died in short term holding facilities in the four months following the roundup.

This time, however, the situation facing the wild horses in Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek and Greek Divide Basin is much more dire. The consequences of being rounded up and removed from public lands could not be more serious because…

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Wild Horse Freedom Federation launches a new series, THE TRUTH, making BLM FOIA records available to the public

debbiecoffey's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) is launching a new series on our website called THE TRUTH, to share BLM Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents with the public.  Be sure to subscribe to the Wild Horse Freedom Federation blog on the home page of Wild Horse Freedom Federation, so that you can receive email alerts.

The Department of the Interior is currently attempting to cut the fat from its 2018 Budget by killing off up to 46,000 wild horses & burros in BLM holding facilities and even more “excess” wild horses & burros on the range.  In truth, the BLM has a long history of knowingly putting our wild horses & burros at risk for slaughter.  In The Truth #1, the BLM’s intent was not even hidden.

#1on THE TRUTH – BLM FOIA records reveal that BLM Marketing Specialist Sally Spencer was willing to sell 10,000 wild horses to…

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Robert Redford, Ed Harris, Elle Fanning to Congress: Oppose Mass Slaughter of Wild Horses & Burros

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Source: EcoWatch.com

“Provisions in the budget…would allow the BLM to kill captured wild horses or sell them without restriction—a change that would enable buyers to purchase wild horses on the cheap and haul them to Canada or Mexico for slaughter.”

photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Robert Redford, Ed Harris, Elle Fanning, Ian Somerhalder and countless other equine enthusiasts joined The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Return to Freedom and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to draw attention to the threat posed to wild horses and burros.

“My family and I stand strongly against horse slaughter and against our government harming our wild horses,” said actor and director Ed Harris. “I am pleading that a humane and common sense solution to the management of our wild horse population be mandated by Congress in keeping with…

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Call to Action: America’s Wild Horses & Burros – No Slaughter, NO WAY!

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

photo artistry by Carol Walker of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

“Many compliments to the advocates who compiled the raw phone contact information for members of the House Appropriations Committee that meets this Tuesday morning, (TOMORROW), when the fate of America’s wild horses and burros will again be joined. Also included are the Senate members who’ll play a key role in deciding whether the provision allowing the reintroduction of US horse slaughterhouses will be defeated. Calls are the key, immediate and polite. “No slaughter, NO WAY!” is the goal. 

After calling, Tweet, Facebook, Email…do everything you can to get the message out but please remain focused and polite, it is a simple message, “No Slaughter, NO WAY”!  Let’s get after it!!” ~ R.T.


HOUSE APPROP’S FULL COMMITTEE MEMBER LIST:

REPUBLICANS

  • Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey,Chairman– 202-225-5034   frelinghuysen.house.gov
  • Harold Rogers, Kentucky202-225-4601  

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BLM Issues Draft Environmental Assessment on Massive WY Wild Horse Removal

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Unedited BLM Press Release

“More propaganda and ‘Fake’ statistics utilized by the BLM to destroy the wild horse herds of Wyoming!” ~ R.T.

Past BLM Wyoming Stampede ~ Photo by Carol Walker of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo.Today the Bureau of Land Management released its draft environmental assessment for a proposed wild horse gather in southwest Wyoming and is seeking public input. The proposed gather will reduce wild horse populations in the Salt Wells Creek, Adobe Town and Great Divide Basin Herd Management Areas to their low Appropriate Management Levels in order to maintain healthy wild horses on healthy, productive rangelands.

Currently, public lands are home to 73,000 wild horses and burros across the west. This amounts to nearly triple the 26,715 population target that was established by the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended. The extensive overpopulation of wild horses…

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