Press release by: Jetara Séhart, of NATIVE WILD HORSE PROTECTION
About 100 horses huddle around an empty water trough. Photo courtesy of Patty Bumgarner at PVC Facility
Only the second day of government shut down and already captive wild horses, at the Bureau of Land Management’s Palomino Valley Center, in Nevada are suffering due to inadequate drinking water access.
Regarding the shut down, The Bureau of Land Management stated “that it will maintain the minimum number of employees needed to humanely care for and feed the 50,000 wild horses in short and long-term holding facilities. Unfortunately, it will cease wild horse and burro adoptions, compounding its current problem of warehousing wild horses and burros at taxpayer expense, and will likely not be able to proceed with the more humane and fiscally responsible short-term round-ups needed for the application of fertility control and release of horses to live on the range.”
However, eye witness testimony, including photographs and video footage, taken by Patty Bumgarner, a Nevada resident and wild horse advocate, who visited the facility yesterday, clarify the problematic BLM PVC’s more serious failings to provide basic needed water for the near 2,000 horses, they are entrusted to care for. Upon Bumgarner’s visit, she discovered, at least one horse in apparent need of medical attention and 20 other horses gathered around one water trough kicking the trough, in seeming attempt to obtain a drink of water.
Bumgarner, informed: “[Yesterday], as I approached the Palomino Valley Center, I immediately saw a young Paint, laying on her side and she attempted to rise once, but was unable to. I want to get help out there for these horses. There are over 100 horses in that one pen alone and they need more then one water trough to drink from. The water troughs should never be empty, as they were [yesterday], all the troughs should always be full. I did not see any BLM personnel, caring for the horses and I spoke with the only other people present, a local couple visiting the facility and they mentioned they did see one BLM person in the morning feeding the horses and they saw him leave about 2:00 PM. There were about 20 horses around the water trough and they were all kicking it and trying to get a drink. I don’t know how long these horses can last like this, government shut down or not, this is just wrong.”
Since June 7th, Native Wild Horse Protection, a Marin County, California, wild horse preservation group, requested the BLM PVC, Nevada facility provide shelter and more water troughs, to be made available for the near 2,000 wild horses held in the high desert, in order to prevent and according to doctoral opinion, Dr. Lester Friedlander BA DVM, “many heat related deaths,” yet still the horses are suffering and forced to share in some pens only one water trough per 60+ horses and still shelter has not been made available for these horses.
The BLM announced testing of 3 shade options for wild horses at Palomino Valley facility on Aug 26th. Over a month later, promised shelters have not arrived and one water trough for 60-100 wild horses forced to share, has not been remedied.
Native Wild Horse Protection and Fighting for Nevada’s Wild Horses, hosted a protest on July 20th in Carson City, Nevada and requested to prevent wild horse deaths for the BLM to provide shelter and more water troughs for these horses to have opportunity, to survive,
Instead, of providing shelter and more needed water troughs, thus far the BLM PVC facility:
Installed a new fence (block-aiding foot passage to outer pens, creating difficulty for visitors to see many horses) and the BLM moved one hay structure, previously used, to somewhere near the horses. The BLM also held a workshop on August 4th, in Reno, Nevada, to discuss whether horses “prefer” shade or not and the BLM on September 4th hosted a press conference at tax payer expense and in complete disregard for cause of unnecessary suffering and death for our wild horses, trapped within their “care,” rather then simply doing the right thing for these horses, to install shelters and more drinking water troughs. [Yesterday] the one water trough provided was near empty.
Approximately 1,700 wild horses lives are at stake, held captive in this concentration camp-like facility. A few months ago, the number was closer to 2,000. Another mare died on September 4th, during Congressman Grijalva’s tour and BLM press conference, the BLM claims again attribute her death stemming from “unknown causes.” For the survivor’s of BLM PVC summer’s heat, today presented an even more difficult challenge to survive with even less or no water. Young wild horses are dying within this facility. A PVC manager claims “from unknown causes,” though the foal deaths may increase the death toll to rise to an even higher rate. We cannot truly know how many babies are dying and have died, because this facility does not count foal deaths.
By: Dr. Lester Friedlander BA DVM, President of Citizens Against Equine Slaughter: “I am utterly appalled and disgusted to learn that the horses incarcerated at the BLM PVC holding facility, outside of Reno, Nevada are apparently being held unattended, without BLM staff to ensure they are fed and watered, properly. This gross neglect is unacceptable. They are being held captive at the mercy of our government and It’s not the horses fault that our incompetent government has shut down. These horses have already endured a plethora of neglect and abuse at the hands of the BLM from the unnecessary roundups, to the slimy water and moldy hay, and overgrown hooves, combined with being held in shelterless pens in the desert with inadequate drinking water. Perhaps it’s time to take matters into our own hands and award citizen committees to manage our wild horses and burros to ensure their survival.”
Imagine how BLM’s 48,000 captive wild horses are enduring now, those living within facilities such as “Broken Arrow” in Nevada that are closed to the public. If BLM’s Palomino Valley Center, while under hot public scrutiny still mistreats our wild horses, then what is happening to those held captive within closed facilities? Native Wild Horse Protection calls citizens to visit BLM’s wild horse facilities across the country, to photograph our national treasures, and to consider a new path to better manage our wild horses based upon wise and compassionate action. Our wild horses cannot await the BLM to implement National Academy of Science’s called for sweeping reform. Give them shelter, needed water, and care or to set them free.