Ep #28: Living with Mustangs
March 11, 2024
White Mountain Wild Horses Once Again at Risk: Please Comment by 3/22/24 to Help
March 18, 2024
by Carol J. Walker
The McCullough Peaks Herd is a small herd of horses near Cody, Wyoming that is much beloved by people across the country and all over the world. I have been following and photographing these horses since 2004. Since 2011 the mares in the herd have been given a form of birth control called PZP that has resulted in a 2% increase in herd size – which the BLM proudly touted as a success story. But they rounded up and removed 40 horses anyway.
This is an ageing herd with a large proportion of horses over 20 years old, which is quite an old age for a wild horse. 6 horses died over the summer, and after the bait trapping began, 6 more died and 5 more went missing. Yet 5 days before the end of the bait trapping the Bureau of Land Management announced that it was going to take not 35 horses as they at first claimed but now 43 because suddenly on January 1, all of the foals born in 2023 were classified as adults, and according to the BLM, brought the population from 175 to 183. In no other HMA in Wyoming are foals less than a year old and even yearlings who are 1 year old are classified as adults and counted toward the population number totals.
The Environmental Assessment that the Cody Field Office put out was full of flaws and inconsistencies, truly the worst EA I have ever read. The only justification for the roundup was that the herd was 35 horses over the Appropriate Management Level of 140. In order to justify a roundup, there needs to be a range assessment showing the impacts of livestock as well as wild horse grazing, showing that there was range degradation from the wild horses that would justify their removal during the bait trapping. That was never done, or if it was it was not included in the Environmental Assessment. The fact that many horses would pass away on their own of old age in the next couple of years was not accounted for. A plan for maintaining the genetic viability of this very small herd using data about the various bloodlines was never made nor carried out. The BLM was concerned about “non-responders” or mares that foaled despite the use of PZP and they added that they would give GonaCon, a known sterilant, to mares over a certain age who had already foaled. However, according to the website, there was no birth control given at all to any of the mares. The local group Friends of a Legacy initially voiced concerns in their comments on the Environmental Assessment, but finally, and much to my bitter disappointment, endorsed the plan of the BLM for this bait trapping.
In the Cody Resource Management Plan it states that foaling season starts February 1 and to avoid wild horses gathers from 6 weeks before to 6 weeks after peak foaling season.
The public was told many things – that only horses 5 and under would be taken. That it would only be 35 horses that were taken. That they would remove horses who had more of a genetic contribution to the herd. That the Lead would stay out there with the horses.
All of these things flew out the window.
The gates between all the pastures were padlocked, the horses were trapped in smaller areas. Of course, the public was not allowed to observe. Roads were blocked off, barricades were put up and only by standing on top of vehicles and using scopes very far away could advocates see what was going on.
When the BLM finally captures horses, they removed nursing foals from their mothers, including 4 month old Skydancer, 5 month old Bandero, and yearling Kat Ballou. They left them in a temporary holding pen alone overnight without supervision, without their mothers, not knowing anything about being in a pen or corral and Kat Ballou was found dead of a head injury in the morning. The necropsy report showed that she did not die immediately. This never should have happened. Foals this young should never have been removed without their mothers. Despite the outcry, the BLM next removed Thora, a 6 month old filly who was still nursing, and a favorite of thousands of people all over the country and the world. With all of the outcry about the removals of these youngsters, the BLM started posting photos to prove they were still alive in the Rock Springs corrals – they have never done this before.
In the last week of the bait trapping, as the March 15 end date (to preserve sage grouse) approached, the BLM was clearly panicking about not meeting their quota and brought in staff from Rock Springs to help capture the horses. In the trap off Whistle Creek Road, the 15 year old stallion named San Jose was only allowing his family inside the trap. So the BLM captured and removed him and his 13 year old mare Black Beauty, initially telling advocates that they would release them later. This is what happened in 2013 during the last bait trapping when Tecumseh was dominating the trap, and he was later released. But they changed their minds and sent San Jose, the last of his bloodline, and Black Beauty to Rock Springs corrals. The BLM had claimed that they would “focus their removal on horses 5 years old and younger.” Instead, 19 out of 40 of the horses removed are adults and some as old as 15. Instead of adjusting the sex ratio as they had planned to more stallions than mares, they removed 21 males and 19 females.
The Cody BLM Office started hanging up on callers and finally unplugged their phones. The Wyoming State office told 4 people I know of that they would release San Jose, Black Beauty and Thora, I think to just get them off the phone. The Office of the Department of the Interior started hanging up on people then stopped answering their phones. This is our government, we pay their salaries and this is a disgrace.
The last two days they announced that they would now be removing 43 horses instead of 35. Instead of picking and choosing which horses would be removed, the BLM removed entire families including many horses in their twenties. They took them to temporary holding in Cody until they were finished sorting them, and then released 10 older horses back to the range. Sandy Sisti happened to be there and was the only member of the public to witness the release. Mares without their stallion, stallions without their mares.
The final count of those horses removed was 40, which includes Kat Ballou. And yes this was less than the 43 horses they had planned – and for these 3 horses that are still free, that is a win. If you would like to see which horses have been removed with photos please see Sandy Sisti’s blog here:
https://www.wildatheartimages.com/blog/mcpeaksroundupthoselost
The herd has been gutted and genetically compromised and if the end game was to ensure its eventual demise then job well done, BLM. This roundup should never have occurred. There are now 138 horses left in this herd, below the number necessary for genetic viability. And no, BLM’s stupid solution of bringing in horses from other HMAs to supposedly fix this is NOT the solution. Taking less horses in the first place is the real solution.
Thank you to all of you who care about these horses and called and emailed, and showed your support for the advocates who went out there for the horses to see and report back what they could. Thank you for all your light and prayers directed to help the horses. Now the focus comes on finding good, quality, safe homes for those who were removed. The BLM has said that they will announce the dates that all the McCullough Peaks horses will be offered for adoption in the Online Corral, and they will be announcing the dates on their Wyoming BLM Facebook page as well as here: https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/adoption-and-sales/events
What can you do now? Well yesterday I received the wonderful news that Gina at the sanctuary For the Love of Aria has offered to help all of our beloved McCullough Peaks horses find homes. Gina is working directly with other sanctuary organizations and private adopters to ensure each and every one of these horses get to where they will be safe. Given that many are over 10, this is truly a wonderful blessing for the horses.
Please donate what you can to For The Love of Aria below. I appreciate everyone who cares about these horses.
You can donate at:
PayPal and Zelle: fortheloveofaria19@gmail.com
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fortheloveofaria
Venmo: @fortheloveofaria
https://account.venmo.com/u/fortheloveofaria
Mail cash or check to:
For the Love of Aria
PO Box 952
Kiowa, CO 80117
16 Comments
I’m outraged you are at the overall management of our wild horses and burros and that you need help from the White House. We are that as a tax paying citizen i’m outraged that my tax dollars are funding such a broken program for our wild horses and burros, Bureau of Land Management is failing at running the Wild Horse & Burro Program and as an American citizen (or international fan of wild horses), I’m incredibly disappointed that our government isn’t protecting wild horses, who are a federally protected species
There isn’t a competent leader at BLM. Not a leader of men nor horses.its disgraceful. But what’s it going to take to change to care first and disrupting last? Must we stand aside and let these wrongs go on?
Very well written, addresses everything the BLM is doing wrong & exactly how it’s hurting the wild horses & not protecting them like the BLM is being paid to… Thank you so much for taking the time to put this all together for us & the wild horses🫶
Please consider reaching out to every tax paying American citizen about this by addressing the financial cost of the BLM’s current ideas on how to “protect” & manage the wild horses who should still have priority of the lands they roam. Removing this federally protected species just so they can turn their protected ranges into better pastures for domestic livestock grazing for a handful of politically fused ranchers is NOT fair, just, or any rational human beings idea of protecting! $500 million every year going to benefit only 2% of our ranching industry, ON TOP of it being at the cost of our iconic wild horses losing their homes & freedom, is about as un-American as it gets & something that everyone in this country should be upset about!
To understand the level of evil happening by our government towards us read or listen on audible “Beyond a Pale Horse.” We can not fight a system we do not understand. We can not say words to make these people care about us or the horses. The planet is on the verge of collapse and balance will only be restored when humans reclaim their divinity and sovereignty. The fact is the round up for us is next, if we don’t stop this evil agenda.”
The McCullough Peaks bait trapping never should have happened. BLM you targeted an aging herd and you broke your own rules wich apparently mean nothing. All agencies involved in this ended up disconnecting phones or not answering after receiving such a huge number of outraged taxpayers expressing our disapproval if the tax paying citizens m9ney to be spent, injuring, killing and breaking up the families. The federal government has exceeded in letting their responsibility if good stewards to the horses and instead choos to decimate our wild horse herds. Know this, there is definitely a special spot in Hell for you so called humans that abuse innocent creatures.
I certainly agree. It’s all based on the government greed regarding the BLM and the type of animal cruelty they use against the wild horse population to restrict the wild horses of their freedom and use of the public lands where they used to be able to roam freely only to be trapped in holding pens and severely injured during the helicopter roundups which are considered inhumane and absolutely cruel to the wild horse population. It really saddens me regarding the wild horse population have to deal with unnecessary animal suffering and animal cruelty done by the BLM roundups with helicopters.
It is Time the Wild Horse/Burro HMA’s were Managed Primarily For the Wild Horses and Burros. That Means Reducing the Number of Domestic Livestock Grazing on Wild Horse/Burro HMA’s. BLM must be Prohibited From Zeroing Out Any More Wild Horse and Burro HMA’s. The Fact Is BLM Management is Showing No Motivation or Inclination tward the Protection and Preservation Wild Horses/Burros on the Wild Horse/Burro HMA’s. The BLM Target AML Goal of 25,000 WH/B is Entirely to Low to Maintain Herd Integrity, Herd Health and Healthy Genetics. Scientific Studies have Proven Individual Herds Need at Least 200 Individuals to Prevent InBreeding and Mutated Genetics. BLM ‘s own DNA Testing has Verified That Donkey Herds are Starting to Show A Decline in The Ability to Maintain A Heathy Gene Pool. “The Path Forward Needs to Be Vetoed”. Positive Steps need to be Taken to Preserve and Protect what Wild Horses/Burros are Remaining on the Wild Horse & Burro HMA’s. BLM needs to Stop Wasting Money on Removing Horses that are in Small Herds Sucessfully Managed with PZP. BLM needs to Evaluate Herds Individually and Conduct an Environmental Assessment before Removing Any Wild Horses/Burros from their HMA’s. BLM needs to Remove Domestic Livestock Before Removing Any Wild Horses/Burros From their HMA’s. BLM needs to Hire BLM Management Persons that Are Experienced and Educated in Equine Management and Herd Health. BLM needs toStop Ware Housing Wild Horses/Burros in Holding Facilities designed like Commercial Cattle Feeding Facilities. Wise Up BLM! It is Bad Animal Husbandry to Ware House Wild Horses/Burros in Condensed Holding Facilities. DISEASE and Death Run Rampant in Condensed Environments. All BLM Facilities housing Wild Horses/Burros need to be Transparent and Accessable to Public Scrutiny. ALL BLM Records Pretaining to Wild Horses/Burros need to be Up To Date, Transparent and Available for Public Review. AMERICA’S Citizens and Tax Payers are Deeply Concerned about America’s Treasured Wild Horses/Burros. Please Listen to Our Voices and Our Concerns. The Whole World is Watching this BLM Fiasco (The Path Foreward) which threatens the Future of Americas Beloved Free Roaming Wild Horses/Burros.
Thank you, This is a letter I wrote directly to the office of The Bureau of Mis-Management and the response was as expected, lies, lies and more lies. Criminal charges should be brought against the Director of the BLM. Again thank you for your insight.
I’m sure you have heard this many times but I felt it necessary to voice my opinion on the subject.
First let me give you some background on how I derived at the claims I am about to make. I have been involved in the agricultural livestock industry since 1969. I have been a working cow hand, rancher and horseman. I have a college background in feeds and feeding as well as pasture management. With that said I think I have a little experience that I can speak from.
What I’m about to say would not be popular with the hard working cattlemen that I call colleagues. I feel that as cattlemen we are the steward’s of the land we graze, plant and harvest. As such we should respect and protect that land and it’s inhabitants. I was taught this by true cattleman fifty plus years ago. When that cowboy passed it was in Nevada while taking in the beauty of the wild horses in and around Virginia City. He passed I’m sure happy as the wild horses were his tie to the old cowboy way of life. He always told me to appreciate them for what they are “free spirits” because they would soon be gone. I asked him why he thought that, he replied because of the modern day rancher. The ones that don’t ranch within their means or the boundaries of what they have. They would rather lease land than own and remove any obstacles that hinder their ability to make more money. He said because they are no longer good steward’s of what Mother Earth has given them. They will destroy what they have and then ask for more at everyone and everything’s expense.
Everytime I pass through Nevada, I think of that old cowboy. I remember what he said as I find myself trying to catch a glimpse of a single wild horse. I try not to believe he was right but, he was they will soon be gone. It is not only a sad day for the wild horses, old cowboys but also my children and grandchildren. They will never know or be able to appreciate the Free Spirit of the American Mustang.
The Bureau of Land Management has not managed the lands of the Wild horse. You have given way to the corporate rancher and aided them in the removal of obstacles “The Wild Horse”. You allow them to not be good steward’s of the land. They over graze marginal land and then blame the wild horse for their mismanagement of that land. They lobby the Bureau for more land and less horses so their cattle do not have to compete. You have given in at the expense of an American icon our wild horses. To call you Land Management is quite frankly sad because what you do is the furthest thing from management. The only thing that you seem to manage is the land grabs of the modern corporate rancher. I’m not sure what land management has to do with herd management but you are doing both poorly. Your gathering practices should be grounds for animal abuse, I mean pigs in California are treated better. You terrify and injure the horses both mentally and physically with helicopters and small pens. You take a horse that has never seen a corral and put them in one, boy the mental abuse there is off the charts. You put horses together without any sort of thought as to what family they are from. Yes, I said family because they are family and as such they are protective of their own. Here’s a thought maybe rather than removing the wild horses maybe you should manage the ranchers abusing the land. Maybe force them to be better stewards and not rapists of the land that the American People allow them to lease. I say this because “We the People” still have a voice in this country and this citizen feels that the Bureau and it’s practices of coddling corporate rancher needs to be investigated by Congress. You need to do better by us, the land and the wild horses.
Regards
Bret Martin
Cowboy and Horseman
The Wyoming and Cody BLM are so unconscientious in their “management” of this unique and globally appreciated herd. Such a mockery of their honorable duty of defending the rights and integrity of the wild horses under the basic tenets and meaning of the WFHBA! Clearly a major reform is called for. This stated, I must again stand up for Reserve Design and larger herd numbers and habitat provisions for truly genetically viable population levels in commensurate wholistically complete and long-term habitats. This can happen! But enough of us must just insist on it!
The way these horses are treated is the. Most cruel hateful thing. Those babies are no different than a human baby. There are no reasons ever good enough for this. It’s Criminal. It’s mean. A lot of animal haters. There are many ways to fix this but nobody wants to take the time to work together & use Common sense. These animals DONT HAVE TO SUFFER & DIE A CRUEL DEATH.
This information needs to be sent to every news station, national and local. The BLM and our government that oversees them show their true colors with their actions and then dare to lie to callers demeaning answers. Hanging up on the very people whose money is being used for this atrocity. We need the tv and news to conduct accurate investigations into each and every aspect of the BLM
To governor Kristi Noem.. you need to get this figured out FOR OUR WILD HORSES.. you are the most prominent local official where the BLM is ruining one of your tourist attractions and OUR national heritage.
#wyominggovernor #passthesafeact
Mark Gordon is the Governor of Wyoming.
If our politicians care more for their money than the tax payers who pay their salaries. I sa u vote them out and pray the Lord shows them how it feels To be harmed by others with no say or feelings. That is what is happening because of money. Let them learn a great lesson.
May the people and politicians who allow the peoples money over kind treatment and proper treatment of a protected species come around and let them experience karma for the betrayal that has been done.. they deserve to experience in kind.
How is it that the BLM believes that they are in any way in charge of touching, moving, chasing, abusing, or killing any one of those beautiful Wild Horses? I do not know the law in Cheyenne but I do know that in the state of Colorado, it is a felony to abuse or kill an animal as the BLM did in this bait-trapping incident. I believe any person really serious about taking action might want to look into the law in Cheyenne and pursue any legal action for the deceased and injured wild horses from this disgusting display of this good ol’ boys agency’s actions when they decided that there were too many horses on this federal land eating nothing but dead, dry grass. These Rexall Rangers who believe that they are cattlemen (I use the word men lightly) have no idea what it is to be a cattle rancher. I grew up with two very successful grandfathers and both had very large ranches and were cattlemen. These two men grew their own hay and wheat so they could feed their cattle. Neither of them depended on the government to “Help them” feed their cattle by leasing land. No, they worked their asses off and bought their ranches with money they made farming and ranching. Both HAD to be sure their crops were successful every year so that they always had an abundance of food for their cattle. That didn’t mean they only had ample supply for one year. They had stacks and stacks and stacks of hay for their cattle, as well as, many very large grainerys full of grain and they ground and mixed the grain for their cattle and other livestock themselves. Their cows never went hungry and my grandfathers never ran out of food for their cattle or any of the livestock they were raising. These little sissy-ass. lazy, don’t ever get their hands dirty, and their pick-up trucks are always clean, cattle people that have to steal land from the wolves and the wild horses are parasites and need to go away. These are not cattlemen and they have no rights to that land. Those cry babies are not entitled solely to be stomping their little feet and waving their tiny hands crying out “It’s mine and I want it.” That land belongs to ALL of us and ALL of us have a say about what happens on that land. As well, we the people have the right to say “DO NOT touch those horses. It is not just these beautiful wild horses that the BLM is hunting and diminishing for these babies who can’t raise a cow. Now that the wolf is going to be reintroduced to areas where these wanna-be cowboys obliterated wolves for eating their damn cow because well; wolves live in the wild and the cry babies put their cows in the wild and hey wolves like a good burger now and then so when you do the math you get a dead cow. So, the Rexall Rangers boo hoo themselves down to the government office and tell the government man “Your wolf ate my cow” and the stupid government man, with our tax dollar reimburses the dumb pseudo cattleman for every cow that gets eaten by a wolf or a grizzly or a couple of coyotes. Plus, the dumb wanna-be cattleman ends up shooting the wolf and/or wolves in the long run and the wolves become extinct and the wanna be cowboy suffers no consequences and comes out on top by being paid for a dead cow. Now, there are no wolves. So, this leads to an overpopulation of elk everywhere. Now, elk season gets extended everywhere to manage the over-population of the elks because hunters can never get an elk because they can’t hunt for sh*%. Even after lengthening hunting season, the elk population is still out of control. The issues with the elk over-population; wasting disease, the eco-system is out of whack because the elk are standing in rivers and streams eating trees they don’t usually eat because their food source has become scarce (cows are eating their grass) and the elk stand in the rivers and streams this messes with the fishies and the fish are dying and all kinds of things in nature are flipping out. The over-population of elk has to be handled so now the Forest Service and its Rangers have to go up in helicopters and start shooting and killing elk from the air to bring the elk population to a number that will bring nature back in balance since the wolf has not yet been re-introduced to manage the elk naturally. Isn’t that a horrifying way to get to spend your day? So, this is what has happened just because the BLM has worked hard to kiss the butts and give the wanna-be cattlemen all the land they want for $$$$? Does the BLM believe all of the above was worth lying to the people who pay their salaries, and pay their federal taxes in-order to pay the salaries and have the land the BLM mis-manages? Paying federal taxes would make “We the People” the owners of the land the BLM prostituted out to the cows and kidnapped the wild horses from who do not belong to anyone but the wind, the land, and God. The BLM then went on to stress, abuse, and kill many of the beautiful wild horses for absolutely no reason. Even though people protested and gave valid reasons to keep them in place. The BLM allowed wolves, which are natural predators, and known carnivores that prefer to eat hooved animals (cows have hooves) such as; deer, elk, moose, and bison (yes, giant moose and giant bison), to be killed on federal land for killing a cow. The government pays these cry-baby cattlemen money whenever a cow gets eaten by something in nature. WTF? Then why put your cow out as bait? Many think this was just about the beautiful, innocent horses the BLM tortured and kidnapped. It goes so much deeper and is so much worse. Those poor beautiful horses I agree that was horrifying and there has to be be consequences for what happened. This cow business is not good and it has to be managed differently and much, much better because it is affecting so many creatures and we are all being slapped in the face with our federal taxes we pay.