Wednesday, March 23, 2011

WILD FOAL WATCH


all photos by Karen Hopple

Dear Readers,
Visitors to the Bureau of Land Management's Palomino Valley hoped to see spring foals. They did, and here's how one described the wild horse corrals, "...filthy, with standing water from the storm that smelled like cesspools. The horses were a mess, covered with mud and feces...The strangles is spreading... heard coughs in every area of the center."
Disheartened by the condition of the captive horses, the visitors drove out of town to see how mustangs on their own had weathered the high desert storms.
The free-roaming horses were doing just fine. Foals nursed, studied the two-legged newcomers and hopped like bunnies over sage brush.
Back at Palomino Valley, the captive foals huddled low in the mud, trying to stay alive.






WHY?
Free-roaming mustangs sought natural shelter and higher ground away from rain run-off. The only shelter at Palomino Valley covers hay bales and a work area where stallions are castrated. In the corrals, there is no shelter and BLM failed to use on-site trucks and bulldozers to cover even the muddiest areas, so that newborns could nap on dry dirt.

I've been accused of cruelty because I favor mustangs running free -- searching out their own food, shelter and safety.
Take a look at these photos and judge for yourself which horses are happier.
Next, take action. Use this simple form to tell BLM this is not the way you want millions of tax dollars spent. It's easy, just : click here to say LET 'EM RUN!


all photos by Karen Hopple

Labels: BLM, Palomino Valley, shelter in captivity, weather conditions, wild foals

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Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:42 PM

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Comments: terri,

sent this to my reps. If this is the best they can do at their flagship public facility, I can't begin to imagine the conditions at Broken Arrow and other off the beaten path holding areas.
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