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Friday, July 12, 2013
Counting Wild Horses : Why Statistics Don't Stack Up
Babies born to mustang mothers in Federal captivity are not wild horses until they are old enough to be branded.The rhetoric of death is complicated. As an English teacher and word lover, I wonder: is this an example of oxymoron or irony? Maybe it's a logic problem. Bureau of Land Management is legally required to protect and preserve America's wild horses.If records for a wild horse facility show BLM paid for disposal of 241 dead wild horses, how is it that 577 equine corpses were picked up for disposal ? The discrepancy is made up of phantom foals. In May 2013, BLM explained it this way: "How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1, 2013? According to the Wild Horse and Burro Program System, the number of horses that have died at PVC from Jan. 1, 2013 through April 1, 2013, is 37. This number does not include stillbirths (aborted fetuses, animals born dead and newborn animals found dead) and young foals that died before they were freeze marked. Foals are freeze marked when they are weaned. This varies with the size and condition of the foals and the mares, but usually occurs sometime between three and six months of age." As a stereotypical English major, I'm usually willing to take the blame for my trouble with numbers. This time, I don't think it's me. BLM's statistical problems as diagnosed by the National Academy of Sciences won't clear up until fuzzy math is no longer a matter of policy. ***Read more about Animal Angels' investigation captive mustang deaths here: http://bit.ly/1050IcN Labels: BLM, BLM death statistics, phantom foals, wild horse math, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:46 AM 0 comments  
Monday, March 07, 2011 Death of the West  Sacred Medicine Hat in squalor photo by Mark Terrell Dear Readers, Petfolio magazine published this article and I hope you'll find it interesting. DEATH OF THE WEST, by Terri Farley Labels: BLM death statistics, BLM press release, industrialization of the range, mustangs, Phoenix Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:03 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 BLM: TELL THE TRUTH & YOU WON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER THE LIES  photo by SacBee photographer LEZLIE STERLING A white stallion looks over his wild mustang mares on Bureau of Land Management land near Susanville. Dear Readers, Despite the hot weather deaths of this weekend, BLM still plans to round up 6,000 wild horses by summer's end. The BLM said it plans to conduct the summertime "gather" of 2,300 horses and 280 burros from the Twin Peaks area in northern California (home to the small herd in the photo above) to avoid doing it later in the fall, when it would conflict with deer hunting season. Readers, I guess I'm getting suspicious and skeptical because I just bet the reason for this round-up will change before long. BLM will say they're "gathering" for the horses' own good, or range protection, just as the Tuscarora horses were dying of thirst this week. Last week the Tuscarora mustangs were being gathered for knocking down fences. BLM, here's a tip: TELL THE TRUTH AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER THE LIES. Hugs to you with humane hearts, Terri Labels: BLM death statistics, deer hunting, knocking down fences, mustang, Twin Peaks, wild horse deaths Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:03 PM 3 comments
Sunday, January 31, 2010 The Dead of Winter: Foals forced from wombs by BLM  Kindness and care helped this premature foal survive, but he wasn't born after a reckless stampede Dear Readers, I wish Blogger hadn't gone out of service at the same time my laptop died AND I had to be on the road with no wifi. But I'm back and you'll be hearing lots from me in the next few days, maybe more than you want. I won't lie to you; all the warnings we gave BLM about the roundups in winter, are coming true. Twenty six wild horses have died in BLM's Calico round-ups and that number does NOT include the twenty foals that died before they could live -- due to stress-induced miscarriages. But the round ups go on. I've had dreams about these mares, fleeing helicopters for miles, made awkward by their pregnant bellies, falling, getting up, galloping to catch their herd, jumbling together with another herd brought in by a second helicopter. Bodies slam together, as they are chased running and gasping down chutes,into metal sided trailers. And then, when the mares have been robbed of last springs colts which try to huddle beside them, the mares go into premature labor. Imagine these animal realizing in such a strange environment, at least this is one thing -- giving birth -- has remained the same. But the new foals come too early. Their mothers rip open birth sacks with their teeth, but when they tenderly lick the little nostrils clear so that the foals can breathe, they don't. It's bad news. Awful news, but we're not letting our horses go without a fight. Please watch for my (late) newsletter for recommendations on what you can do to help. Hugs to you all, Terri Labels: BLM death statistics, BLM round ups, Calico Complex, foals, helicopter, miscarriage, premature foals Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:44 PM 7 comments
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