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sitaangelIDA ACTION ALERTS
1. Stop Horse Massacre in National Wildlife Refuge
Tell U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect horses, not slaughter
them
Displaying a gross misuse of power and a fundamental failure to
fulfill their conservation mandate, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) has gone ahead with their plan to remove as many as
1,200 wild horses living in Nevada's Sheldon National Wildlife
Refuge. FWS has done this without allowing the public to comment on
their plan even though the horses were removed from federally-owned
land at taxpayers' expense. Many of these horses are being "adopted"
in groups by horse brokers who will then send them to
slaughterhouses.
FWS claims the horses' removal is necessary to preserve the water
supply for antelope and sage grouse -- two species that happen to
bring revenue to the state from fees for special hunting permits.
Their intent is to increase the populations of these animals so that
hunters will have more animals to shoot. However, FWS based their
plan on an outdated environmental study done in 1978, and has so far
refused to conduct a legally-required Environmental Assessment to
scientifically justify the horses' removal. A more recent study done
by FWS determined that wild horses can live sustainably with
antelope and sage grouse in the refuge.
FWS was particularly callous in gathering the horses in springtime,
just after foaling season, when newborn horses are between one and
three months old and not weaned yet. The roundup seriously
endangered these babies' lives, leaving them at risk of being
trampled to death or run to exhaustion. Foals who are separated from
their mothers at such a young age are unlikely to survive, even if
they are adopted instead of put on trucks bound for slaughter,
because they must have milk from their mothers or a very expensive
foal supplement to maintain their nutrition. Foals who do not
receive this nutrition will die or suffer serious lifelong health
problems. Some mares were likely in foal late and still pregnant
during the roundup, and the stress may have caused their unborn
babies to miscarry.
FWS's plan allows only "mass adoptions" of captured horses, with FWS
paying three "carefully screened" agents $300 per horse to take them
away by the truckload. Many of these horses are destined to be
auctioned off for slaughter, earning those who "adopt" the animals
as much as $500 per horse at the slaughterhouse on top of their $300
transport fee. The new policy furthers endanger horses by no longer
allowing rescue organizations and concerned individuals to adopt and
provide new homes for wild horses.
What You Can Do:
- Please urge FWS officials not to gather any more horses from
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge until they have conducted a proper
Environmental Assessment as required by law. Also tell them to allow
rescue organizations to adopt horses and not to give any horses to
brokers who may sell the animals to slaughterhouses.
Brian Day, Manager
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 111
Lakeview, OR 97630
Email: brian_day [at] fws.gov
Paul Steblein, Project Leader
Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 111
Lakeview, OR 97630
The Honorable H. Dale Hall
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Main Interior, 1849 C. Street NW, Room 3238
Washington, D.C. 20240-0001
Web-contact form: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/mail/?
agencyindid=790&type=AN
- Urge your federal Representative and two Senators to prevent FWS
from gathering any more wild horses from Sheldon National Wildlife
Refuge. You can get the mailing addresses and phone numbers for your
elected officials by clicking
http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip
code. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/SheldonHorses to send them an
automatic follow-up email.
- Write a letter to the editor of your city's newspaper opposing
FWS's plan to send horses from a national wildlife refuge to
slaughterhouses using federal tax dollars. Also urge local
television and radio stations to cover this story. Visit
http://www.newslink.org for media contact information.
1. Stop Horse Massacre in National Wildlife Refuge
Tell U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect horses, not slaughter
them
Displaying a gross misuse of power and a fundamental failure to
fulfill their conservation mandate, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) has gone ahead with their plan to remove as many as
1,200 wild horses living in Nevada's Sheldon National Wildlife
Refuge. FWS has done this without allowing the public to comment on
their plan even though the horses were removed from federally-owned
land at taxpayers' expense. Many of these horses are being "adopted"
in groups by horse brokers who will then send them to
slaughterhouses.
FWS claims the horses' removal is necessary to preserve the water
supply for antelope and sage grouse -- two species that happen to
bring revenue to the state from fees for special hunting permits.
Their intent is to increase the populations of these animals so that
hunters will have more animals to shoot. However, FWS based their
plan on an outdated environmental study done in 1978, and has so far
refused to conduct a legally-required Environmental Assessment to
scientifically justify the horses' removal. A more recent study done
by FWS determined that wild horses can live sustainably with
antelope and sage grouse in the refuge.
FWS was particularly callous in gathering the horses in springtime,
just after foaling season, when newborn horses are between one and
three months old and not weaned yet. The roundup seriously
endangered these babies' lives, leaving them at risk of being
trampled to death or run to exhaustion. Foals who are separated from
their mothers at such a young age are unlikely to survive, even if
they are adopted instead of put on trucks bound for slaughter,
because they must have milk from their mothers or a very expensive
foal supplement to maintain their nutrition. Foals who do not
receive this nutrition will die or suffer serious lifelong health
problems. Some mares were likely in foal late and still pregnant
during the roundup, and the stress may have caused their unborn
babies to miscarry.
FWS's plan allows only "mass adoptions" of captured horses, with FWS
paying three "carefully screened" agents $300 per horse to take them
away by the truckload. Many of these horses are destined to be
auctioned off for slaughter, earning those who "adopt" the animals
as much as $500 per horse at the slaughterhouse on top of their $300
transport fee. The new policy furthers endanger horses by no longer
allowing rescue organizations and concerned individuals to adopt and
provide new homes for wild horses.
What You Can Do:
- Please urge FWS officials not to gather any more horses from
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge until they have conducted a proper
Environmental Assessment as required by law. Also tell them to allow
rescue organizations to adopt horses and not to give any horses to
brokers who may sell the animals to slaughterhouses.
Brian Day, Manager
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 111
Lakeview, OR 97630
Email: brian_day [at] fws.gov
Paul Steblein, Project Leader
Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 111
Lakeview, OR 97630
The Honorable H. Dale Hall
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Main Interior, 1849 C. Street NW, Room 3238
Washington, D.C. 20240-0001
Web-contact form: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/mail/?
agencyindid=790&type=AN
- Urge your federal Representative and two Senators to prevent FWS
from gathering any more wild horses from Sheldon National Wildlife
Refuge. You can get the mailing addresses and phone numbers for your
elected officials by clicking
http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip
code. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/SheldonHorses to send them an
automatic follow-up email.
- Write a letter to the editor of your city's newspaper opposing
FWS's plan to send horses from a national wildlife refuge to
slaughterhouses using federal tax dollars. Also urge local
television and radio stations to cover this story. Visit
http://www.newslink.org for media contact information.
