BLM Warehousing Wild Horses in Rock Springs Without Adequate Shelter

ROCK SPRINGS, WY. (Dec. 10, 2013)- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has completed the helicopter roundup of Wyoming’s Salt Wells wild horses, but concerns about the inhumane treatment of over 668 captivemustangspersist. Eyewitnesses report harsh conditions at the holding facilities.

After being driven into traps by helicopters, most stallions were transported 300 miles to the Gunnison Prison Wild Horse Program in Utah, while mares and foals were sent to theBLM’s Rock Springs corrals. Neither facility provides adequate windbreaks or shelter, leaving the horses exposed to bitter cold and strong winds.

Wild horse photographerCarol Walkerdescribed the conditions: “Mares and foals seemed frozen in place, resigned, unmoving. There is no shelter for these horses in Short Term Holding Facilities, and although they have heavy winter coats, they have nowhere to escape the biting wind. In their natural setting, they would seek shelter in low areas or next to cliffs.”

TheCloud Foundation(TCF) questioned theBLMabout the presence of windbreaks. TheBLMclaimed via email that windbreaks exist, but Walker's photos suggest otherwise. “The temperature was below zero with snow blasting through the pens where the horses huddled for warmth,” she noted.

TCF requested an accounting of the wild horses held at Rock Springs. TheBLMadvised Ginger Kathrens, TCF's Executive Director, to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which often results in delays or denials. Kathrens questioned the secrecy, expressing concern over foal survival rates, as theBLMdoes not count horses under six months old.

TheBLMhas faced criticism for its lack of transparency, as highlighted in a National Academies of Science (NAS) review. The NAS concluded that massiveroundupsare counterproductive, stimulating increased breeding among remaining bands.

The Cloud Foundation urges Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to intervene. “First the horses are rounded up in the cold, and now they are trapped in corrals without protection,” statedRachel Reeves, who photographed the roundup. “It is heartbreaking to see these wild horses held in such inhumane conditions.”

Advocates like Lisa Friday, a Virginia wild horse adopter, express disappointment with the lack of action from Jewell. “As adopters, we must provide adequate shelter for ourBLMmustangs. Why is the government not held to the same standard?”

Links:

• BLM Helicopter Roundups Continue to Destroy Wild Horse Herds – Targeting southern Wyoming herds.
• Federal Court Sanctions Plans to eliminate Wild Free-Roaming Horses from Wyoming Checkerboard
• Using Science to Improve BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program