UPDATED: 01/21/13

“Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”  ― Aldo Leopold

Allowing and even supporting abuse of Wild Horses, within our Public Lands and by government employees is unacceptable.  Even more disgusting is the BLM use of tax payer money to support abuse of America’s Wild Horse Herds!  And their excuses are simply lies, and just not good enough to cover-up the abuse!

The BLM has been taken too court, several times regarding abuse of the Wild Horses!  In ALL cases the Judge had Federally Court Ordered BLM to STOP the Abuse — the BLM Ignores the Federal Court Orders and Ignores the Federal Judge’s Orders!

The BLM, not included within this discussion, also ignores the Court Ordered mandate of the 1st Amendment Right to “Press Access” and Freedom of Information Act on all roundups, which continues and always has been a Constitutional mandate by the Federal Court — BLM assumes they do not have to abide by the Constitution of the United States nor a Federal Court Order!

Not only is it unacceptable within moral attributes’, but within a civilized society as well.  So why then, does our government support such activities from the people who work within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)?  Why does the official oversight agency, the Department of the Interior (DOI) support such activity, which is beyond a doubt and well definable as Animal Abuse?

When nothing is done to correct animal abuse, or the animal abuse is ignored, or worse, excused, then we can outright conclude it is supported by those excusing or ignoring the situation.

“It is horrible that those people at the Bureau of Land Management would use Hot Shots on horses, or allow contractors to use those things.  I’ve rounded up horses for over 45 years, and never had a need for using one, or helicopters for that matter, especially with horses.  In my opinion that is just some dam psychopath being mean and nasty to a horse.” – Carl Stevens, Lead Wrangler and Cowboy-Retired

We spend taxpayer dollars yearly, millions of dollars, for the Justice Department to defend BLM and DOI employees in regard to their mismanaged horse roundups.  Ironically, also in such matters as animal abuse within these same agencies.  So much so that space prohibits the references to all the previous Federal Court cases documented within the last two or three years.

Animal Abuse Psychology

The first step is identifying what animal abuse is and what provokes the situation.  The subject is too lucrative to delve into a complete discussion here, so only highlights will be mentioned.  Please refer to the references given below if further informative material is required for more discussion, or legal references for future Court Hearings when bringing BLM or DOI employees to task for their abuse of, in this discussion, wild horses.

“In 1985, Drs. Alan Felthous and Steven Kellert studied 152 men, 102 of them serving time in federal penitentiaries for Animal Abuse. . . among the aggressive criminals. . . identified nine major motivations for animal abuse:

1. To control the animal;

2. To retaliate against the animal;

3. To satisfy a prejudice against a specific species or breed;

4. To express aggression through an animal;

5. To enhance one’s own aggressiveness;

6. To shock people for amusement;

7. To retaliate against another person;

8. Displacement of hostility from a person to an animal;

9. Nonspecific sadism. ^2-5

Intentional Cruelty

It becomes quite obvious that animal abuse takes place at many BLM wild horse herd roundups.  The excuses simply lies, also obvious to those with knowledge not only about horses, but to the uninitiated as well.  Such things as horses breaking their necks while being loaded into a large horse carrier, or while in a temporary holding corral, or while being rounded up by a helicopter, and much more, remain numerous.  Abuse and neglect for the animals safety remains the obvious factors here, and the excuses by BLM always inaccurate and false.

There always exists the nasty hidden secret, or underpinning of numerous psychological animal abuse behavior attached to each BLM roundup incident.  And yes, some of the people taking part in the wild horse herd roundups do have criminal records of animal abuse in their past.

The reality is, and ignored by BLM or DOI management and supervisors, the overwhelming fact that intentional cruelty is often more shocking than neglect, and most refuse to admit this.  Not admitted as well, as money far more important to these people than this harsh reality, that many abuse cases are frequently an indicator of a serious human behavior problem.  Taxpayers should not be paying for this what so ever!

Intentional cruelty is when an individual purposely inflicts physical harm or injury on an animal.  This also includes neglect or ignoring the safety of the animals well being.  The ASPCA, Humane Society, and other organizations with cruelty investigation authority have arrested individuals who have deliberately maimed, tortured or even killed animals.  BLM employees and their contractors’ also need to be arrested at each incident, and disqualified from future government employment situations, to say the least!  Because these people work for the government does not make them exempt from these same laws or ethical conduct toward our nations animals what so ever!

Why No Arrests of BLM Employees?

This leads to the overall question within this discussion — Why have BLM employees or their contractors not been arrested for their behavior, their outright cruelty combined with neglect toward, in this case, wild horses during roundups?  Ironically, many of their actions photographed, logged, and filed within Federal Court, and yet no prosecution of any BLM or their contractors arrested for such behavior!

The use of Helicopters is a different discussion, and assuredly yet another abusive means of rounding up horses that should not take place; and yet is justified only by monetary situations rather than humane treatment of animals, morals, or ethical definitions.

The excuse — cost factors equating to time factors — incentives by BLM/DOI contracts which contain time restraints’, which equates to more pay for the contractor — which causes irresponsible conduct of BLM contractors’, or defined categorically as Provoked Abuse.  Not so ironic, this is in reality, yet another definable, categorical, and well explained form of abuse toward animals, horses in this case — and is ignored entirely.

A short list of Witnessed and in some cases photographed Intentional Cruelty by BLM and their contractors:

1. Helicopters used to hit/bump horses, harass horses, or bump horses off cliffs;

2. Helicopters used to scare, and to then stampede horses, and while continuously  frightened they stamped over exhausted and stumbling horses, pregnant mares and foals, most often killing them;

3. Helicopters used to stampede horses and cause expiration and even death to horses due to prolonged chases toward and into temporary holding corrals;

4. Use of Electronic Shock or Hot Shots when leading horses to temporary holding corrals, loading, or just striking them with Hot Shots out of cruelty, to show-off for the other employees (witnessed) or to demean the animal (witnessed);

5. Use of white plastic flags or bags on the tip-end of whips, to frighten already stressed-out and fatigued horses, which has led to many broken necks and broken legs while horses held captive in temporary corral situations; and much more . . .

One of the less acceptable facts — although many individuals are arrested for intentional cruelty, people who commit even the most heinous crimes against animals are often not prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  In states where animal cruelty is considered a misdemeanor, individuals who commit intentional cruelty crimes against animals can receive, at most, one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Often, perpetrators receive no more than probation.

Government’s Irresponsible Conduct

The BLM and DOI have a vast history of being sued, and loosing those lawsuits, mostly for mismanaged programs, or in many cases blatant incompetence and disregard for Ecological Systems or Wildlife.  Thereby, a foundation does exist of abuse, make no doubt.

The problem with animal abuse is the fact that it is allowed at all.  People often turn their heads and claim lack of knowledge.  Or worse, allow the animal abuse to take place, then attempt to make excuses.  Often it is ignored, in total, that the psychological attributes of the animal abuse is often Psychopathic in nature.  And yet, the animal abuse happens most often in front of others, and the “others” do nothing!

The very existence of Hot Shots (cattle prods) in a contractors truck or at a roundup remains extremely questionable and unacceptable in conduct, to say the least.  Shocking the wild horse’s while in corrals is a good example of not only irresponsible conduct, but others apparently looking the other way.  Shocking a small foal to get it loaded into a horse trailer is reprehensible and psychopathic!  The situation photographed, and the following question comes to everyone’s mind — Why are the individuals shown using a Hot Shot (the foal and other horses) not arrested?  Why are they still working as private contractors with the BLM?

Examples with the BLM and DOI abound, no doubt plentiful.  In another context, and shown to be factual and with BLM staff knowledgeable of these facts — When, for example, a Welfare Rancher complains about wild horses on Public Lands they lease from the BLM, they hire one of a few people available to go and shoot the wild horses roaming freely on that same Public Land.  The question here is who would be the worse offender, the Welfare Rancher hiring the assassination of wild horses, or the shooter — Well, in definable or legal terms, BOTH!

And what of the BLM employees who have knowledge of these events.  Certainly in one Nevada town it is an outstanding joke, that the BLM Police know exactly who the shooter’s are, as they drink with them at one of the local bars.

A case could also be made for each of them, mental instability and psychopathic behavior — witnesses have attested to the fact one horse-shooter actually has a wild horse (BLM cold branded) mounted and stuffed on display in his living room and as a trophy, just as a hunter would do with an Elk head or other wild animal.

CONCLUSION

It is quite obvious there exists a necessity to arrest and prosecute government, specifically BLM and DOI animal abusers, especially when working with the BLM, DOI, or any other government agency!  They are not exempt what so ever from America’s Laws!

The fact is Accountability and Responsibility, not only for the Wild Horses but with tax payer money as well, should no longer be ignored.  It is reasonable to equate the ignoring of such extreme circumstances to become very real, as long as we as American’s and taxpayers allow such agencies as the BLM or DOI to be the most litigated government agencies in America’s history!

“The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, “What good is it?” If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”
― Aldo Leopold, Round River: From the Journals of Aldo Leopold

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Photo Credit: Laura Leigh, Photojournalist

1.  Petfinder, What Constitutes Animal Cruelty?  http://www.petfinder.com/helping-pets/animal-cruelty/aspca-animal-cruelty-fact/

2. Resnick, P. J. and Zuchowski, S. J. (2010) Malingering and Psychopathic Disorders, in The International Handbook of Psychopathic Disorders and the Law: Laws and Policies (eds A. Felthous and H. Saß), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, UK. doi: 10.1002/9780470516157.ch64

3. Felthous, A. and Saß, H. (eds) (2008) Front Matter, in The International Handbook of Psychopathic Disorders and the Law: Laws and Policies, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, UK. doi: 10.1002/9780470516157.fmatter

4. The International Handbook of Psychopathic Disorders and the Law: Laws and Policies Alan Felthous, Henning Saß, Pages: i–xxi, 2010 Published Online : 6 JUL 2010, DOI: 10.1002/9780470516157.fmatter02

5. Animal Abuse as a Sentinel for Human Violence: A Critique

Journal of Social Issues, Volume 65, Issue 3, September 2009, Pages: 589–614, Emily G. Patterson-Kane and Heather Piper Article first published online : 23 JUL 2009, DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2009.01615.x

6. LOSING SAMSON: Nature, Crime, and Boundaries

The Sociological Quarterly, Volume 51, Issue 3, Summer 2010, Pages: 355–383, Paul Colomy and Robert Granfield Article first published online : 5 JUL 2010, DOI: 10.1111/j.1533-8525.2010.01176.x

7. State Wildlife Policy and Management: The Scope and Bias of Political Conflict

Public Administration Review, Volume 64, Issue 2, March 2004, Pages: 221–233, Martin Nie, Article first published online : 18 MAR 2004, DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2004.00363.x

“State wildlife policy and management are often characterized by divisive political conflict among competing stakeholders. This conflict is increasingly being resolved through the ballot-initiative process. One important reason the process is being used so often is the way state wildlife policy and management decisions are often made by state wildlife commissions, boards, or councils (the dominant way these decisions are made in the United States). These bodies are often perceived by important stakeholders as biased, exclusive, or unrepresentative of nonconsumptive stakeholder values. As a result, unsatisfied interest groups often try to take decision-making authority away from these institutions and give it to the public through the ballot initiative. Cases and examples from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, and Idaho are examined in this context. The article finishes by outlining four broad alternatives that may be debated in the future: the no change alternative, the authoritative expert alternative, the structural change alternative, and the stakeholder-based collaborative conservation alternative(s).”

8. Animal Abuse and Neglect, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/

9. Reno Federal Judge Chalks Up Another Defeat for BLM Against Laura Leigh,   http://wildhorsepreservation.org/media/reno-federal-judge-chalks-another-defeat-blm-against-laura-leigh

10. Laura Leigh Cases Continue with Federal Court Filings,  http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/18815

11. Court actions continue against BLM wild horse roundup conduct  http://www.examiner.com/article/court-actions-continue-against-blm-wild-horse-roundup-conduct