(Note: Laura Leigh is at the roundup today. When her report and pictures come in later today I will post immediately. There was trouble sending/receiving yesterdays pictures and I suggested we get some rest and add them to today’s information)

Here is some on yesterday and of course more….. 

The Antelope Complex wild horse roundups continue and the observers are kept at an even more distant location with an obscured view with some hay bales strategically stacked for good measure. According to Laura Leigh who is Grass Roots Horse’s eyes and ears on the ground, the observation area was basically behind a hillside and only the sound of the helicopter could be heard with nothing changed from the patterns of previous days. 

Basing my opinion on what has been reported from various sources regarding the same pattern of air activity I think is safe to assume that nothing has changed on “how this pilot does things”.  Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior and more to the point, tigers don’t change their stripes.   

It is impossible to know what is happening out of view…….and today that seems to be even more deliberate than usual. Judging by what documentation surfaces when we can see, we have our answer as to why the secrecy. And this is the tip of the iceberg. 

This picture below taken by Laura Leigh on Monday, Jan 31, 2011 as she was heading to the trap site and came up behind it. This is one of a series of photos (all of which have not been made public yet)

This is what was occurring when this pilot was out of sight of anyone at the trap site.

(more of this violent and disturbing series can be seen in Jan.31 post or our website)

One of those people at the trap site who also had no view of what was happening was Ben Noyes, the Wild Horse and Burro Specialist for the blm. In my effort to try to ascertain what is exactly the chain of authority at a wild horse roundup and this one in particular I had several phone conversations with Chris Hanefeld, public relations representative for the blm and I was told that the person who would have that responsibility regarding the roundup operations would be the Wild Horse and Burro Specialist. The Antelope Complex specialist is Ben Noyes. Remember though, he could not see what was happening either. Mr. Hanefeld also added, and I’m paraphrasing here, that orders also come from management.   

Is the blm cutting off their nose to spite their face ? Are they so intent on shutting the public out from observing and reporting on the welfare of the horses and the state of public lands, that they also end up giving over their own responsibility over controlling what is acceptable in the performance of this job ?

And also give that responsibility and authority over to contractors who by the blm’s own admission are “learning as they go”.  

While at most roundups the blm seems to have no problems strong arming and intimidating the public who have a vested interested in these wild horses and in the management of this land, they appear to be content to take a back seat to the hired help. 

I personally am deeply concerned, as the behaviors of this pilot have escalated since the Warm Springs wild horse roundup in Oregon last fall, where once again there was much time when the helicopter was out of view, buzzing for long periods in one small area and no horses coming in. So much time elapses in one concentrated area that is out of view, that refueling is necessary.

When horses were actually driven into the poorly set up Warm Springs trap site, video footage shows this helicopter, not only relentlessly close but he actually makes contact with one of the horses and flips the horse in the air ! 

In this same footage, the pilot narrowly misses hitting the hillside and the observers can be heard gasping. And yet, since no action was taken by blm regarding this incident, which resulted in yet another horrific horse death being captured on that same footage as well.

At the current Antelope Complex roundup, these pictures are from Monday and on Saturday an older mare was driven to exhaustion, collapsing and unable to move yet she was still relentlessly harassed by the helicopter. She managed to rise to her feet and struggled to get away, still being pursued by the helicopter. The blm issued a statement regarding the mare from Saturday’s incident and somehow kept a straight face when they state the mare '”slipped in the snow”. That same pilot, whose behavior went unchecked, escalated that behavior to what we see in the pictures from Monday.  I can only wonder if the blm only commented because two occurrences of glaring abuse have been brought to light and the public is outraged.

I am not a psychiatrist, I am not making a medical diagnosis or judgment but I see a cry for help and not just from the horses terrorized under this pilots skids. This individual still has to get behind the wheel of a truck or a car and function in some way in society. The blm has a responsibility and an obligation to take decisive action. 

I call for the blm to take these actions today:

• ground this pilot now
• the contractors be relieved of their contract
• a psychiatric evaluation and any necessary help be given to this person 
• a search party must be sent for the dead, dying or injured wild horses that most likely are out on that range now
• full access to view the horses being driven into the traps and in stages of their passage through the government process 
• and if it’s all so rosy out there, then there will be no problem mounting video cameras in the helicopters and if there are already cameras in those fancy, brand new, shiny helicopters then we want to see them.

I am appalled at all the times the blm plays fast and loose with the welfare of these horses, the management of public lands and resources as well as with our rights to witness and report and to have full accountability on the welfare and whereabouts of America’s wild horses, whose very lives have been entrusted to the care of the blm as part of the blm’s job.

Job, what you get paid for and what you should take pride in.

A lot of people don’t have jobs and there are a lot of people in this mix at Antelope Complex that have jobs  that shouldn’t have them anymore. ~ Maureen

These photos were taken by journalist Laura Leigh February 1, 2011 during the Antelope Complex wild horse roundup and removal being done by the government agency bureau of land management. blm says they captured 16 wild horses yesterday and will tentatively ship mares to Palomino Valley Center in NV. The roundup shut down around 1pm.Trap site moved…..yet again.

Laura’s own words on Tuesdays activities: “there were many poignant moments... a band escaped to be rounded up later without a yearling... and the beautiful buckskin stallion has a hind end injury.

A stallion vaulted the jute and hovered trying to figure out how to save his family.

The black that had escaped earlier and the bay that broke hooked up and I photographed them as I left the range yesterday.

Horses that were approachable just days ago are so afraid that they break into a dead run at the sound of your truck engine....”

Buckskin stallion stands amid what looks to me to be abundant forage

It is hard to see the sweat soaked bodies of these magnificent wild horses knowing how cold and how frozen hard the ground they are driven long and hard over, really is. The pictures of the brutal and callous harassment of so many of these horses that you can see on Monday’s post and in videos that are surfacing, tell a shameful story of what appears to me to be the worst of what greed and the good ole’ boy network is ramming down our throats.

Below are some faces of the youngsters who should only know a life of freedom as our United States Congress and the American People had envisioned for them and set forth such a mandate in an Act of Congress. This Act has been sliced, diced and trashed in so many ways another tribute to greed and the good ole boy network. These are the faces we will never see again ~Maureen

Grass Roots Horse is engaged on many levels to bring about a positive change for the wild horses, wild burros and to protect the integrity of our public lands. Please take moment to visit our web page and read our legal filings and press releases. I hope you will subscribe to this blog and hopefully you will contribute either your time or your financial support. We are grass roots and there is no funding fairy. All of our time, energy and resources go to fighting this fight. 

The Antelope roundup has been “called” for the day…….allegedly. 

As usual though things just are not adding up. The blm employees on location are “saying” the number of wild horses captured for today is 12. I wonder where those helicopters are ? Lots of questions……on alot of things…….

Trailers are leaving with horses………..

More to follow. Much more……..  

The madness of the Antelope wild horse roundup continues and the pilot responsible for the harassment and abuse of wild horses yesterday. Are they trying to kill our horses ?

Weather alert is as follows:

“Winds: North winds with sustained speeds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts between 40 and 50 mph will be common and gusts over 60 mph can be expected 

Impacts: a Wind Advisory means that Crosswinds are expected

to be strong enough to make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles.

Precautionary/preparedness actions... Drivers... especially in high profile vehicles... should use extra

caution and be prepared for strong cross winds.”

In what can only be described as the brutalization of the wild horses of Antelope Complex, NV as the government agency, the blm continues their roundup operations today despite High Winds Advisory, Weather Alerts and bitter cold temperatures.

Both of the Sun J helicopters are flying. And by reports from the temporary holding pens they have been gone for a very long time. Yes, two helicopters are flying. The trap site is in the same location as yesterday

It has been nearly impossible to ascertain from the blm whether the horses would be rounded up today. The blm website and their “hotline” are not current and as usual “no one knows anything” or it is not their job.  

Even the blm employees at the temporary holding pens can’t say where the horses that were shipped either today or last night were shipped to. There are captured horses in the pens now and they are very skittish.

Journalist, Laura Leigh is covering the roundup today and within this past hour she reported that they were bringing horses in. Pictures and details will follow.