Foals Die During Forest Service Round Up
The following Information was sent via The Wild Horse Preservation group. Please go to the link provided to see actual photos of the recent round up.
www.wildhorsepreservation.org/sheldon.html (WARNING: some graphic pictures)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has done a very good job of convincing the public that last week?s controversial round-up at the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge went smoothly and that no horses were killed. That could not be further from the truth.
Granted, all round-ups are traumatic events for horses chased by helicopters, torn from their family groups and getting their first taste of confinement; injuries are common. However, nothing could prepare our investigators for what they witnessed. In total, 337 horses were captured, including very young foals; reportedly, one adult and at least seven foals died, many mares aborted their fetuses, and several foals were injured. Some captured mares still had their foaling placentas attached to them, with their newborns unaccounted for. Some foals were simply left behind in the chaos of the round-up. Wranglers could only locate eight of them: three, aged four to six weeks, were rescued after spending days as orphans on the range; the five others were already dead.
Supposedly due to security concerns following public outcry, FWS had law enforcement set up a two-mile security perimeter. In spite of the secrecy, our investigators were able to document the process up close. Their report, including some very disturbing pictures and a corroborating vet report, can be found here: www.wildhorsepreservation.org/sheldon.html.
Throughout this process, FWS showed no consideration for public concerns and chose to ignore pleas by humane groups and Members of Congress. All they had to do was postpone the round-up by a month so that days-old foals and heavily pregnant mares would not have to endure such conditions. All in all, a gross betrayal of public trust.
Please forward the above link to your federal legislators and to the media. Tell them that you expect public servants to be held accountable for their actions.
Dale Hall, Director of Fish and Wildlife Services, should be made aware of his agency's misdeeds: email him a link to our round-up report using this web-contact form; you can also voice your protest by Phone: (202) 208-4717 or Fax: (202) 208-6965
