Below is a link to the Humane Societys page on stopping the slaughter of wild mustangs on government land TO MAKE DOGFOOD. You may have heard about this when the practice first began last year; now we have a chance to stop it. The "justification" is that the land they're on is being overgrazed so they're being "humanely" sold off and slaughtered to prevent starvation. I'm sure ya'll no better than a city boy like me what a sick joke that is; it's an excuse for some wealthy men to get wealthier at the expense of defenseless animanls, and, I suspect, a way to increase the amount of graze available to cattle now licensed to feed on even more "government" land.

There are many issues that demand our time and attention as activists and citizens. This compromises none. It's a rare example of a win-win; none of us have to give up ANYTHING. No jobs will be lost, no stomachs will be emptied, no lives will be lost. Overpopulated horses, to whatever limited extent they may be present, can easily be sold to private buyers who want to RIDE them, not feed them to thier "pets."

The point is, we, as humans, can agitate for our needs, we can elect representatives, we can make our way without the risk of being SOLD to someone else to MURDER for MORE MONEY. These innocent creatures have no such recourse. They have no Congressmen to represent them. We represent them, or they will go mutely to their gruesome slaughter. The vote is expected Thursday, so little time remains. Call/write early and often.

I'm posting this in several places because I wan't it to be seen and acted upon. It's gonna take more pressure than we applied last time or we wouldn't be having this discussion. I just hope we can take advantage of our second chance for the sake of free and defenseless animals whose lives are worth a few (and I mean a very few, but that's enough) bucks to greedy men, and nothing more. Vengeance will one day come, and we do these butchers a mercy to lessen its burden.

Those with networks on other boards (which I lack) do your stuff!
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/wild_ho...k=i1zO9171hzNLW

I agree with the sentiment here and that no tax dollars should be used to slaughter these animals.
Other than the BLM adoption sales, how do you suggest that we alleviate the pressure on the land and the horses?

Thanks for the info,

I sent the link to my friends.

Well, it would help a lot if we stop renting out every square in inch of govenment land to the lowest bidder for grazing. It's not like there's been this massive mustang population explosion, or the poor cattle ranchers are going broke. Here's a thought: maybe can trade 'em to Arabs for oil. They RESPECT horses, and take care of them. Mustangs are pretty hardy, too, we might be able to get the Canadians, long disgusted by our environmental policy (or lack thereof) to take some. And, of course, global warming isn't doing wonders for graze, but that would take years, if not decades, to fix if we started right now.

Other than, I don't really know. Maybe eat less beef and reduce the demand for cattle; it is THE most land intensive food source. Won't fix Europe and Japan though. I hate to think we'd have to deport our native horses, most likely to captivity, to keep them alive, but given a choice between captivity and death, I'd rather they were captive. Of course, I'd rather not have to make that choice for them, particularly when I have no way of gauranteeing their safety overseas. What blows my mind is this is going over in the West. It's sick. We need to restrict use of government land more than anything, but don't hold your breath while Slash and Burn and Pave the Earth are in office.

The Republicans hate "government land"... maybe we could insist on always calling it "public land", and stop the give-away.

You are right about beef... I have read somewhere that one acre of land would produce more vegetable protein than the protein we get from one cow that requires 4 acres of grazing land... something like that... I think it was in the book Diet for a Small Planet

The book explains how to mix vegetable proteins to get a complete protein equal to beef.

What about something like the San Diego Wild Animal Park but only for horses? It could produce an income from visitors... a nature reserve and park for wild horses... I like that, what do you think?

I thank that's a good idea. The main issue is lebensraum issues are threatening mass die offs, and the park format would allow revenue to pay for feed, if needed, and STILL allow cattle grazing. We might have to rotate and alternate, but the cows don't care when they eat. Win-win.

The stats I recall (might've been from that book, a friend of mine gave this when he went vegan) are that equivalent amounts of carbs (and that's the bulk of our intake; we practically COULD just take a pill for the rest) require the following amount of acreage:

Beef=30
Pork=8
Chicken=6
Grain=1

Think that was the book. There is NO "overpopulation" in terms of food, just space for other animals. People are dying for one reason: Greed Kills.

BTW, this is also running in Native American Affairs (among other places.) No responses in Action Items or Congress Watch. Nothing in Online Cafe either, vindicating my position that this is where more serious discussions occur. Not sure what that portends. Maybe we're not activist enough, or maybe it's the lull. I did something I NEVER do here: I started six (I think) threads on this; time is of the essence. CALL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

I apologize in advance if this has already been posted.

Article

Good article, thanks!

I found this in the article: "BLM officials say there are about 37,000 wild horses and burros on its lands -- about 9,000 more than Western ranges can sustain. Wyoming is home to about 4,100 wild horses in 16 management areas. BLM's objective for the state is between 2,500 and 3,600 animals."

We have allowed the mountain lions to be killed off, so there are not enough natural predators to keep the balance. This is another example of human interference with the natural order. The cattle owners will not allow the mountain lion back, so humans have to take care of the wild horses, that would include responsibility for preventing overpopulation...

I talked with a forest ranger a couple of years ago. He was concerned about the forest fires that are caused because humans overprotect the forests, not allowing fires to burn out the underbrush...

I am not saying that we should support the killing of the wild horses, I am just acknowledging that this problem is a problem, because humans have interfered with the natural order.

Our Political Action does make a difference!

Everyone who acted on this should have received this email from The Human Society:


Dear Freedom4All,

I'm so pleased to tell you that last night, thanks to your action, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in a landslide -- 249-159 -- to ban the sale of wild horses for slaughter! Americans were outraged last December when a secret rider in a budget bill gutted the federal protections afforded to wild horses for 34 years, an action that allowed "killer buyers" last month to ship 41 mustangs to an Illinois slaughterhouse, which quickly killed these majestic animals so they could be served up on dinner plates in Europe and Asia.

U.S. Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), John Sweeney (R-NY), and John Spratt (D-SC) have led the charge to end horse slaughter. As Congressman Rahall stated after last night's victory, "The very notion that wild American horses would be slaughtered as a food source for foreign consumption abroad has struck a chord with the American people. Tonight, the people's House of Representatives acted on the will of its constituents."

Congressional offices told us they were flooded with phone calls and emails all week asking them to support the Rahall-Whitfield Amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill, and I can assure you that your participation carried the day in this decisive victory for horses. You can click here to find out how your Representative voted. If your Representative voted "Aye," please thank him or her for protecting wild horses, and if your Representative voted "No," please let him or her know how disappointed you are. You can reach your U.S. Representative, Darrell Issa, through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Our efforts for horses will now turn to the U.S. Senate, and the decisive margin of victory in the House will undoubtedly create momentum. If you would like to help us do even more to protect wild horses and pass other animal protection laws, please make a donation. The HSUS made this a priority and together we accomplished this great victory. Thank you so much for helping us win this critical legislative battle -- and for helping wild horses to run free again.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO of The Humane Society of the United States
Wayne Pacelle's Statement of Beliefs


U.S. House Shuts Down the Commercial Sale of Wild Horses and Burros

This post is evidence to me that our political process still works, despite some of the rascals that are presently voted in. Thank You.

I confess that I did not send any messages to politicians on this subject.