Triple B Wild Horse Round Up Report – Part 1 Covering the morning of 8.27.2011

Editor’s Note:  This report covers the morning of 8.27.2011 and is from the point of view of public observation with the exception of 1 photograph which is identified. Telephoto zoom lenses were used. The video that covers this report has not been published yet.  This report follows from 4 am meeting and sees 2 bands be captured. However, one of those bands breaks free and the trap site is moved to a location which is the subject of Part 2. Reports beginning on 8.24.2011 have not been posted yet. Since we had a great deal of information of an immediate nature that began on this day we chose to begin here. ~~

Part 1 – Morning Roundup Operations on Saturday 8.27.2011 in Butte Valley at Triple B wild horse roundup in Nevada

Pre Dawn Meeting in Ely, NV - Observers met BLM personnel, Chris Hanefeld, BLM PR from Ely Office, Vanessa BLM PR from Colorado Office and 3 BLM rangers at 4 am at the Town Green in Ely, Nevada.  We had been informed that it was media day but no media was in attendance.  

At that time we are informed by Chris Hanefeld that no horses will be shipped that day from the temporary holding pens and we go directly to the trap site location at N 39 43.653 W 115 00.319 on Butte Valley Road. 

The first observation area was under the tree visible in the far right corner

There were 9 observers in total, 6 of whom were BLM employees or from BLM affiliate companies. They were:  1) Mary Jo from BLM Las Vegas office 2) Paula from a BLM corporate affiliate weed eradication company 3) Christine (last name unknown to me) BLM employee 4) Cole the BLM “tech” person whose job was to radio in to the office what to tweet from the roundup 5) Chris Hanefeld, BLM Ely office Public Relations 6) Vanessa (last name unknown to me) BLM Public Relations from Colorado Office and 3 members of the public.  An additional observer was our photographer who was stationed in a remote, non-visible location and was able to photograph the entire scene of action by using a super zoom camera lens and 2x lens converter.  (please see slideshow 1 from this day)   

Note: 3 of the 6 BLM employees/affiliate wore bright white shirts and a member of the trap site ground crew wore a bright white shirt and a bright red baseball cap. 

At the Trap Site At the trap site we are directed exactly where to park our vehicles so they are hidden in the tree cover.  The observation area is under a tree on the hillside and is marked off by tape. It is a different observation area than the observation area at yesterday’s roundup which was at the same trap site. 

 

The helicopter has been flying since 6:06 am – before we arrived.

The helicopter has been flying since we arrived and continues to do so. We can hear him buzzing behind us on the back of the hill we are on and also hovering in an individual location for long periods of time as well.  The ground crew arrives late and can be seen driving quickly down the road to the trap site.

 

Trap up close – photograph below is with camera held inside the pen

 

Ben Noyes, the Wild Horse and Burro specialist for the BLM Ely District gives a tour of the trap and answers questions for the observers.  Question period concluded and we were escorted to the observation area. We are told the helicopter has horses.

First wild horses to the trap. We witnessed the helicopter chasing a band of what appeared to be 8 (possibly 9) horses. There seemed to be a great deal of chaotic activity as the horses were driven in multiple directions during the time they were in our view.  Horses were repeatedly split from the band and chased in multiple directions.  The horses appeared to be under a great deal of stress, soaked with sweat and appeared exhausted. 

 

 

The helicopter splinters the group and the horses are chased in different directions, back and forth many times.

 

Some of the horses ran in the direction that was behind us and we could see and hear the helicopter hover directly above the hill, as well as on the other side of the hill and just out of our view. We could see dust flying as well.

The helicopter could be seen coming into view, very low to the ground and 3 adults and 1 young foal were captured.

I believe they were from the band that had been run down and split apart during the long chaotic runs. There may have been a 5^th adult that escaped before entering the trap.   (see photos from long range view in pervious post) 

The wild horses are soaked in sweat and appear disoriented and exhausted. Notice the young foal to the right

Photo taken from long range shows what was happening to the wild horses as they were pushed to the trap by the Sun J helicopter pilot. This photograph was cropped to show detail. 

This is the horse that had been aggressively pushed into the trap wings. These horses had been over run aggressively for 25 minutes just prior to their capture. Photographic evidence shows they had been in small groups that had been run repeatedly with other bands prior to that. 

BLM Public Relations representative, Chris Hanefeld, steps to a vantage point above the public’s designated observation area and avails himself of a better photo op (photo to left)

 

Observers Are Moved

Rather suddenly we are told by Chris Hanefeld that Ben wants us moved from our location as he feels the observers are causing a distraction and that he wants us to move our vehicles farther down the road from their concealed location in the trees.   I suggest that they just split us up into 2 smaller groups since they have 2 PR people and other than 3 members of the public, the rest are BLM employees and 1 affiliate employee. 

I also mention the white shirts worn by BLM employees and affiliates and I was told by 2 of them that they were unaware that white was prohibited at roundup and they put on more muted shirts.

 

I believe it is around this time that the helicopter refuels and takes off in the direction of behind the hill.   

We are told that Ben wants us in the horse trailer or behind the horse trailer. We are asked to move our trucks although they are well under tree cover. It appears to me that Ben is agitated and as he passes me on the foot path on my way back from moving my truck he mumbles “the damn horses won’t go into the trap”.

The horse trailer we are told to stand in is a high step up, contained some dirt and a tire which was on its side.  The trailer was a typical stock trailer with long slats at eye level and the viewing was not good nor was the trailer steady with people in it. The trailer was at ground level and not appropriate for any viewing or photographing especially when people were in it.   A polite commentary was raised by an observer who stated that she had came along way at great expense to be there and Chris replied they do the best they can with what they have.  

(Note: I felt that there were at least several safer and much more efficient options for viewing and that having us in the trailer was an exercise in control. Also as I later saw the photographic evidence of what was happening to the horses by the helicopter pilot out of our view while we could hear him on the other side of the hill, I tend to think we were moved in the event that as the horses were being chased up and down the hill, they could have easily come down over the hillside into people and vehicles. In one of the photographs, judging by the landmarks, I estimate that a horse had been chased within 200 feet of us. It is also my opinion that Ben Noyes and the ground crew were well aware of what was happening on the other side of the hill behind us. If they were not, I believe they should have been aware as it is their responsibility to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the wild horses during the operations.)

The majority of the BLM employees, affiliates, sat in folding chairs alongside the trailer not viewing the roundup but chatting or looking at paperwork.  Periodically, Chris H and the observer from the weed eradication company would come into the trailer. As an observer standing in the trailer attempted to steady her black matte tripod in front of her only inches outside the trailer, she was reprimanded and told it must be in the trailer.

Second Band of Wild Horses and Successful Break for Freedom Into view came a small band of 5 horses, 4 adults and one young foal being chased by the helicopter.

Based on all of our photographs, I believe they may have been the other half of the band broken apart earlier that had been chased for quite a long time – close to 45 minutes.  This band was chased in several different directions, back and forth in a chaotic manner with horses falling as the helicopter flew close.  These horses also appeared very exhausted, stressed and were visibly lathered and dripping with sweat.

 

Foal behind lead horse struggles

photo below - chaos ensues as helicopter pilot gets way too close and pressure scatters the struggling band

 

The horses appear at the trap site glistening with sweat

The horses entered the trap site and appeared to almost stop in confusion and exhaustion.  The horses were clearly lathered and drenched in sweat. The foal, seen at left is still with the band. The horse to the right breaks straight ahead through the jute.

The other 4 including the foal managed to break through the jute to the hillside side.  You can see the tail of the escaping horse in the photo below to the left of the tree.

 

Some of the wild horses fell after their incredible break through the jute and the jump for the hill.

 

Notice the person in the photo above and below, crouching (or cringing) under the too close helicopter and whirring blades

The wild horses get back on their feet and take off up the hillside.

 

 

 

The helicopter continues to give chase.

 

 

 

He pursues them over the hill. Shortly after, we are informed that the trap is being moved to a location farther down the road.

We wait as this trap is broken down and then convoy to the new trap.

Next post will be Part Two of Saturday, August 27, 2011 – The New Trap Site

 

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Photographer Darcy Grizzle can be found at www.redbubble.com

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See What Really Happens Before Wild Horses Are Captured – Triple B Wild Horses Roundup ~ Saturday, August 27, 2011 ~ Butte Valley ~ A.M Trap Site

This small band of sweat soaked and exhausted wild horses were captured by 7:30 am on the morning of Saturday, August 27, 2011 at the Triple B wild horse roundup in Nevada. This was the moment they were trapped. This is what the public was allowed to see (photos have been cropped for closer view. All originals and SD cards are sealed) 

The abuse that these and other federally protected wild horses were subjected to began well out of public view and began at 6:06 am. The entire scene of action was photographed from remote locations far from the area of operation by using a super zoom telephoto lens and hi resolution video cameras.

These are only some of the photographs and videos that show what these horses endured during what is in my opinion a targeted assault by the BLM’s contracted helicopter pilot. This is what was really happening out of the observers view form where they were held in a horse trailer, “so as not to distract the horses”. **  They are only a sampling from 8.27.2011 and this pattern of cruelty and abuse was repeated throughout the time we covered the Triple B wild horse roundup and as we continued our range condition documentation from August 23 through August 31, 2011. A full report on all the roundup days we covered, as well as more photographic and video documentation will be posted.~~   

The photograph below shows the seconds before the photo above. You can see the jute trap wings crossing the road behind the helicopter in the photo below. It is evident why the horses are dripping in sweat and notice the small foal to the right in the photo above. As viewing was so limited at the trap, I do not know if all 5 horses shown in the segments of the highlighted sequence were captured. I think possibly one may have gotten away.

The contractor’s pilot follows his usual pattern which still remains unchecked by the BLM or law enforcement. The pattern consists of breaking apart bands of wild horses and then targeting specific horses. The assault shown here is only a segment that began at 7:12 am when he began to harass a group of 8 wild horses. The wild horses were captured at 7:29 am 

He continuously challenges some of the horses and cuts them apart from the rest. He repeatedly dives down at the horses and flies dangerously close. Often it appears he is losing control of the aircraft as it dips and sways, unsteady in the currents he creates by his actions.

The wild horses change direction to find safety and it appears to me that it angers him and he continues the pattern of abuse even more aggressively.

This seems more to me like he is hunting horses, not herding them.

In the photograph below there is a foal behind the light colored horse underneath the skids

The pattern of chasing the wild horses back and forth, splitting and targeting horses including singling out the foal continues. These stills are only part of the sequence. Another man is in the cockpit with the pilot and I believe it to be John “Jake” Holmes, the owner of Sun J, the helicopter contractor and who is, the pilot Josh Hellyer’s boss. A complaint was filed with the White Pine County Sheriff’s Office.

 

In this specific sequence this goes on for 25 minutes and is not an isolated instance but has been the  documented “norm” throughout the roundup. 

At the trap wings, which is the entrance to the trap, the pilot makes a severely aggressive push to the lead horse which is really what I would call an attack. This is just out of view of observers who are now contained in the horse trailer on the ground level of the hillside.  

 

The aggression escalates. My opinion is he knows the public has been contained in a horse trailer surrounded by juniper trees and they have minimal viewing. **At the time the public observers were restricted to the horse trailer, our range photographers documented the pilot was running wild horses up and down the hillside behind them. Photographs were taken from the observation area as well showing the helicopter flying low on the top of the hill and behind it.

The wild horse and burro specialists, Ben Noyes and Ruth Thompson are in constant radio contact with the pilot and ground crew as is the Public Relations person Chris Hanefeld. If they did not know this was happening then they certainly should have known. It is the responsibility of Ben Noyes and Ruth Thompson to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the wild horses at the roundup.

This is a preliminary Part 1 of only 1 round up day. Please don’t wait to contact your congressional representatives. Ask their help today. We will be including other contact information and way that you can take grass roots action !

Please help support this work, whether a donation or volunteer we welcome the help to continue. Donations are tax deductible and we can accept donations of real property as well – cars, trucks, helicopters :) www.grassrootshorse.com

Photographers in this report: Arla Ruggles  www.GreatBasinLife.com

                                              Darcy Grizzle on www.redbubble.com

Photograph Shows Abuses at Triple B Wild Horse Roundup of Captured Foals

August 12, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Maureen VanDerStad

860-598-0095

Contact: Info@grassrootshorse.com

As the numbers of deaths of wild horse foals captured during the Triple B wild horse “gather” currently under way in Nevada increases, disturbing photographic evidence of abuse of the foals has been uncovered. A “Gather is the BLM’s euphemism for a wild horse roundup.

The photos come not from public observers witnessing the roundups but from the BLM itself.  BLM’s own photograph taken on August 5, 2011 by BLM Nevada and posted on their Flickr page. Flickr is a photo sharing page on the internet.  Photo by BLM/ Nevada

The photograph clearly shows a foal separated in a pen at the holding corrals being hung by his neck, tied high on the top rail of the corrals.  A wrangler can be seen outside the pen gate, where he appears to be waiting for the foal to be “readied for loading onto the trailer” although the caption reads “Foal at holding corral separated for travel.”

 “This foal in addition to having been galloped to the point of exhaustion, (and possibly one of the many foals retrieved from the range after being chased and roped by wranglers) and now is tied high by his neck isolated in a pen.  As you look closely at the photograph you see an example of not only inhumane treatment but physical abuse.  The foal’s eyes are wide and the photograph under close inspection shows the rope in a location that appears to be cutting off the foals’ air passages,” commented Maureen VanDerStad of Grass Roots Horse. “And this is not the only photo by BLM Nevada that shows violations.”

“It is the responsibility of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to assure the humane treatment and handling of the wild horses during all phases of the capture operations and to ensure that the contractor fulfills their contractual obligations.  This treatment is in violation of not only the above but of the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act, the Federal Code and Standard Operating procedures. The COR/PI’s need to do their assigned jobs in a conscientious manner and we have the right to demand they do so. There is a great deal at stake.” 

Bruce Thompson, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist is the COR/PI (Project Inspector) for the Elko, NV portion of Triple B wild horse roundup and he can be contacted at 775-753-0286. He reports to the Elko District Manager, Ken Miller regarding his responsibilities as COR/PI and he can be reached at 775-753-0200. 

Ruth Thompson, is the COR/PI for the Ely, NV portion of Triple B wild horse roundup and she can be reached at 775-289-1800. She reports to Ely District manager, Gary Medlyn regarding her responsibilities as COR/PI and he can be reached at 775-289-1800

Dean Bolstad is the Wild Horse and Burro Program Acting Director and he can be reached at 775-861-6583. 

Please contact your congress people and ask that this roundup be stopped immediately and that a moratorium be placed on all wild horse and burro roundups until the necessary investigations into this program and this contractor’s personnel be conducted by an impartial and independent review team.

A video montage covering the Triple B wild horse roundup from August 4 – 6^th seen on YouTube, clearly showed foals being pushed, kicked, shoved, wrestled and manhandled by the employees of the BLM’s contractor Sun J during trailer loading.

 

BLM’s photostream at Flickr can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmnevada/collections/72157627171368248/

Location of photo in question http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmnevada/sets/72157627363647632/

Grass Roots Horse www.grassrootshorse.com and http://blog.grassrootshorse.com

 

 

    

 

Wild Horse Round up Day 1 at Triple B Complex in Nevada – July 20, 2011

Editor’s Note: The following report and 22 photographs and captions are by Arla M. Ruggles who has been out on the range for us and attended Day 1 of the Triple B wild horse roundup in Nevada. This page will be continually updated. And we are waiting for video and photographs from Day 2.  ~

 

“In our role as advocates for better treatment of our wild herds, it often seems like only the mistakes and abuses are talked about. The worst aspects of wild horse management operations do need to be brought to light, AND we should be just as quick to recognize improvements as they occur.

Today, it must be said that Sun J and BLM did an excellent job in all aspects of their gather operations, and every part of the process was carried out with professionalism and skill.

Sun J pilot, Josh Hellyer, showed marked improvement from his earlier performances at the Antelope Complex gather, early this past winter.

Throughout the day, Josh held back from the running herds, and at one point, even fell back and allowed them to rest and regroup before continuing into the jute enclosure.

None of the horses entering the trap appeared unduly stressed, and no lather appeared.

 

Padded overhead rails are known to reduce injuries significantly.



We noticed that most of the overhead railings were padded. Our BLM rep explained that the padding had been suggested as a way to reduce neck and head injuries, and adopted this small improvement has been incorporated into the standard setup. (One example of how speaking quietly gets better results than screaming epithets.)

A few of the railings were missing pads, and this was also pointed out to the rep.

Situated in a gravel pit, the gravel mounds provided an excellent point of vantage for wranglers.

 

 

 

Today's trap set-up was unique, in that the trap and sorting corrals were directly connected to short term holding pens. This eliminates one in a series of loading and unloading, as the horses will be taken directly to their destination in Gunnison, UT.  This not only reduces  stress on the horses, it is economically advantageous.

 The pens were well supplied with fresh water and hay. A water truck from BLM Fire filled troughs, and then encircled the pens with a swath of cooling spray to quell the dust. We noticed that the animals seemed undisturbed by the large truck driving around the pens, while workers on foot were frightening to them. Given that this is a mining area, the horses are used to heavy vehicles rolling through their habitat.

The sorting process was carried out quickly and efficiently and each group of animals settles down quickly after sorting. The four-wave gather brought in eight stallions, eight dry mares, two mares with foals, and two heavily pregnant mares, for a total of twenty-two. At the end of the day's gather operations, we were invited to approach the holding pens.  All animals were in very good condition, and no series injuries were observed.

It is gratifying to note that cooperative efforts between advocates and BLM have brought about some improvements in the roundup process. We can be grateful for the horses' sakes. Such progress in dialogue bodes well for continuing efforts in the struggle to achieve a healthy equine environment, and an end to mass removals of horses from their native ranges. ~ by Arla M. Ruggles

Where to Find Grass Roots Horse – www.grassrootshorse.com and http://blog.grassrootshorse.com

Where to Find More on Arla M. Ruggles – www.greatbasinlife.com and http://photorover.blogspot.com

Please see past posts for more reports and more information.

Please share the information with your Congress people and neighbors.

We need people who are not aware of what is happening on public lands and to America’s wild horses and burros, to become aware of what is happening. 

Grass Roots Horse is a 501(c)3 non profit and all donations are tax deductible