Moves afoot to tighten rules over mustang sales
Baca Juga
by Dave Philipps, Special to ProPublica
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar says he volition tighten regulations of the federal government’s wild Equus caballus program, restricting the number of horses people tin purchase as well as making it easier for the authorities to prosecute buyers who sell mustangs to slaughter.
Salazar set out the conception inwards an interview Th alongside The Gazette inwards his Washington, D.C., office, proverb the changes were inwards response to a ProPublica investigation published inwards September that questioned the fate of animals sold to Tom Davis, a San Luis Valley livestock hauler who has bought to a greater extent than than 1700 horses through the computer program since 2009, lxx per centum of those sold inwards that time.
Davis maintains he has institute the animals “good homes.” Wild Equus caballus advocates fearfulness they ended upwards inwards Mexican slaughterhouses. Davis later told Colorado officials that he shipped some horses out of province inwards violation of construct inspection laws. The Colorado Department of Agriculture has turned the illustration over to the district attorney inwards Alamosa for prosecution.
Those who purchase horses from the federal authorities already sign contracts proverb they volition non resell animals for slaughter. Salazar is beefing upwards the linguistic communication inwards contracts to specify that buyers tin human face upwards prosecution for whatsoever “material misrepresentation” on sales applications or bills of sale, or for indirectly selling horses to slaughter yesteryear reselling to middlemen.
Under the novel rules, buyers also volition only live able to larn 5 wild horses every vi months. Any social club larger than that volition require the signed approving of the BLM’s deputy director.
Salazar said the changes should assist forestall horses from ending upwards at slaughterhouses. He acknowledged, however, that key fixes to the wild Equus caballus program, which has been dogged yesteryear arguing as well as mounting costs, select thence far eluded his agency.
“It is a work that has escaped resolution for a real long fourth dimension for everyone who has tried to move on it,” Salazar said. “I don’t believe nosotros select the solution yet at hand, but nosotros demand to proceed to evidence to figure out the correct matter to do.”
As Secretary of Interior, Salazar oversees the Bureau of Land Management, which cares for most of the 35,000 wild horses roaming populace lands inwards the West. They are protected yesteryear police from harassment, capture or slaughter.
The means has claimed it screened buyers as well as that no horses inwards its attention went to slaughter, but did aught to verify what happened to horses after sales to Davis as well as others were complete. For years, the agency’s sale manager inwards Washington sold Davis truckload after truckload, sometimes contacting him to regard if he would similar more.
“When I became aware of the magnitude of his purchases as well as the concerns of illegal activity, I asked the BLM to opened upwards an investigation of Tom Davis,” Salazar said.
The investigation, opened inwards June, was initially headed yesteryear the BLM, but was transferred to the Interior Department’s independent Inspector General inwards Oct when it became clear that people inwards the means could come upwards nether scrutiny too, Salazar said.
“If at that topographic point was impropriety on the component of the BLM or on the component of BLM officials, the investigation volition enjoin us,” Salazar said.
Salazar has lived for decades inwards the same rural ranching corner of Colorado every bit Davis. In an interview this spring, Davis said he knew Salazar as well as had hauled cattle for him for years. The authorities started selling horses to Davis inwards large numbers soon after Salazar took over the agency.
For months Salazar’s purpose did non response to requests for comment close his connectedness to Davis.
When a Gazette reporter asked close Davis at a populace appearance inwards Colorado Springs inwards early on November, Salazar pushed the reporter’s photographic boob tube camera aside as well as said, “You make that again, I’ll punch yous out.” After his words became the discipline of media reports across the country, Salazar called The Gazette to apologize as well as agreed to an interview.
On Thursday, Salazar denied having whatsoever human relationship alongside Davis. “I select never done whatsoever occupation concern alongside him,” Salazar said. “I select never had a conversation alongside him. I select never seen a missive of the alphabet from him.”
Wild Equus caballus advocates applauded the changes Salazar plans for the sale program.
“These are positive steps,” said Suzanne Roy, manager of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. “It could halt a province of affairs where applications are getting safe postage patch the BLM looks the other way.”
But Roy agreed alongside Salazar that the fixes don’t address the broader flaws inwards the program.
For decades, the wild Equus caballus computer program has tried to maintain herds at target population levels on the arrive at yesteryear rounding upwards thousands of wild horses each yr as well as storing them inwards authorities storage feedlots as well as pastures, including a 2,000-animal facility close Cañon City. The policy has resulted inwards the warehousing of to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than horses, pushing costs always higher. Several authorities audits select warned the strategy is unsustainable.
Shortly after Salazar took purpose inwards 2009, he wrote a populace missive of the alphabet to Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada proverb “bold actions” were required to select downward costs as well as “put this computer program on a to a greater extent than sustainable track.”
At the time, at that topographic point were close 30,000 wild horses inwards authorities storage as well as the computer program budget was close $50 million. Today, at that topographic point are to a greater extent than than 45,000 horses inwards storage as well as the budget is close $76 million.
On Thursday, Salazar acknowledged progress has been hard.
“I don’t believe nosotros select the solution yet,” he said. But, he added, the growing terms as well as captive population “are a reminder nosotros demand to proceed to evidence to figure out what the correct solution is.”
In the 2009 missive of the alphabet to Reid, Salazar said he planned to select Equus caballus populations downward to authorities goals alongside “aggressive use” of nativity command drugs. He reiterated the dot inwards the interview this week, proverb the means needed to “push frontward alongside contraceptive efforts.”
Starting inwards 2010 the BLM set goals for numbers of horses to live treated alongside contraceptive drugs, but critics say the goals were likewise pocket-sized to live effective as well as the BLM never came some coming together them.
The Humane Society of the United States, which has partnered alongside the BLM to exam fertility drugs, says its enquiry shows the means must process close 5,000 horses per yr to command population growth. The BLM set a destination of treating only 2,000 horses per yr as well as has never really treated to a greater extent than than close 1,000, according to means figures.
“It is overnice to withdraw heed the secretarial assistant say nosotros demand to usage fertility drugs, but actions speak louder than words,” said Stephanie Boyles Griffin of the Humane Society, who has worked on the number for years. “We are seriously disappointed alongside the little number of horses beingness treated. It is merely window dressing as well as a consummate waste materials of time.”
This calendar month the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign began circulating an online petition calling for Salazar to resign. The petition at nowadays has to a greater extent than than 20,000 signatures.
“Under his leadership the computer program has non changed administration despite his promises,” said Roy, the campaign’s director. “There has been no progress, as well as if anything the computer program has gone backward.”
Salazar, who said he is soundless deciding whether he volition proceed every bit Interior Secretary for some other term, acknowledged that the implementation of fertility command drugs has been wearisome as well as thence far has done aught to staunch the period of time of horses into authorities storage, but he said he plans to remain the course.
“As vexing every bit the work is, every bit hard every bit it is, I intend nosotros select made progress,” he said, adding that the authorities is developing novel drugs that are easier to usage as well as longer-lasting. “Here is the reality. Unless nosotros make something to larn the Equus caballus as well as burro population controlled, the work is going to proceed to grow.”
This story was co-published alongside the Colorado Springs Gazette.
To contact Dave Philipps close this story, e-mail him at horse@propublica.org.
About the author
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism inwards the populace interest. Its move focuses solely on really of import stories, stories alongside “moral force.” It does this yesteryear producing journalism that shines a lite on exploitation of the weak yesteryear the potent as well as on the failures of those alongside ability to vindicate the trust placed inwards them. Its website is at http://www.propublica.org
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