7 wild horses die as trailer flips on way to facility in Utah

ELY, NV, UNITED STATES, November 2, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Seven wild horses died during transport from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundup at Robert's Mountain. Wild horses were being taken from the temporary corrals outside Eureka, Nevada, to a facility for processing, branding, vaccinating, in Axtell, Utah.

BLM stated on their website: “A contracted semi-truck transporting horses gathered during the ongoing Roberts Mountain Gather in Nevada to Utah’s Axtell Holding Corrals turned over on its side on Highway 50 outside of Delta, Utah, on October 30. The truck was transporting 36 horses. Three horses were killed in the accident, four were humanely euthanized due to their injuries, and many suffered minor cuts and bruises. BLM transported the 29 remaining horses to a holding facility in Delta where they continue to be evaluated and closely monitored by the on-site veterinarian. The driver was not injured. The cause of the accident is under investigation.”

“I have followed many semi-trailers to holding facilities. These drivers need to make a round trip temporary corrals to facility and back again. At roundups like Surprise and Calico, drivers often made 2 round trip runs a day.” stated Laura Leigh, President of Wild Horse Education. “I have clocked semi truck drivers going as much as 15 miles over the speed limit in places, and in bad weather, where taking a passenger car that fast is dangerous. The entire roundup machine is built for expediency, not safety."

Issues involving transport safety are widespread. These issues are not related to a single contractor or roundup operation. Violations of existing policy often appear as “noncompliance” in the BLM’s own internal Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy (CAWP) assessment; issues such as gaps between trailer and loading chute. However, BLM does not consider this a major infraction and therefore ignores the existence of this part of the policy as it results in absolutely no consequence (according to court documents in case Case 3:23-cv-00372-LRH-CLB).

During the Surprise and Calico Complex roundup we repeatedly reported on injuries after transport from trap to holding (rough roads, dirty trailers) that ranged from bashed faces to missing eyes. Overly rough roads, driving too fast and not cleaning trailer floors are already against BLMs internal policy that they fail to enforce and, many times, personnel are not even familiar with the specifics of the policy even though they claim to be “trained in CAWP.” (noted in court documents in case Case 3:23-cv-00372-LRH-CLB and BLMs own assessments on their website).


It is required under law for BLM to hold a “Motorized Vehicle Hearing” in every location where wild horses and burros will be captured. In recent years, BLM holds one hearing via “Zoom.” That hearing, just like all the rest, is basically a time for the public to raise valid concerns and BLM is supposed to address them. Not one hearing has EVER resulted in even a single change or report issued to the public.

“In 2016 I witnessed the aftermath of processing and a stack trailer accident at Owyhee before a release of mares treated with PZP and then captured an removed permanently 2 years later,” Leigh continued, “I cannot imagine a semi filled with 3 times as many wild horses rolling over going high speed.”

“It absolutely sickens me that BLM will not create enforceable welfare standards. They have done nothing to officially stop abuses like rough roads, dirty trailers, speeding, etc. How can you believe this agency cares at all? I have read their reply brief in our case against abuses that could be prevented if they just made enforceable rules. We are working on our response this week.”

Wild Horse Education states that most deaths and injuries are preventable if the agency would only create an enforceable polic, instead of fighting so hard not to.

Case 3:23-cv-00372-LRH-CLB

Laura Leigh
Wild Horse Education
Laura@WildHorseEducation.org
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.