IDA Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Farm Animals’

Photo Credit : WSPA-IFAW-T.Stargardter

Nearly six weeks after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, IDA continues our work to help animals in Haiti. IDA supports the animal disaster relief efforts though a coalition of NGOs. ARCH, as the coalition is called, has assembled a team of veterinarians, vet techs and animal disaster relief responders, and is engaging with the Haitian veterinary community as well to help animals every day. So far, over 2,300 animals including 500 dogs and cats and hundreds of other animals – mainly cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chicken, horses and donkeys – have been treated for their injuries and ailments. More resources have also been sent into Haiti to help the team on the ground every day. This includes a fully fitted mobile veterinary clinic that has just been brought into Port-au-Prince after much hard work and negotiations. Further reinforcements such as medical supplies and animal care personnel has enhanced the already existing international relief team.

With the mobile clinic reaching into the affected areas, people are lining up with their animals. The team from the ground reports: “Now that we’ve got the mobile clinic, we can have two lines of people waiting: one outside for dogs, aggressive animals and animals from farms, and another one inside for cats and wounded animals.”

Photo Credit : WSPA-IFAW-T.Stargardter

Ten year old Kenny brought his dog Vito, who had an infection. “It has been sick for a long time, but I don’t know any vets and don’t have any money to take it to one”, said Kenny. We gave the dog antibiotics and vitamins, and we’ll come back next week to check its progress.

At IDA, we are here for the animals and to make a difference for those who are often forgotten in natural disasters.

Support IDA’s Animal Disaster Relief Fund.

Learn more about IDA’s work in Haiti. For more information about how you can help IDA help animals affected by disasters, please contact us at disasterrelief@idausa.org.

More than 130 people gathered at the Capitol Complex in Carson City Saturday to draw attention to what they claim is poor range science and the Bureau of Land Management’s mismanagement of wild horses on the federal land under the agency’s jurisdiction. (Karren Rhodes/Dayton Courier)

This past weekend, hundreds of Nevadans and horse advocates took to the streets to voice their opposition to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s gross mismanagement of the wild horse and burro program. At Nevada’s state capital in Carson City nearly 150 people joined together for a hugely successful “Truth Rally” demanding that the BLM stop rationalizing its unsustainable and cruel roundup and removal policy. Click here for just one of the pieces of media coverage. IDA sent alerts to our Nevada members, inviting them to the Carson City rally and another in Las Vegas.

Some of the facts:

- Cattle given five times more public land than wild horses & burros: Currently the BLM manages more than 256 million acres of public lands of which cattle grazing is allowed on 160 million acres; wild horses are only allowed on 26.6 million acres of this – our public land – which must be shared with cattle.

- Cattle given precedence in wild horse and burro areas: In the horse and burro Herd Management Areas (HMA), the BLM allocates more grazing and resources for cattle than for wild horse and burros – often two or more times as much grazing is designed for cattle than wild horses and burros on the publicly-owned HMA. These designations are known as “Animal Unit Months,” or AUMs.

- The number of wild horses in government holding facilities (35,000) now exceeds those left in the wild (33,000 by BLM estimates). The Calico Mountain Complex roundup of nearly 2,000 horses is the turning point for the number of horses now confined in government holding facilities as opposed to those wild and free on the range as Congress originally intended. If things do not change, President Obama will go down in history as the president who allowed the stockpiling of wild horses to overwhelm the numbers of those left on their natural, historic ranges.

- The wild horse population today is smaller than in 1974 when the BLM conducted its first census after Congress protected the horses in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Members of Congress mentioned “extinction” multiple times during the floor debate of the Act, which passed unanimously due to grave concerns about these magnificent icons.

- Wild horses comprise a minuscule fraction (0.5 percent) of grazing animals on public lands, where they are outnumbered by cattle at least 200 to 1.

Calico stallion interred at BLM Fallon holding facility Photo credit: Wild Horses of Nevada Photography

Wanted to share a terrific investigative news segment on the consequences of the Calico Mountain Complex. Kudos to George Knapp,  chief investigative reporter with KLAS I-Team (Las Vegas), for asking good questions and exposing this story. (note: in the piece you may some images of a downed mare which were taken by an IDA observer at the Fallon, NV holding facility)

I-Team: Wild Horses Forced into a Stampede of Death ( be sure and check out the video )
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=11979541#

Helping build a healthier future for Haiti's animals

The ARCH team continues to treat animals as part of the relief phase. Despite initial thoughts that there would be low numbers of animals to treat, the team has been very busy everyday. Over the weekend, many animals were treated and cared for in the earthquake zone. The team also travelled out to many rural areas, outside of Port-au-Prince, where they treated more animals such as goats, cattle, pigs, dogs and cats over the weekend. So far, over 400 dogs and cats and 1500 livestock – mainly cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chicken, horses and donkeys were treated for their injuries and ailments.

It’s never easy to lose someone dear to you. Loss is an unfortunate part of sanctuary life and we cope with it far too often, but our loss January 3, 2010 has really hit us hard. BJ, our precious, endearing Russian Boar came to us nearly 9 years ago. He was orphaned by a hunter, but rescued by someone who couldn’t leave him behind.

A Memphis woman embraced the orphaned and bottle fed him along with pups she was caring for. Because the woman lived in the city she was unable to keep BJ. A couple of calls around and she learned of our sanctuary.
When BJ arrived he was just a couple of months old. We already had several pigs so we knew he’d fit in.

As he grew he endeared himself more and more to us. His bright amber eyes were captivating. He loved belly rubs and wallowing in the mud. He received bananas and apples regularly, but adored watermelon and watching him eat watermelon was like watching a child dismantle wrapping from a present.

BJ shared his space with Mary Grace. He loved her, but she annoy him at times with her high pitched and prolonged demands for food. Sometimes he’d butt her with a strong, ”shut the heck up!” What he didn’t realize was Mary Grace’s disturbances got them fed first every time.

BJ determined which house was his and how it would be kept. As winter approached BJ would begin gathering dried grasses for bedding. Season after season it was me who’d have to clear BJ’s abode of packed hay as he stood by vigorously protesting.

BJ was amazingly gentle with children. Our dear friend, Debbie Young, brought her grandson, Austin, whenever her rescue and adoption efforts allowed free time. Austin and BJ were real pals. BJ willingly cooperated with Austin’s inspections of his ears. Austin and his brother, Ackerly, visited us just a few weekends ago and BJ really enjoyed their visit.

BJ’s appetite started to decline and Dr. Abernathy was called. BJ was now lying down, apparently in discomfort. Doc wasn’t able to determine what was wrong. He planned to come back out, but let us know he didn’t have the equipment to x-ray BJ. BJ began eating again so we believed he might have ingested something he’d expelled. Two nights later BJ died. BJ appeared to have gone peacefully in his sleep. He was in his house, blanketed in his hay, and there were no signs of distress.

We miss him dearly.

For the past several weeks, Mr. William Spriggs and his amazing team of attorneys at Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney’s Washington, DC offices have been working tirelessly AND pro bono on our lawsuit to stop the Bureau of Land Management’s roundup of almost 3,000 horses in the Calico Mountains Complex in northwestern Nevada. Our case maintains that the BLM’s plan to remove 80-90 percent of the horses living in this protected area and stockpile them in government holding facilities is flatly illegal.

Some of the horses the BLM wants to round up in the Calico Complex contending that they are overpopulated and starving. These horses look healthy and sound, as is their range, according to local ecologists and wildlife biologists.

Just today, famed children’s author Terri Farley, officially joined IDA and Nevada ecologist Craig Dower as plaintiff’s in this important lawsuit.  Read IDA’s news release here. Ms. Farley’s beloved Phantom Stallion book series, which is set in the Calico Mountains and tells the stories of the horses living there. The wildly popular series with young readers has sold over a million copies.

Last week, Ms. Farley hand delivered more than 200 letters from young people to the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board at its meeting in Reno. She and her young readers are passionate advocates for America’s wild horses, and we are grateful to have her at our side in this fight.

Terri Farley presents letters from readers asking now Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to save America's wild horses.

Drawing sent by one of Terri's readers, Michelle Baehner.

A hearing on our motion for an injunction to stop the roundup, which was delayed until December 28, 2009 after we filed suit, will take place on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge Paul Friedman.  I’ll be there along with Ms. Farley, Mr. Downer, and IDA research director Eric Kleiman to watch our brilliant legal team do battle with the government over its destructive and devastating wild horse policies

Meanwhile, the horses at the BLM’s Palomino Valley Adoption Center outside Reno, Nevada spent the weekend in the middle of a blizzard and below freezing temperatures confined to pens with no shelter or way to escape the harsh elements.

Some of these horses had just arrived from the Buckhorn herd management area in California, where the BLM conducted a secret roundup without public notice due to an “internal communications” error.

Although the BLM’s guidelines require adopters of wild horses to provide them with shelter, the agency does not abide by its own rules.  Wild horse advocates who live near the facility report observing horses in direct, blistering sun in 105 degree heat and withstanding harsh windstorms without even a tree to block strong gusts and blowing dust. Although the Palomino Valley center is supposed to be a short-term holding facility, investigative reporter George Knapp of KTLA-TV in Las Vegas reports that some horses stay here for years. Mr. Knapp’s investigative series Stampede to Oblivion is a must watch for all who care about America’s wild horses.

Palomino Valley is where the Calico horses are destined to go if we are not successful in stopping the roundup. Wish our attorneys luck and stay tuned for more updates.