Ep #18: Saving the Wild Horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Interview with Christine Kman
October 23, 2023
Ep #19: The McCullough Peaks Herd
November 6, 2023Time is Running Out for the Wild Horses of McCullough Peaks
Time is Running Out for the McCullough Peaks Wild Horses By Carol J. Walker
Despite over 6000 comments from the public, the Bureau of Land Management is planning to remove 41 horses starting on November 15 from the McCullough Peaks Herd, one of the most beloved wild herds, visited by people all over the country and all over the world. This is a very small ageing herd, with only 175 adult horses, 1/3 of whom are over 15 and 22 of whom are over 20 years old. Many may die over this winter, and bringing the herd numbers down that far may permanently harm the genetic viability of the herd. Dr. Gus Cothren, the leading geneticist on wild horses has said that 150 breeding age adults must be in a herd at minimum to ensure genetic viability. Yet because there has been a birth control program with PZP, Porcine Zona Pellucida, used on the mares in this herd since 2011, many mares may already be sterile. The herd is on 110,000 acres in Park County, Wyoming outside of the town of Cody.
The BLM used to tout this herd as the shining example of using birth control to keep wild horse numbers in check – yet now they want to remove horses instead of continuing with their successful program that has kept a 2% annual increase in population. They plan to use a new drug, GonaCon on mares who are over 13 that have foaled, and GonaCon has been proven to sterilize wild mares. An there have been no studies done on the effect on the mares of using GonaCon after years of PZP treatments.
Livestock permitees of which there are two in McCullough Peaks, with a total of 6 grazing allotments, are the major drivers behind this roundup. There are 6191 Animal Unit Months allowed on these allotments which works out to about 516 wild horses grazing year round. The BLM did not present an analysis of the effects of wild horse grazing in the herd Management Area as they should have in the Environmental Assessment, the NEPA process.
The BLM says they will only remove younger horses, those under 5, leaving the old horses on the range. Yet there are only 48 horses under 5, so they will be taking 85% of the horses in that age group – entire generations. There are also three mares with foals under 2 months old and two mares who may foal soon. I am very concerned about these little ones getting injured, especially since they intend to try remote bait trapping, where BLM staff can operate the camera and trap remotely but the office is over an hour away and winter conditions may make a quick response to a problem or an injury impossible.
We have been told that the horses captured will be sent to the BLM holding facility in Rock Springs, WY for processing and adoption. Hopefully this is true and they will not send them to a private facility where the public cannot see them.
Removing these horses from the range is cruel, pointless and a detriment to the long term viability of the herd. These horses need your help now!
What can you do to help at this point?
You are welcome to use any of the information I have presented and if you want to look at the BLM’s Record of Decision you can go here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022012/510
Action Items:
Sign the petition to stop the roundup here:
Stop The McCullough Peaks Roundup
Call, fax or email the Director of the BLM, Tracy Stone Manning:
Phone: 202-208-3801
Fax: 970-256-4997
Email: wildhorse@blm.gov
Call the Cody Chamber of Commerce and tell them you think the horses are a huge reason you visit or want to visit Cody and tell them how much you spend or would spend in local businesses:
Cody Chamber of Commerce: 307-587-2777, email: info@codycahmber.org
Contact any media you can think of to do a story on the horses and why they should stay in their homes.
Share on social media, check back with Wild Hoofbeats and Wild at Heart Images on Facebook for updates.
27 Comments
Thank you Carol, for your update, contacts and your dedication to the wild horses. It’s really senseless what’s happening and definitely horrible.
In Germany we made the big mistake not to protect wild horses. Now there is only ONE herd left which is under strong protection. Do not make the same terrible mistake America! Leave nature untouched and it will balance as it always does.
I cannot understand why you would allow the BLM to remove the wild horses from their home. They are the reason people come there just in hopes of seeing wild horses. I think it’s absolutely terrible for that to happen. They grace your landscape with beauty.
Less grazing allotments for cattle, leave it for the wild animals….
Please leave these magnificent creatures alone! So many may not make it through another hard winter. Let nature handle it. These families must not be separated. These bloodlines must be preserved. Why aren’t American taxpayers voices being heard?
We HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO STOP the round-ups! As EVERYONE knows and understands, there is no overpopulation problem, and these American (NATIVE) Icons NEED to be left alone. How can the BLM allow MILLIONS of cows and sheep on Public Land yet tell the world the Native Wild Horses and Burros number too many and must be removed when only @40,000 remain? This is about BIG BEEF and the power of Lobbyists with bottomless pockets. Ranching interests blame the wild ones for EVERYTHING. This administration MUST see the injustices that are occurring at the expense of these incredible animals. The INNOCENT, NATIVE wild horses and burros the BLM is eradicating at a rapid pace! STOP THE ROUNDUPS! Stop the inhumane treatment, warehousing, and even killing of these precious animals!
Pleace,let’s save those beautiful and wild horse’s,Even If only them.They live free and wild.
Stop ROUNDUPS.needless deaths.
please don’t remove these beautiful horses.. they mean the world to people everywhere.. they be are one of the main reasons we all come to this park.. this is their home range.. it’s all they know.. please don’t do this.. there’s a better solution to this surely.. I love horses the wild the free and domesticated.. the burrows.. we all love them.. they belong here no you not me.. the elk.. the antelope.. the buffalo they roam here too.. please let them be.. there’s little babies with their mothers.. they have families.. they have feelings like us.. we need them.. please don’t do this removal because it’s not necessary.. we all love them..
Hi Donna,
I agrCee with everything you are saying. If I understand, you actually live near the herd, and I envy you. This herd is so beautiful and needs human intervention right now! Have you signed the petition in connection with this post by Carol? I want to try to get the petition around to be signed after I check to see if that’s allowed. True, the BLM and DOI pay no real attention it seems to public opinion but the petitions can add up nevertheless. It gives a way for people to do something – as opposed to having heartache and a sinking feeling concerning the tragedy about to unleash on this McCullough Peaks Herd on Nov. 15th if it does not get postponed again and sorted out between horse advocates and the “others”.
Bev Kleiner,
California
Hi Donna,
I agree with everything you are saying. If I understand, you actually live near the herd, and I envy you. This herd is so beautiful and needs human intervention right now! Have you signed the petition in connection with this post by Carol? I want to try to get the petition around to be signed after I check to see if that’s allowed. True, the BLM and DOI pay no real attention it seems to public opinion but the petitions can add up nevertheless. It gives a way for people to do something – as opposed to having heartache and a sinking feeling concerning the tragedy about to unleash on this McCullough Peaks Herd on Nov. 15th if it does not get postponed again and sorted out between horse advocates and the “others”.
Bev Kleiner,
California
PLEASE leave our NATIONAL TREASURE, the WILD Horses to be self sustaining WILD & FREE 💖 The only reason I travel out west is to visit & enjoy the magnificent MUSTAGES, just as many of my friends do 🕊💞🙏 GOD sees all ….
Leave them where they are, you people just care about money.They were here first. Why why do they need to be moved.
Please don’t continue to roundup wild horses. They are part of our heritage! They have been on the plains for many many years. They do no harm to anyone. There has always been a conflict with the ranchers that want to graze the cattle on the land but this is the home to the wild horses. There is no reason to do this. To control the herd you should consider immo contraception and not round them up for slaughter! Thank you for your consideration.
The horses are not livestock, they are icons of American pioneer spirit. So many citizens of the USA are begging the government, BLM, to recognize how much the horses represent that spirit. I was born here 70 years ago, I feel like my desire to see our wild horses live in their natural wild lands should be heard.
Carol,
I commented & signed the petition. But couldnt figure out how to make a comment on the BLM’s site. They are glad to show you the documents BUT no place to comment – only giving an August 2023 date as the end date. I went in & looked at the documents thinking there would be a comment section – nothing!!1
And as always the people who comment here – where they are preaching to the choir – do they also sign the petition AND comment at the BLM site (well if they could.)?
Hi Maggie, you can no longer comment on the EA the deadline has passed so I am am asking people to contact Tracy-Stone Manning as well as sign the petition.
Thanks!
Will do Carol
Thanks
Hi Carol,
You are giving so much of yourself to this herd, capturing them in amazing photos, and getting up to your eyebrows involved in the show of force to keep them from being targeted by the BLM and the others. I appreciate the information you pulled together. I feel I can talk to other people armed with details and facts … beyond my emotional response to what’s going on in Wyoming, and the McCullough Peaks Herd. This is a huge help.
One last thing, if I can figure out how to print out the petition, am I allowed to do that and obtain signatures at my local stores? Would time be better spent doing something else? I would still like to walk with placards in front of the Federal Bldg. near me in West L.A. If anybody lives near me and want to join up and do that please let me know.
Best,
Bev Kleiner
Hi Beverly,
Thank you so much for your kind words. Of course you can print out the petition. Anything you can think of to raise awareness is a good thing. Thank you for caring about this precious herd.
Well, it would appear that Ms.Stone Manning has no email address & seemingly not much of a way of actually contacting her. Doubtful that an actual letter would ever get to her either.
Intentional? I’m assuming. I will write a letter – just in case.
Thanks so much for all that you do – wish I were able to constructively do more than donate to Chilly Pepper, and occasionally WHE, both of whom do so much & get so little back.
Maggie
Stop these roundups and let them live in peace.
Laissez ces chevaux tranquilles, ils ne demandent qu’une chose est de pouvoir continuer à galoper en liberté dans ces grands espaces verts
OK Carol heres my little hummer to Ms Stone Manning (sorry for wasting your space here)
Tracy Stone Manning, Director
Bureau of Land Management
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
RE: McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Roundup
So there are only FORTY-EIGHT(48) wild horses in this herd that are under 5! And you want to remove 41 of them? One hundred ten thousand acres and 175 adult wild horses are too many? Has anyone actually read & comprehended this?
There has been NO – NONE – of an analysis of the effects of wild horse grazing in the herd Management Area as they should have in the Environmental Assessment, the NEPA process. But we certainly are all well aware of the effects of cattle in any area, especially in a riparian area. Cattle manure pollutes streams and creeks – any type of seed is removed from their manure because of their digestive system.
Why in the world is this permittee allowed to graze his personal livestock in this HMA – paying $1.35 a month for each cow/calf pair? The horses dont cost anyone anything if THEY ARE ALLOWED TO REMAIN FREE.
When is this administration going to pull back from the livestock lobby and allow wildlife – native wildlife (which wild horses are) to live there without the impediment of cows!
There have already been more than 6,000 comments regarding this unnecessary venture.
Do you listen to the people who pay taxes, and I might add, your salaries? It really might be a good idea.
In this time of climate change, continuing to follow the livestock lobby down the rathole isnt not a good look. Cattle grazing and the necessities of hay and feed for those cattle on top of the damage that this does to the environment should really have some common sense research done – and that research needs to be comprehended clearly.
Tell me something – after this government agency and the “livestock lobby” is successful in eradicating the entirety of OUR (American citizens) Wild Horse herds, exactly who or what are you going to put the blame on for the degradation of our public lands? I’m curious. Will it be elk, bison, grizzlies, wolves (oh they are always vulnerable) coyotes? Which will it be? Our NATIVE wildlife is so at risk these days and in most instances, its BECAUSE of domestic cattle and the subsidizing of their grazing and the subsidizing of growing the feed for said domestic cattle.
I had such hopes for this administration thinking the 30 x 30 “idea” would actually save the land and water from being destroyed. But I guess this issue is just not important enough to tackle.
Please stop the abuse
I want names!!!!! Who are the ranchers!!! Who is in the group that decides to do this! Put their names out there.
This is an atrocity. Leave our wildlife free. They have managed themselves for a very long time. These horse’s are treasured just as wolves are and taxpayers want to see them and know that their grandchildren will also have that opportunity. Life and freedom is precious. Please protect them for future generations.
This sickens me you need to leave the horses alone you are killing them in your roundups and separating young foals from their mothers what you ate doing is monstourus and I wish I could say what I really think but I don’t want to get in trouble. This is sickening what you are doing