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“Wild Mustang Robin“ 11 year old’s plea to Nevada Governor

Posted by on December 13, 2012

Plea to Nevada Governor from 11 year old “Wild Mustang Robin

Tourists call for boycott

3 week old foal being dragged with baling twine by developer's hired security at Ag. Dept. bait trap - photo by

3 week old foal being dragged with baling twine by developer’s hired security at Ag. Dept. bait trap – photo by Bo Rodriguez

LAS VEGAS — (December 12, 2012)  Calls to boycott Nevada are emerging on social media following widespread coverage of an ugly incident in Northern Nevada involving wild horses being trapped by state officials. The reports document the continued removal of wild horses, not by the Bureau of Land Management, but by the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Adding fuel to the fire, after the wild horses are trapped they are sold through livestock auctioning where they are in danger of being purchased by kill-buyers. In recent months the public’s outcry to save wild horses from slaughter was noticed by the BLM; a policy change limiting the number of horses that can be sold to one buyer has just been announced.

Nevada’s governor, however, has ignored the pleas of thousands of residents who object to the Department of Agriculture’s wild horse policies. The battle between Governor Brian Sandoval and wild horse advocates over the issue has been heating up for months. In September, Nevada based Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates staged a rally in front of the legislature. Thousands petitioned the governor on Change.org in the days surrounding the rally. Bonnie Matton, President of The Wild Horse Preservation League says, “Keeping the wild horses in the Virginia Range, with proper management and the re-introduction of nonprofit horse groups working under cooperative agreements with the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA), this could be a win-win situation for everyone – the Virginia Highland residents, the NDA, the Governor’s Tourism Program, the state of Nevada – and especially, the wild horses.”

But rather than forming cooperative agreements with advocacy organizations for the management of the state’s wild horses, as allowed for by law, the governor continues to refer calls to Department of Agriculture spokesperson Ed Foster. This isn’t the first time that Nevada’s wild horse policies have resulted in lost revenue for Las Vegas. In April of 2011 the boycott was in response to Assembly Bill 329 through which lawmakers attempted to strip wild horses of water rights. Sin City felt the heat from outraged wild horse supporters as they opted to spend their dollars elsewhere contributing to a $152 million revenue loss for the month.

Youth advocate “Wild Mustang Robin” (Robin Warren), age 11, is particularly upset by the images that accompany recent reports. A photograph taken by witness Bo Rodriguez shows a foal being dragged by a piece of thin, brightly-colored twine slip-knotted around its neck nearly brings Robin to tears. “How can they be so cruel – Don’t they know how to tie a halter?”

Robin’s public plea to the governor to save Nevada’s wild horses from the threat of slaughter is posted on YouTube. Robin’s mother attended the meeting of the agriculture board held today to publicly request a response to the young advocate’s plea, as Sandoval nor Foster have yet responded. Lack of response from the department was a common complaint expressed during the comment period of the meeting where dozens spoke out against current Nevada’s horse management policies.

Wild Mustang Robin began the Change.org petition “Save Wild Horses from Slaughter” October of 2012. The petition asks for the roundups and sale of wild horses by the BLM be suspended until investigated by an independent third party. The petition has over 129,000 supporters.

 

Links

Wild Mustang Robin’s Video Message to Governor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJgoaoJ4X2I

Merry Christmas Mr. President

http://www.thedesertinde.com/Articles-2012/Merry-Christmas-Mr-President–1128.html

 45 Seconds of Thanksgiving from Wild Mustang Robin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNVKtNem6pM

 

more wild horse info at www.windwildhorse.com

 

Wild Mustang Robin coverage

116,000 Sign Girl’s Petition

http://blogs.rgj.com/mostlydogs/2012/10/31/116000-sign-las-vegas-girls-petition-on-blm-selling-wild-horses-for-slaughter/

11 yr. old challenges secretary of interior

http://blog.chron.com/hoofbeats/2012/11/11-year-old-challanges-sectretary-of-interior-ken-salazaar/

May 2011 Horse Advocates Boycott Nevada over Assembly Bill 329

http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/8710

Change.org Petitions

Save Virginia Range Horses (by Judy Downhill)

https://www.change.org/petitions/please-help-the-virginia-range-wild-horses

172 public comments in 24 hours to petition above:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/petition-to-save-the-wild-mustangs/save-virginia-range-horses-172-public-comments-in-24-hours/354132614671775?notif_t=like

Save Wild Horses from Slaughter

http://www.change.org/petitions/save-wild-horses-from-slaughter

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