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Action ALERT: OPPOSE BARBARIC BLM STERILIZATION EXPERIMENTS ON WILD MARES

Posted by on January 28, 2016

URGENT: OPPOSE BARBARIC BLM STERILIZATION EXPERIMENTS ON WILD MARES
January 27, 2016      American Wild Horse Preservation

http://act.wildhorsepreservation.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=22181

URGENT: OPPOSE BARBARIC BLM STERILIZATION EXPERIMENTS ON WILD MARES

Photo of a veterinarian with a chain ecraseur being used during an ovariectomy.

Oppose BLM’s Barbaric Sterilization Experiments on Captured Wild Mares
This is it – the BLM has gone too far. Now the agency wants to perform crude, inhumane and archaic abortion/sterilization experiments on our treasured wild horses that are being kept in an Oregon holding facility. Once majestic, wild and free, the mares will be subjected to an invasive and painful procedure called “ovariectomy via colpotomy,” in which a veterinarian places his arm into a mare’s vaginal cavity, manually locates the ovaries and rips them out using a rod-like device with a chain on the end. (See picture at left.) The procedure will cause mares in the early and possibly mid-stages of pregnancy to abort their fetuses, and carries a significant risk of pain, hemorrhage and evisceration (intestines coming through the incision). After the surgery, the BLM intends to turn the mares back out into their corrals, with open incisions and none of the post-operative care that is required for any domestic mares who undergo this painful, surgically-risky and potentially life-threatening procedure. Please help us demonstrate overwhelming public opposition to this grotesque plan by taking action

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eNews: Oppose Barbaric BLM Sterilization Experiments on Captured Mares:
The Bureau of Land Management is planning barbaric, archaic and dangerous sterilization experiments on captured wild mares at its Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. These experiments have never before been performed on wild horses or, in the case of two of the three proposed procedures, in horses anywhere at all! The agency is accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment (EA) and now is the time to voice our united and strong opposition to this outrageous proposal!
At least 100 mares — 75 of whom will be pregnant — will be subjected to “ovariectomy via colpotomy,” a dangerous procedure in which a veterinarian makes an incision in the mare’s vagina, inserts his arm into the vaginal cavity, manually locates the ovaries and rips them out using an “ecraseur,” a rod-like device with a chain on the end. The painful procedure will subject mares to the risk of infection, hemorrhage and evisceration (intestines coming through the incision) and cause mares in the early to mid-stages of pregnancy to abort their fetuses.
In domestic mares, this procedure is not common, but when performed, requires a post-surgical 4-7 days stall confinement, during which the first 48 hours are spent in crossties to prevent the mare from lying down. No such restraint is possible in wild mares, and the BLM intends to turn them out to corrals after the surgery with open incisions and no restrictions on movement. This fact lead the National Research Council (NRC) to conclude that the fatality rate for the BLM’s proposed experiment would be “higher than the one percent reported in the published literature,” which is based on surgery performed in domestic mares. The NRC stated that less invasive techniques would be preferable to this procedure in wild mares.
Two less invasive experimental procedures are also proposed that would use endoscopes to achieve sterilization without removal of the ovaries. However, these procedures have never before been done in horses, domestic or wild, and appear to be infeasible for use in wild mares.
Please take a stand against these dangerous and costly BLM wild horse experiments today. The BLM deliberately avoided public opposition by skipping the scoping stage of this process, so let’s use the EA stage to show the agency just how many citizens and taxpayers oppose these dangerous and costly experiments on our wild mares.
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As an American citizen and taxpayer, I strongly oppose the BLM’s proposal to conduct dangerous sterilization experiments on wild mares at the Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines.
According to the Environmental Assessment (EA), the BLM is deciding whether or not to proceed with one or more of the proposed sterilization procedures. The weight of scientific evidence and public opinion clearly supports a BLM decision NOT to proceed with any of these sterilization procedures.

The sterilization procedures that BLM is proposing to conduct on federally protected wild mares are dangerous, costly and impractical for use in the field, due to the serious health risks they pose to the horses and their unborn foals, and also due to the great expense of purchasing the equipment and training the number of veterinarians necessary to implement these procedures on the range.

It makes no sense to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on these risky invasive experiments when proven, humane, and relatively inexpensive fertility control technology in the form of the PZP vaccine is readily available but vastly underutilized by the BLM.

The EA is completely inadequate in analyzing the impacts of these experimental procedures on mares. In addition, the BLM has deliberately avoided public opposition to this controversial and grotesque research proposal by skipping the scoping stage of the environmental analysis process. As a result, the public has been deprived of the opportunity to provide input into the impacts of and alternatives to these procedures that must be analyzed under the rules of the National Environmental Policy Act.

1.    Ovariectomy via Colposcopy

This is an outdated and archaic procedure that has been supplanted by more modern laparoscopic surgery. The EA fails to analyze the impacts of and alternatives to this procedure to mares and never once mentions the availability of more modern techniques! This proposed sterilization experiment is an intra-vaginal complex surgical procedure, which is hardly ever performed in domestic horses (never mind in wild ones), due to its inherently dangerous risks.

–    The blind nature of this surgery increases the risk of intra-abdominal hemorrhage, but the EA never even addresses this issue or the availability of more modern laparoscopic techniques that allow the surgeon to visualize the abdominal structures.

–       The lack of a sterile environment subjects the mares to a high risk of infection, something that is ignored by the EA.

–    The procedure carries with it a significant risk of hemorrhage and evisceration (protrusion of the intestines through the surgical incision), which is why it requires strict follow-up care when used in domestic horses, including pain relief and 4-7 days of stall rest, the first 48 hours of which is spent in crossties to prevent the mare from lying down. It is not possible to provide this required post-operative care to wild mares, yet the EA minimizes the impacts of this fact, citing the opinion of an un-named veterinarian, instead of the published science and National Research Council review, which clearly indicate the risks and impacts of this outdated procedure on wild mares.

–    The procedure will cause mares in early stages of pregnancy to abort their fetuses and may cause loss of pregnancy for mares in the mid-stage of pregnancy as well. This is unacceptable.

This pursuit of ovariectomy research is directly counter to the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council (NRC) in its 2013 report, “Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward.” That NRC report concluded that: “The possibility that ovariectomy may be followed by prolonged bleeding or peritoneal infection makes it inadvisable for field application.”

2. Minimally Invasive Sterilization Techniques

The other sterilization procedures that BLM proposes to research, while less invasive than ovariectomy, should also be abandoned due to the inability to provide post-operative care and the impracticality of implementing these procedures – which have never before been done in wild or domestic horses – on a broad scale in a field setting. The EA fails to analyze the impacts of precedent-setting procedures that have never before been performed in horses, and as well as the inability to provide required post-operative care. The EA also omits analysis of the economic impacts and practicalities of implementing these procedures on the range.

In proceeding with these experiments, the BLM has ignored the NRC recommendation that these techniques should first be perfected in domestic mares, who can be easily handled and will be accessible for close monitoring and post-operative care, before attempting them in wild horses.

It is unconscionable that the BLM is proceeding with these draconian experiments that endanger the lives of the un-consenting equine subjects and their unborn foals, particularly when a proven non-invasive and safe fertility control method exists in the readily available PZP birth control vaccine. Instead of wasting millions of tax dollars to fund experiments on inhumane and impractical sterilization experiments, the agency should instead focus resources on vaccinating sufficient numbers of mares with the PZP fertility control vaccine, which is documented through 30 years of experience and published science, to be safe, effective, cost-effective and successful in managing wild horse populations.

Again, as a taxpayer and wild horse lover, I am outraged that the BLM is even considering pursuing such inhumane, barbaric and wasteful experimentation on wild horses and I find the BLM’s Environmental Analysis of its impacts to be woefully inadequate. As a result, I strongly urge the BLM to abandon these proposed experiments in favor of using proven, more cost-effective and humane fertility control methods.

take action

As an American citizen and taxpayer, I strongly oppose the BLM’s proposal to conduct dangerous sterilization experiments on wild mares at the Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines.
According to the Environmental Assessment (EA), the BLM is deciding whether or not to proceed with one or more of the proposed sterilization procedures. The weight of scientific evidence and public opinion clearly supports a BLM decision NOT to proceed with any of these sterilization procedures.

The sterilization procedures that BLM is proposing to conduct on federally protected wild mares are dangerous, costly and impractical for use in the field, due to the serious health risks they pose to the horses and their unborn foals, and also due to the great expense of purchasing the equipment and training the number of veterinarians necessary to implement these procedures on the range.

It makes no sense to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on these risky invasive experiments when proven, humane, and relatively inexpensive fertility control technology in the form of the PZP vaccine is readily available but vastly underutilized by the BLM.

The EA is completely inadequate in analyzing the impacts of these experimental procedures on mares. In addition, the BLM has deliberately avoided public opposition to this controversial and grotesque research proposal by skipping the scoping stage of the environmental analysis process. As a result, the public has been deprived of the opportunity to provide input into the impacts of and alternatives to these procedures that must be analyzed under the rules of the National Environmental Policy Act.

1.    Ovariectomy via Colposcopy

This is an outdated and archaic procedure that has been supplanted by more modern laparoscopic surgery. The EA fails to analyze the impacts of and alternatives to this procedure to mares and never once mentions the availability of more modern techniques! This proposed sterilization experiment is an intra-vaginal complex surgical procedure, which is hardly ever performed in domestic horses (never mind in wild ones), due to its inherently dangerous risks.

–    The blind nature of this surgery increases the risk of intra-abdominal hemorrhage, but the EA never even addresses this issue or the availability of more modern laparoscopic techniques that allow the surgeon to visualize the abdominal structures.

–       The lack of a sterile environment subjects the mares to a high risk of infection, something that is ignored by the EA.

–    The procedure carries with it a significant risk of hemorrhage and evisceration (protrusion of the intestines through the surgical incision), which is why it requires strict follow-up care when used in domestic horses, including pain relief and 4-7 days of stall rest, the first 48 hours of which is spent in crossties to prevent the mare from lying down. It is not possible to provide this required post-operative care to wild mares, yet the EA minimizes the impacts of this fact, citing the opinion of an un-named veterinarian, instead of the published science and National Research Council review, which clearly indicate the risks and impacts of this outdated procedure on wild mares.

–    The procedure will cause mares in early stages of pregnancy to abort their fetuses and may cause loss of pregnancy for mares in the mid-stage of pregnancy as well. This is unacceptable.

This pursuit of ovariectomy research is directly counter to the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council (NRC) in its 2013 report, “Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward.” That NRC report concluded that: “The possibility that ovariectomy may be followed by prolonged bleeding or peritoneal infection makes it inadvisable for field application.”

2. Minimally Invasive Sterilization Techniques

The other sterilization procedures that BLM proposes to research, while less invasive than ovariectomy, should also be abandoned due to the inability to provide post-operative care and the impracticality of implementing these procedures – which have never before been done in wild or domestic horses – on a broad scale in a field setting. The EA fails to analyze the impacts of precedent-setting procedures that have never before been performed in horses, and as well as the inability to provide required post-operative care. The EA also omits analysis of the economic impacts and practicalities of implementing these procedures on the range.

In proceeding with these experiments, the BLM has ignored the NRC recommendation that these techniques should first be perfected in domestic mares, who can be easily handled and will be accessible for close monitoring and post-operative care, before attempting them in wild horses.

It is unconscionable that the BLM is proceeding with these draconian experiments that endanger the lives of the un-consenting equine subjects and their unborn foals, particularly when a proven non-invasive and safe fertility control method exists in the readily available PZP birth control vaccine. Instead of wasting millions of tax dollars to fund experiments on inhumane and impractical sterilization experiments, the agency should instead focus resources on vaccinating sufficient numbers of mares with the PZP fertility control vaccine, which is documented through 30 years of experience and published science, to be safe, effective, cost-effective and successful in managing wild horse populations.

Again, as a taxpayer and wild horse lover, I am outraged that the BLM is even considering pursuing such inhumane, barbaric and wasteful experimentation on wild horses and I find the BLM’s Environmental Analysis of its impacts to be woefully inadequate. As a result, I strongly urge the BLM to abandon these proposed experiments in favor of using proven, more cost-effective and humane fertility control methods.

Sincerely,

email to

Lisa Grant

BLM Burns District Office
Email:

Mike Tupper

Email:

Dean Bolstad

Email:

Public comments will be accepted on the EA through February 3, 2016. Comments can be emailed, mailed or faxed to the BLM Burns Office at the addresses below. Entire comments – including personal identifying information – may be published as part of the EA and Decision Record process.

Mail or deliver to:
Mare Sterilization Research Project Lead
(541) 573-4411 BLM Burns District Office
28910 Highway 20 West
Hines, Oregon 97738
Email: blm_or_bu_mareresearchea@blm.gov
Fax: (541) 573-4411 — Attention: Mare Sterilization Research Project Lead

From the EA:

The three proposed methods include ovariectomy via colpotomy, and two minimally invasive methods, tubal ligation and hysteroscopically-guided laser ablation of the oviduct papilla. The proposed studies would be conducted under financial assistance agreements with Oregon State University (OSU), with OSU staff serving as the principal investigators of the research. The three studies combined would involve approximately 225 wild horse mares previously gathered and removed from BLM Herd Management Areas (HMA). All three studies would be conducted at Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon and would be planned to begin in February 2016 with an estimated completion date of September 2020.

Closed session with the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council (NRC) review committee convened to make recommendations to BLM on which population research proposals to pursue. It is unclear what criteria were given to the NRC to guide their recommendations on these research proposals — from the EA page 4:

The BLM received 19 separate research proposals from universities in response to the RFA. In November 2014, BLM arranged for the NRC to have a committee of scientific experts provide an independent review, and provide BLM with indications about which of the proposals merited funding. On January 21, 2015, the NRC committee returned to BLM a report entitled “Review of Proposals to the Bureau of Land Management on Wild Horse and Burro Sterilization or Contraception.” This full report has been an internal BLM document in order to protect proprietary information of the proposal authors. BLM Oregon received from Paul Griffin, WH&B Program research coordinator, a summary of the report and the NRC committee’s review of the proposals being analyzed in this EA (Appendix B – NRC Review of Oregon Proposals, 2015). The committee recommended BLM move forward with awarding research funding, pending availability of funds, to 9 of the 19 research proposals reviewed. Four of the recommended research proposals were to investigate methods of permanent sterilization in wild horses, including two methods of minimally invasive surgical sterilization of female wild horses proposed by OSU. The two methods include tubal ligation and hysteroscopically-guided laser ablation. Both methods would occur at Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon and are analyzed in this EA.

Photo above by Mike Lorden on mares in holding at the Oregon Wild Horse Corrals.

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