Post by stormyranch on Oct 20, 2008 10:34:12 GMT -5
October 17, 2008
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED!
PLEASE CROSS POST WHEREVER APPROPRIATE!
Director of Agriculture Tony Lesperance is at it again. This time he's planning on dismantling the University of Nevada Reno's wild horse birth control study program and offering the horses to the kill buyers.
For several years a number of mares and two stallions have been held at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center south of Carson City. They were corralled as part of a study to determine the long term effects as well as any side effects produced by their being provided with doses of a temporary birth control vaccine. University veterinarian Dr. David Thain has been conducting this study for several years. The study group includes treated mares as well as a few "control" mares that weren't treated. Therefore the present group of horses includes a handful of youngsters along with the study mares and the two stallions.
(An old file photo of the birth control program horses.)
Nevada is currently experiencing the most serious budget crisis in modern history. Funding was lost for the birth control study and none of the agencies had any spare cash to feed the horses so that Dr. Thain's observations could continue. As a result, the allied wild horse groups raised the funds to buy the necessary feed for the horses. As a long term solution, the wild horse groups were helping facilitate moving the program to a privately owned closed range where all the horses could remain together and observations could continue. As a plan of last resort, the Wild Horse Foundation had offered to take the horses and find individual private homes for them.
However Director of Agriculture Tony Lesperance, whose actions clearly indicate that he doesn't want to see any successes with respect to managing wild horses, ordered a legal ad run in the state capitol's newspaper, the Nevada Appeal. In the legal ad on page C-8 of the October 17th edition, Lesperance incorrectly describes the horses as having been taken up as estrays that are being held until the lawful owners can prove ownership and reclaim them. While lies from Director Lesperance are commonplace, even we find it hard to believe that he could possibly claim that horses that are branded and microchipped and that have been part of a University study for many years are somehow at-large stock that someone allowed to get loose.
Director Lesperance made this specific description in a legal notice with the intent that if the horses could be regarded as picked up at-large estrays, he can dispose of the horses at the end of next week. In this instance, disposal is likely consigning the horses to a dealer where they can be picked up by the kill buyers.
Wild horse advocates are considering taking legal action as it may not be lawful for Director Lesperance to dispose of branded and microchipped study horses as "unidentified estrays." However it is equally important that advocates contact Governor Gibbons' office and complain that once again Gibbons' Director of Agriculture is taking possibly unlawful actions and placing tax dollars at risk over a situation that already should be resolved.
Here are the salient issues.
1. The birth control study is an important tool with respect to the long term management of wild horse populations. We need to know that it works and we need to know what, if any, long term side effects may occur. This data can't be gathered if the "herd" is broken up, and possibly becomes European table meat.
2. Private funding has been obtained to maintain the birth control program. Horse advocates were simply awaiting instructions as to when and where to have the hay delivered.
3. These are not domestic estray horses of unknown origin. They are branded and microchipped horses that have been historically part of a university study. Director Lesperance's legal notice is not correct and the court may decide that he doesn't have the authority to sell the horses.
4. The decision to stop the birth control study is bad public policy and Director Lesperance's actions risk unnecessary expenditures of tax dollars.
5. Director Lesperance needs to be told by the Governor's office to leave the birth control program alone so long as it doesn't produce unfunded costs to the Department of Agriculture. Otherwise we can only conclude that Governor Gibbons condones Director Lesperance's conduct. This is Dr. Thain's program, not Director Lesperance's.
Help save the birth control program horses! Please contact Governor Gibbons' office at 775-684-5670 and/or email mailto: governor@govmail.state.nv.us <mailto:governor@govmail.state.nv.us> .
You can also express your opinion to the Nevada Department of Agriculture by calling 775-688-1180 and/or emailing mailto: efoster@agri.state.nv.us <mailto:efoster@agri.state.nv.us> .
We may have only a few days to bring some common sense to this issue and bring these horses under private care and protection so that they can remain safe, and so that observations as to their health and condition can continue.
Thanks for reading this message and please spread the word!
"
) Willis
--
"Truth is the safest lie."
________________________________
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED!
PLEASE CROSS POST WHEREVER APPROPRIATE!
Director of Agriculture Tony Lesperance is at it again. This time he's planning on dismantling the University of Nevada Reno's wild horse birth control study program and offering the horses to the kill buyers.
For several years a number of mares and two stallions have been held at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center south of Carson City. They were corralled as part of a study to determine the long term effects as well as any side effects produced by their being provided with doses of a temporary birth control vaccine. University veterinarian Dr. David Thain has been conducting this study for several years. The study group includes treated mares as well as a few "control" mares that weren't treated. Therefore the present group of horses includes a handful of youngsters along with the study mares and the two stallions.
(An old file photo of the birth control program horses.)
Nevada is currently experiencing the most serious budget crisis in modern history. Funding was lost for the birth control study and none of the agencies had any spare cash to feed the horses so that Dr. Thain's observations could continue. As a result, the allied wild horse groups raised the funds to buy the necessary feed for the horses. As a long term solution, the wild horse groups were helping facilitate moving the program to a privately owned closed range where all the horses could remain together and observations could continue. As a plan of last resort, the Wild Horse Foundation had offered to take the horses and find individual private homes for them.
However Director of Agriculture Tony Lesperance, whose actions clearly indicate that he doesn't want to see any successes with respect to managing wild horses, ordered a legal ad run in the state capitol's newspaper, the Nevada Appeal. In the legal ad on page C-8 of the October 17th edition, Lesperance incorrectly describes the horses as having been taken up as estrays that are being held until the lawful owners can prove ownership and reclaim them. While lies from Director Lesperance are commonplace, even we find it hard to believe that he could possibly claim that horses that are branded and microchipped and that have been part of a University study for many years are somehow at-large stock that someone allowed to get loose.
Director Lesperance made this specific description in a legal notice with the intent that if the horses could be regarded as picked up at-large estrays, he can dispose of the horses at the end of next week. In this instance, disposal is likely consigning the horses to a dealer where they can be picked up by the kill buyers.
Wild horse advocates are considering taking legal action as it may not be lawful for Director Lesperance to dispose of branded and microchipped study horses as "unidentified estrays." However it is equally important that advocates contact Governor Gibbons' office and complain that once again Gibbons' Director of Agriculture is taking possibly unlawful actions and placing tax dollars at risk over a situation that already should be resolved.
Here are the salient issues.
1. The birth control study is an important tool with respect to the long term management of wild horse populations. We need to know that it works and we need to know what, if any, long term side effects may occur. This data can't be gathered if the "herd" is broken up, and possibly becomes European table meat.
2. Private funding has been obtained to maintain the birth control program. Horse advocates were simply awaiting instructions as to when and where to have the hay delivered.
3. These are not domestic estray horses of unknown origin. They are branded and microchipped horses that have been historically part of a university study. Director Lesperance's legal notice is not correct and the court may decide that he doesn't have the authority to sell the horses.
4. The decision to stop the birth control study is bad public policy and Director Lesperance's actions risk unnecessary expenditures of tax dollars.
5. Director Lesperance needs to be told by the Governor's office to leave the birth control program alone so long as it doesn't produce unfunded costs to the Department of Agriculture. Otherwise we can only conclude that Governor Gibbons condones Director Lesperance's conduct. This is Dr. Thain's program, not Director Lesperance's.
Help save the birth control program horses! Please contact Governor Gibbons' office at 775-684-5670 and/or email mailto: governor@govmail.state.nv.us <mailto:governor@govmail.state.nv.us> .
You can also express your opinion to the Nevada Department of Agriculture by calling 775-688-1180 and/or emailing mailto: efoster@agri.state.nv.us <mailto:efoster@agri.state.nv.us> .
We may have only a few days to bring some common sense to this issue and bring these horses under private care and protection so that they can remain safe, and so that observations as to their health and condition can continue.
Thanks for reading this message and please spread the word!
"
) Willis--
"Truth is the safest lie."
________________________________
