The American Wild Horse

Is a new documentary by filmmaker James Kleinert of Moving Cloud Productions scheduled to screen on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 in the LBJ Room on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for both Senators and Representatives.

The American Wild Horse examines the politics behind the Bureau of Land Management’s controversial policies regarding wild horses on public lands and questions the fate of America’s wild horses. Through interviews with scientific experts, ranchers, historians, wild horse owners, animal rights activist, and others, the film looks at the origins and effects of the recent “Burns Bill” which gutted the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 and cleared the way for the slaughter and removal of a vast majority of these symbols of the American West.

The film explores who benefits and who pays the price for the different bills currently under consideration, including pending legislation that would permanently block the Burns Bill, H.R. 249, and H.R. 503 and S.311, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Filming locations included a recent round up conducted by BLM in Disappointment Valley, Colorado of the Spring Creek wild horses. David Glynn was on location August 30th and provides a detailed daily account of his experiences before, during and after the wild horses were removed.

One of the most revealing aspects of his narrative include interviews with Dave and Sue Cattoor, operators of Cattoor Livestock Roundups, Inc., one of only two outfits BLM consistently contracts for wild horse removals via helicopters as well as often being contracted for other government agencies such as National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Cattoors operations have often faced controversy, which have included the disastrous June 2006 wild horse removals conducted in the Sheldon Hart National Wildlife Refuge that American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign posted extensive photo documentation of (Reality of Roundups – Attempt at a Cover Up) as well as pleading guilty and serving probation for inappropriate use of an aircraft to capture wild horses in the 90’s.

David Glynn’s interviews with the Cattoors stated “they are strong advocates of killing, in their words “a humane way to dispose of excess horses,” and support the Burns Amendment.”

Cattoor Livestock Roundups, Inc. were referenced throughout the newest Draft Management Plans recently released by U.S. Fish & Wildlife for the Sheldon wild horses and burros and it appears they will probably contracted to remove wild horses within the Refuge again. The Cattoors were also the sole source of the financial data that projected helicopter round ups were more cost effective than any other capture methods.

Wonder how they came up with that conclusion?

Wishing James and The American Wild Horse’s debut the very best and praying our elected officials will finally be moved to action on repealing the Burns Bill and enacting The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.


References-
The American Wild Horse – by James Kleinert http://theamericanwildhorse.com/Save%20The%20American%20Wild%20Horse/Welcome.html
To read the full account of David Glynns - Ten Days in Disappointment Valley http://www.telluridewatch.com/articles/2007/09/03/news/doc46d7550f082e7317316258.txt
To view the photos of the Sheldon wild horse removals by Cattoor Livestock Roundups, Inc. www.wildhorsepreservation.com - Reality of Round Ups, Attempt at a Cover Up