1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:09,426 --> 00:00:11,762 [horse neighs] 4 00:00:11,887 --> 00:00:13,222 [hooves clopping] 5 00:00:17,392 --> 00:00:21,230 [ethereal music] 6 00:01:01,103 --> 00:01:02,604 [Yvette] I'll never forget the first time 7 00:01:02,729 --> 00:01:04,523 that I saw a wild horse. 8 00:01:08,819 --> 00:01:12,072 It was right at the edge of dawn, 9 00:01:12,197 --> 00:01:15,242 when the sky was in that special shade between blue and purple. 10 00:01:18,829 --> 00:01:21,665 And I thought, in that moment, 11 00:01:21,790 --> 00:01:23,667 they looked like ghosts of the desert. 12 00:01:23,792 --> 00:01:28,797 ♪ 13 00:02:25,979 --> 00:02:28,565 It was a journey none of us expected to go on. 14 00:02:31,526 --> 00:02:34,363 Encountering such extraordinary beauty... 15 00:02:36,615 --> 00:02:38,784 and traversing the vast Western US. 16 00:02:43,622 --> 00:02:46,667 We were searching for the answer to one question. 17 00:02:48,669 --> 00:02:50,837 Why are wild horses disappearing? 18 00:02:54,091 --> 00:02:57,636 [helicopter whirring] 19 00:02:57,761 --> 00:03:02,140 At first, what we discovered sounded like a conspiracy... 20 00:03:05,310 --> 00:03:08,897 until we realized it was. 21 00:03:22,619 --> 00:03:24,579 [music fades] 22 00:03:24,705 --> 00:03:29,167 Anyone who says magic is gone from the world 23 00:03:29,292 --> 00:03:31,837 hasn't been in the wild with horses. 24 00:03:38,719 --> 00:03:40,220 There's a famous quote 25 00:03:40,345 --> 00:03:42,180 that I'd love for you to think about, 26 00:03:42,305 --> 00:03:43,974 as we take you through this journey. 27 00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:52,023 "We need the tonic of wildness. 28 00:03:52,149 --> 00:03:57,571 We require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable. 29 00:03:57,696 --> 00:04:00,490 That the land and the sea be indefinitely wild. 30 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:06,455 Unfathomed by us, because they are unfathomable. 31 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:11,835 We can never have enough of nature." 32 00:04:19,634 --> 00:04:22,220 Most people don't know... 33 00:04:22,345 --> 00:04:25,599 that wild horses even exist in our country. 34 00:04:28,852 --> 00:04:31,021 Representing purity, 35 00:04:31,146 --> 00:04:33,565 and power, and freedom. 36 00:04:40,572 --> 00:04:42,866 We originally began this project 37 00:04:42,991 --> 00:04:45,410 as a love letter to wild horses. 38 00:04:47,537 --> 00:04:49,039 And to gather footage for a film 39 00:04:49,164 --> 00:04:51,208 that I was directing at the time. 40 00:04:51,333 --> 00:04:53,835 A modern-day retelling of Black Beauty. 41 00:04:56,046 --> 00:04:59,049 It's little known that Anna C. Wells' classic 42 00:04:59,174 --> 00:05:01,927 wasn't necessarily written as a children's book. 43 00:05:03,428 --> 00:05:05,639 It was an animal welfare plea, 44 00:05:05,764 --> 00:05:07,724 to protect the horses of her time. 45 00:05:10,977 --> 00:05:14,189 Like most people, we had no idea 46 00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:19,277 that wild horses were being rounded up in mass numbers, 47 00:05:19,402 --> 00:05:22,280 taken away from their homes and their families... 48 00:05:24,491 --> 00:05:26,785 put into government holding facilities, 49 00:05:26,910 --> 00:05:28,286 never to gallop again. 50 00:05:28,411 --> 00:05:30,831 [horses neighing] 51 00:05:30,956 --> 00:05:33,625 So, after the credits rolled on Black Beauty, 52 00:05:33,750 --> 00:05:35,210 we decided to keep going. 53 00:05:37,087 --> 00:05:38,672 But little did we know, 54 00:05:38,797 --> 00:05:41,925 beyond the extraordinary beauty of wild horses, 55 00:05:42,050 --> 00:05:44,094 they had an enemy. 56 00:05:44,219 --> 00:05:45,804 One that was well-funded 57 00:05:45,929 --> 00:05:49,891 and full of lies, deceit, and corruption. 58 00:05:52,143 --> 00:05:55,814 We had no idea we were about to enter a war. 59 00:05:55,939 --> 00:05:57,482 We just got to Delta. 60 00:05:57,607 --> 00:06:00,277 We're not allowed to view the holding facility, 61 00:06:00,402 --> 00:06:02,779 even though it's a BLM holding facility. 62 00:06:02,904 --> 00:06:04,823 There's Kai, we've got officers, 63 00:06:04,948 --> 00:06:06,408 I'm not sure what we're about to encounter. 64 00:06:09,119 --> 00:06:10,787 The famous Onaqui Horses were just rounded up, 65 00:06:10,912 --> 00:06:13,874 and they said that we couldn't come observe. 66 00:06:13,999 --> 00:06:16,293 So, we came anyway. 67 00:06:16,418 --> 00:06:18,503 The horses are just being unloaded from the trucks. 68 00:06:18,628 --> 00:06:20,463 [horses neighing] 69 00:06:20,589 --> 00:06:23,383 This is... [sighs] 70 00:06:23,508 --> 00:06:24,718 ...this is really hard to see. 71 00:06:24,843 --> 00:06:27,137 [somber music] 72 00:06:30,181 --> 00:06:31,933 [horses whinnying] 73 00:06:32,058 --> 00:06:34,853 I think one of the worst things in doing all of this... 74 00:06:34,978 --> 00:06:36,646 [helicopter whirring] 75 00:06:36,771 --> 00:06:38,565 ...was watching their freedom get taken away. 76 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:40,358 -Gosh, that sound is-- -[man 1] I know, it's terrible. 77 00:06:40,483 --> 00:06:42,861 And we've been listening to it for hours now, 78 00:06:42,986 --> 00:06:45,363 -for two hours, it's horrible. -[Yvette sighs] 79 00:06:45,488 --> 00:06:47,365 And our question was... 80 00:06:47,490 --> 00:06:49,659 why? 81 00:06:49,784 --> 00:06:52,120 Why is this happening to wild horses? 82 00:06:54,372 --> 00:06:57,959 Aren't they living symbols of America? 83 00:06:58,084 --> 00:07:01,171 Aren't they supposed to be federally protected? 84 00:07:01,296 --> 00:07:03,882 And if wild horses live on public land, 85 00:07:04,007 --> 00:07:05,258 which they do... 86 00:07:06,593 --> 00:07:07,844 ...don't the people have a say? 87 00:07:07,969 --> 00:07:09,596 [crowd chanting] Stop the choppers! 88 00:07:09,721 --> 00:07:12,349 Isn't this our land? 89 00:07:12,474 --> 00:07:13,683 [crowd chanting] Stop the choppers! 90 00:07:13,808 --> 00:07:15,143 Stop the choppers! 91 00:07:15,268 --> 00:07:16,853 [Yvette] But before we go forward, 92 00:07:16,978 --> 00:07:19,147 let's go back. 93 00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:23,777 To understand where wild horses really came from, 94 00:07:23,902 --> 00:07:26,321 and why they, like other species, 95 00:07:26,446 --> 00:07:28,698 such as wolves, coyotes, 96 00:07:28,823 --> 00:07:31,284 trout and sage-grouse, 97 00:07:31,409 --> 00:07:33,370 are being scapegoated 98 00:07:33,495 --> 00:07:38,708 and knowingly eradicated from our public lands. 99 00:07:38,833 --> 00:07:42,003 Because unless we do something... 100 00:07:42,128 --> 00:07:44,214 wild horses will disappear... 101 00:07:45,173 --> 00:07:46,424 forever. 102 00:07:49,344 --> 00:07:52,389 [Yvette speaking indigenous language] 103 00:07:55,725 --> 00:07:57,894 My name is Dr. Yvette Running Horse Collin 104 00:07:58,019 --> 00:08:00,897 and I'm an Oglala Lakota researcher and scientist. 105 00:08:01,022 --> 00:08:02,565 And I'm an administrator 106 00:08:02,691 --> 00:08:05,485 for the He'Sapa Unity Alliance Council of Elders. 107 00:08:05,610 --> 00:08:08,488 So, Western science and academia now agrees 108 00:08:08,613 --> 00:08:11,491 that the horse originated in North America. 109 00:08:11,616 --> 00:08:14,327 However, they say that all the horses died out 110 00:08:14,452 --> 00:08:18,373 in North and South America during the last Ice Age, 111 00:08:18,498 --> 00:08:21,835 which is around 13,000 to 11,000 years ago, 112 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,713 until Columbus reintroduced them 113 00:08:24,838 --> 00:08:26,923 in the late 1400s. 114 00:08:27,048 --> 00:08:30,051 Many, many, many species survived the Ice Age. 115 00:08:30,176 --> 00:08:32,470 For example, the elk, the antelope, 116 00:08:32,595 --> 00:08:35,890 of course, we had the wolf, the bear, the bison. 117 00:08:36,016 --> 00:08:37,726 So, I find it very interesting, 118 00:08:37,851 --> 00:08:40,562 why they would focus on the horse. 119 00:08:40,687 --> 00:08:44,315 Contrary to what Western academia has put forward, 120 00:08:44,441 --> 00:08:47,485 our people say, we always had the horse. 121 00:08:47,610 --> 00:08:50,071 History is often told by the conqueror. 122 00:08:50,196 --> 00:08:52,824 There were many accounts in the Spanish chronicles 123 00:08:52,949 --> 00:08:56,536 of multiple quadrupeds, right, four-legged animals 124 00:08:56,661 --> 00:08:58,747 everywhere, all over the place. 125 00:08:58,872 --> 00:09:03,543 There were also accounts where Native peoples and horses 126 00:09:03,668 --> 00:09:05,920 were reported as living together 127 00:09:06,046 --> 00:09:08,506 in a domestic-type situation. 128 00:09:08,631 --> 00:09:11,718 There is a great deal of fossil evidence 129 00:09:11,843 --> 00:09:13,762 to prove that the horses 130 00:09:13,887 --> 00:09:15,597 did not go extinct in the Americas 131 00:09:15,722 --> 00:09:18,224 and that they indeed had a relationship 132 00:09:18,349 --> 00:09:20,060 with different Native peoples. 133 00:09:20,185 --> 00:09:24,522 This issue has not been properly scientifically researched. 134 00:09:24,647 --> 00:09:27,025 What would happen... 135 00:09:27,150 --> 00:09:30,320 if it's understood and widely accepted 136 00:09:30,445 --> 00:09:32,238 that the horse survived the Ice Age? 137 00:09:32,363 --> 00:09:35,909 And, in fact, some of that blood is still in the wild horses 138 00:09:36,034 --> 00:09:39,454 that roam these lands today. 139 00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:42,707 If the United States follows its own laws, 140 00:09:42,832 --> 00:09:47,045 they would then be protected by the Endangered Species Act. 141 00:09:47,170 --> 00:09:49,756 Not only would they be protected, 142 00:09:49,881 --> 00:09:53,051 it also protects the lands that they call home. 143 00:09:53,176 --> 00:09:56,971 They wouldn't be available for extraction, uh, for mining. 144 00:09:57,097 --> 00:09:59,641 They would have to be kept pure 145 00:09:59,766 --> 00:10:01,643 and allowed to live in balance. 146 00:10:06,314 --> 00:10:08,817 [plane roaring faintly] 147 00:10:10,777 --> 00:10:13,279 The wild horse war has been going on 148 00:10:13,404 --> 00:10:16,074 for a long time. 149 00:10:16,199 --> 00:10:20,954 In 1971, President Nixon stepped in to help. 150 00:10:21,079 --> 00:10:22,622 The president had been moved 151 00:10:22,747 --> 00:10:25,250 by the plight of wild horses and burros 152 00:10:25,375 --> 00:10:27,752 after he received thousands of letters 153 00:10:27,877 --> 00:10:30,046 sent in by children, 154 00:10:30,171 --> 00:10:32,507 a campaign organized by Velma Johnson, 155 00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:36,136 better known as "Wild Horse Annie." 156 00:10:36,261 --> 00:10:38,763 The president opened his remarks on the bill 157 00:10:38,888 --> 00:10:41,891 by quoting Henry David Thoreau. 158 00:10:42,016 --> 00:10:45,353 "We need the tonic of wildness, "he began. 159 00:10:46,855 --> 00:10:49,232 Congress unanimously passed 160 00:10:49,357 --> 00:10:54,904 the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. 161 00:10:55,029 --> 00:10:57,115 Which stated that they should be protected 162 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:03,371 from capture, branding, harassment, and death. 163 00:11:05,290 --> 00:11:08,626 It became starkly black and white to us 164 00:11:08,751 --> 00:11:12,463 how much that law was being violated, 165 00:11:12,589 --> 00:11:14,674 and how little had changed. 166 00:11:16,926 --> 00:11:18,887 We did not embark on this 167 00:11:19,012 --> 00:11:21,139 to become investigative reporters. 168 00:11:23,057 --> 00:11:26,603 But we also refused to stand idly by, 169 00:11:26,728 --> 00:11:29,814 after witnessing such antiquated cruelty 170 00:11:29,939 --> 00:11:32,066 still happening today. 171 00:11:32,192 --> 00:11:34,944 We very calmly asked and we said it is our right... 172 00:11:35,069 --> 00:11:36,321 -Yep. Yeah. -...as journalists, 173 00:11:36,446 --> 00:11:37,614 as public observers, to go over there 174 00:11:37,739 --> 00:11:39,324 and point our camera-- 175 00:11:39,449 --> 00:11:40,783 And-- and we feel that for the safety of everybody, 176 00:11:40,909 --> 00:11:42,660 and the coordination of this group, 177 00:11:42,785 --> 00:11:44,787 we want to keep you here, so that's what we're gonna do. 178 00:11:44,913 --> 00:11:46,414 [crew member] A minute ago, it was for our safety, 179 00:11:46,539 --> 00:11:49,042 now you're saying it's 'cause we're emotional. 180 00:11:49,167 --> 00:11:50,919 [man] Well, emotion runs into that. 181 00:11:51,044 --> 00:11:53,338 If people are getting emotional, how do you control people? 182 00:12:03,139 --> 00:12:05,433 [birds chirping] 183 00:12:07,518 --> 00:12:10,730 [Yvette] Today, wild horses are under attack, 184 00:12:10,855 --> 00:12:13,942 perhaps more than ever before. 185 00:12:14,067 --> 00:12:16,236 The law President Nixon championed 186 00:12:16,361 --> 00:12:18,529 is being ignored. 187 00:12:18,655 --> 00:12:20,615 And even worse, 188 00:12:20,740 --> 00:12:23,660 the Bureau of Land Management is currently trying to reduce 189 00:12:23,785 --> 00:12:26,079 wild horse populations down 190 00:12:26,204 --> 00:12:28,998 to what President Nixon considered to be... 191 00:12:29,123 --> 00:12:31,459 extinction level. 192 00:12:31,584 --> 00:12:36,297 The president's policy contained one fatal flaw. 193 00:12:36,422 --> 00:12:38,675 The Wild Horse and Burro Act grants 194 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,095 the Bureau of Land Management sole authority 195 00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:44,847 to determine the amount of wild horses 196 00:12:44,973 --> 00:12:47,141 that can roam free on public land. 197 00:12:48,184 --> 00:12:49,852 Since 1971, 198 00:12:49,978 --> 00:12:53,690 the BLM has set the appropriate amount to zero 199 00:12:53,815 --> 00:12:56,776 in nearly 50% of herd management areas 200 00:12:56,901 --> 00:13:01,030 initially protected at a federal level. 201 00:13:01,155 --> 00:13:03,700 But to get to the bottom of all of this, 202 00:13:03,825 --> 00:13:07,996 we felt like we needed to start with the horses. 203 00:13:08,121 --> 00:13:10,873 We needed to go out into the wild. 204 00:13:12,083 --> 00:13:14,627 [delicate music] 205 00:13:14,752 --> 00:13:18,006 Our journey began in Utah, 206 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:20,550 with the famous Onaqui horses. 207 00:13:20,675 --> 00:13:25,680 ♪ 208 00:13:28,975 --> 00:13:31,352 You come to a place like this 209 00:13:31,477 --> 00:13:35,273 and the horses are right off the road. 210 00:13:35,398 --> 00:13:37,358 And that's probably why they're arguably 211 00:13:37,483 --> 00:13:39,444 the most famous horses in the country. 212 00:13:42,363 --> 00:13:43,948 The more time we spent with them... 213 00:13:46,117 --> 00:13:48,077 we began to learn about their families. 214 00:13:54,042 --> 00:13:55,918 There were the curious foals, 215 00:13:56,044 --> 00:13:57,712 the watchful mothers... 216 00:13:59,839 --> 00:14:03,760 the playful adolescents, and the bachelors. 217 00:14:05,845 --> 00:14:07,347 There were stallions 218 00:14:07,472 --> 00:14:09,307 that battled for mares and dominance... 219 00:14:09,432 --> 00:14:10,767 [horses braying] 220 00:14:12,769 --> 00:14:14,520 And the more quirky personalities. 221 00:14:21,277 --> 00:14:23,654 It was clear how much they were just like us. 222 00:14:31,371 --> 00:14:33,664 We got to know the rhythm of their lives 223 00:14:33,790 --> 00:14:36,084 and how they had been given names, 224 00:14:36,209 --> 00:14:38,836 like Stargazer and Moon Drinker. 225 00:14:40,838 --> 00:14:44,759 The cremello and his best friend, the black. 226 00:14:44,884 --> 00:14:47,929 The powerful bay roan who is very protective 227 00:14:48,054 --> 00:14:50,681 over his mares, the perlino sisters. 228 00:14:52,558 --> 00:14:55,645 There was one stallion with piercing blue eyes, 229 00:14:55,770 --> 00:15:00,233 that someone called Norman, and the name stuck. 230 00:15:00,358 --> 00:15:03,611 Norman was part of what's called bachelor band, 231 00:15:03,736 --> 00:15:05,446 which means a group of young stallions 232 00:15:05,571 --> 00:15:08,074 who hang out together. 233 00:15:08,199 --> 00:15:13,454 His two best friends were Rowan and Rudy. 234 00:15:13,579 --> 00:15:15,998 Our favorite family didn't have any names, 235 00:15:16,124 --> 00:15:19,585 so we called the stallion, Wind Knot, 236 00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:22,547 and his chestnut foal, Suncatcher. 237 00:15:24,966 --> 00:15:29,679 When we first saw them, there were over 500 horses, 238 00:15:29,804 --> 00:15:34,100 but the most famous proved elusive. 239 00:15:34,225 --> 00:15:39,564 He was a legendary white stallion called Old Man. 240 00:15:39,689 --> 00:15:41,566 The Gandalf of the mountains. 241 00:15:46,154 --> 00:15:48,072 This place was like a fairytale. 242 00:15:50,158 --> 00:15:53,035 And it was right here for all of us. 243 00:15:55,037 --> 00:15:58,708 But only two months after we first visited them, 244 00:15:58,833 --> 00:16:01,878 we found out the Onaqui were going to be rounded up, too. 245 00:16:04,672 --> 00:16:06,299 We realized at that point, 246 00:16:06,424 --> 00:16:11,220 as filmmakers, we had a duty to protect them. 247 00:16:11,345 --> 00:16:15,766 Not only the Onaqui, but all wild horses. 248 00:16:15,892 --> 00:16:20,813 But this issue has been going on for over 100 years. 249 00:16:20,938 --> 00:16:22,565 How were we gonna make a difference? 250 00:16:25,485 --> 00:16:27,403 As they usually did, the horses guided us. 251 00:16:30,031 --> 00:16:33,159 Right to the good people that could help. 252 00:16:33,284 --> 00:16:34,869 [Kimerlee] Hi, I'm Kimerlee Curyl, 253 00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:37,497 and I am a wild horse photographer and advocate 254 00:16:37,622 --> 00:16:40,374 for keeping our wild horses on our public lands. 255 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:42,877 [Erik] My name is Erik Molvar, I'm a wildlife biologist, 256 00:16:43,002 --> 00:16:44,795 and I'm also the Executive Director 257 00:16:44,921 --> 00:16:46,422 of Western Watersheds Project, 258 00:16:46,547 --> 00:16:48,132 a conservation group dedicated to protecting 259 00:16:48,257 --> 00:16:49,759 and restoring wildlife and watersheds 260 00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:51,135 throughout the American West. 261 00:16:51,260 --> 00:16:52,637 [Kimerlee] So, I've been coming out 262 00:16:52,762 --> 00:16:55,681 to the Onaqui Range since 2000-- 2009. 263 00:16:55,806 --> 00:16:57,683 But my first visit out here, of course, 264 00:16:57,808 --> 00:17:00,269 was beyond magical and life-changing. 265 00:17:00,394 --> 00:17:02,271 To drive out here, 266 00:17:02,396 --> 00:17:06,025 I did not expect to be immersed in such a large herd of horses. 267 00:17:06,150 --> 00:17:07,652 To walk amongst them, 268 00:17:07,777 --> 00:17:09,529 feel like I became part of the herd that week. 269 00:17:09,654 --> 00:17:13,324 And unfortunately, that fall, there was an "emergency roundup" 270 00:17:13,449 --> 00:17:16,077 and they stripped these horses down to-- 271 00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:18,621 The last I read, was somewhere between 50 and 75, 272 00:17:18,746 --> 00:17:20,915 and that was in 2009. 273 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,084 [Erik] Here we are in the-- in the middle of the Red Desert, 274 00:17:23,209 --> 00:17:26,963 and it's one of the largest unfenced tracts of public land 275 00:17:27,088 --> 00:17:28,714 anywhere remaining in North America. 276 00:17:28,839 --> 00:17:32,385 The Red Desert is one of the real biological hot spots 277 00:17:32,510 --> 00:17:34,178 in the American West. 278 00:17:34,303 --> 00:17:36,264 One of the places where the ecosystems are healthiest, 279 00:17:36,389 --> 00:17:38,349 where the biodiversity is greatest. 280 00:17:38,474 --> 00:17:40,851 And this is an area that used to have 281 00:17:40,977 --> 00:17:42,687 thousands and thousands of wild horses, 282 00:17:42,812 --> 00:17:45,523 but has been subjected to heavy roundups 283 00:17:45,648 --> 00:17:47,149 by the Bureau of Land Management, 284 00:17:47,275 --> 00:17:49,235 and now, they're getting quite rare. 285 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:50,695 In the Western United States, 286 00:17:50,820 --> 00:17:53,948 there are less than 100,000 wild horses. 287 00:17:54,073 --> 00:17:57,368 There are two million cattle that are set loose 288 00:17:57,493 --> 00:17:59,579 on Western Public Lands every year. 289 00:17:59,704 --> 00:18:01,455 And who knows how many million sheep. 290 00:18:01,581 --> 00:18:04,792 The Bureau of Land Management recently did an analysis 291 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:06,627 and determined that pretty much 292 00:18:06,752 --> 00:18:08,754 all of the wild horse areas in the Red Desert 293 00:18:08,879 --> 00:18:11,549 are meeting the thriving natural ecological balance 294 00:18:11,674 --> 00:18:13,259 that's required by federal law. 295 00:18:13,384 --> 00:18:16,262 And yet, the agency wants to take away 296 00:18:16,387 --> 00:18:17,722 thousands of these horses, 297 00:18:17,847 --> 00:18:19,140 even though the land is in great shape. 298 00:18:19,265 --> 00:18:21,017 [Kimerlee] It's also frustrating that 299 00:18:21,142 --> 00:18:23,644 if you were to look at a graph of the, what is it, 300 00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:26,856 245 million acres of public lands that we have 301 00:18:26,981 --> 00:18:30,109 and you look at how much is allotted for cattle, 302 00:18:30,234 --> 00:18:34,322 and then you look at the very small fraction for horses, 303 00:18:34,447 --> 00:18:36,198 you just got to do the math on that. 304 00:18:36,324 --> 00:18:39,201 [Erik] Wild horses forage a lot more like bison. 305 00:18:39,327 --> 00:18:42,622 Horses can forage ten, 20 miles away from water. 306 00:18:42,747 --> 00:18:44,123 So, they have a lighter impact 307 00:18:44,248 --> 00:18:46,959 on the overall health of the vegetation. 308 00:18:47,084 --> 00:18:51,297 Whereas cattle will forage right next to water sources. 309 00:18:51,422 --> 00:18:53,507 And these are the biodiversity hot spots, 310 00:18:53,633 --> 00:18:55,843 the oases out here in the arid lands. 311 00:18:55,968 --> 00:18:59,013 So, if you have really heavy overgrazing, 312 00:18:59,138 --> 00:19:00,431 close to water, 313 00:19:00,556 --> 00:19:02,183 you're wiping out the biodiversity 314 00:19:02,308 --> 00:19:04,518 not just of the vegetation, but of all the animals, 315 00:19:04,644 --> 00:19:09,023 the insects, the birds, that depend on that. 316 00:19:09,148 --> 00:19:11,108 Wild horses have always been an easy scapegoat 317 00:19:11,233 --> 00:19:12,443 for the livestock industry, 318 00:19:12,568 --> 00:19:14,278 because they don't want to admit 319 00:19:14,403 --> 00:19:16,906 that their cattle and sheep, and the huge numbers of them, 320 00:19:17,031 --> 00:19:19,283 that are overgrazing chronically, year after year, 321 00:19:19,408 --> 00:19:21,619 are the problem with land health in the American West. 322 00:19:21,744 --> 00:19:24,872 This is a-- a simple case of the federal government 323 00:19:24,997 --> 00:19:27,041 doing the bidding of a handful of privileged 324 00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:30,878 livestock permitees that want the horses gone. 325 00:19:31,003 --> 00:19:34,632 They're pointing to basically an innocent victim 326 00:19:34,757 --> 00:19:36,467 in all of this. 327 00:19:36,592 --> 00:19:39,220 Perhaps the biggest issue facing Bureau of Land Management 328 00:19:39,345 --> 00:19:42,765 is the agency's incompetence itself. 329 00:19:42,890 --> 00:19:46,227 [Yvette] We left the Red Desert with two new allies. 330 00:19:46,352 --> 00:19:50,731 And in 2019, we experienced our first roundup. 331 00:19:50,856 --> 00:19:54,360 Which was a massive removal of over 800 horses 332 00:19:54,485 --> 00:19:57,738 in the Triple B area of Nevada. 333 00:19:57,863 --> 00:19:59,615 But before we get into the darker stuff, 334 00:19:59,740 --> 00:20:02,326 I think it's probably time to introduce our team. 335 00:20:02,451 --> 00:20:03,869 [Ed] Uh, Wyoming cell service 336 00:20:03,994 --> 00:20:06,288 isn't the best cell service in the world. 337 00:20:06,414 --> 00:20:08,207 [Richard] That's why we're listening to Alanis Morissette. 338 00:20:08,332 --> 00:20:10,167 [Yvette] The driver is my husband, Ed. 339 00:20:10,292 --> 00:20:13,587 He's my partner in all things. 340 00:20:13,713 --> 00:20:15,339 [Richard] That's a lot of sand. 341 00:20:15,464 --> 00:20:18,050 The sarcastic one is my younger brother, Richard. 342 00:20:18,175 --> 00:20:20,594 There's Kai, our brilliant cinematographer, 343 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,888 and our two first ACs, 344 00:20:23,013 --> 00:20:25,015 who rotated during different trips, 345 00:20:25,141 --> 00:20:27,518 Brianna and Rocio. 346 00:20:27,643 --> 00:20:30,062 There was our set photographer, Marcello, 347 00:20:30,187 --> 00:20:33,733 and our puppy, Whiskey, who grew up along the journey. 348 00:20:33,858 --> 00:20:36,068 [Richard] This ferocious snarling hell hound right here. 349 00:20:36,193 --> 00:20:37,778 [Yvette] As for me, 350 00:20:37,903 --> 00:20:39,321 I was usually editing from the front seat, 351 00:20:39,447 --> 00:20:43,659 or running off to find the horses. 352 00:20:43,784 --> 00:20:45,953 A film crew is like a family, 353 00:20:46,078 --> 00:20:48,956 and we are fortunate to have such a passionate team of people 354 00:20:49,081 --> 00:20:50,875 who endured long hours 355 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,335 and sometimes questionable motel rooms 356 00:20:53,461 --> 00:20:56,338 to tell this story. 357 00:20:56,464 --> 00:20:58,340 We drove through the night to get to Ely, 358 00:20:58,466 --> 00:21:01,093 and braced ourselves for what was to come the next day. 359 00:21:04,013 --> 00:21:06,098 [Richard] We say goodbye to the... 360 00:21:06,223 --> 00:21:07,683 historic Hotel Nevada 361 00:21:07,808 --> 00:21:10,102 and Gambling Hall and Denny's today. 362 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:12,813 Now we are officially 363 00:21:12,938 --> 00:21:14,732 in the middle of absolutely nowhere. 364 00:21:14,857 --> 00:21:17,067 [Ed] I want to know who even found these horses 365 00:21:17,193 --> 00:21:18,569 and decided they need to be rounded-- 366 00:21:18,694 --> 00:21:19,862 -[Richard] Exactly. -[Yvette] Look around. 367 00:21:19,987 --> 00:21:21,989 Like, you can't even see them. 368 00:21:22,114 --> 00:21:25,868 [Richard] But, guys, look how overpopulated it is. 369 00:21:25,993 --> 00:21:30,956 [Yvette] The Triple B HMA is over 1.2 million acres. 370 00:21:31,081 --> 00:21:33,876 An HMA means Herd Management Are a, 371 00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:36,003 basically the amount of land 372 00:21:36,128 --> 00:21:39,089 wild horses are allowed to be free. 373 00:21:39,215 --> 00:21:41,008 The BLM justified this roundup, 374 00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:43,719 where they planned to take up to 800 horses 375 00:21:43,844 --> 00:21:45,554 away from their homes, 376 00:21:45,679 --> 00:21:48,390 by citing unnecessary degradation to the land 377 00:21:48,516 --> 00:21:50,768 and wanting to restore a thriving, 378 00:21:50,893 --> 00:21:55,022 natural ecological balance for multi-use. 379 00:21:55,147 --> 00:21:57,983 There were an estimated 3,000 horses 380 00:21:58,108 --> 00:22:00,528 across all of this land. 381 00:22:00,653 --> 00:22:03,072 But the BLM wanted to reduce them down 382 00:22:03,197 --> 00:22:06,075 to as low as 474. 383 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:07,743 To give you an idea, 384 00:22:07,868 --> 00:22:11,664 that's one horse per roughly 2,500 acres 385 00:22:11,789 --> 00:22:15,000 or 1,900 football fields. 386 00:22:15,125 --> 00:22:17,795 This is what's called an Appropriate Management Level, 387 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:19,797 or AML. 388 00:22:19,922 --> 00:22:22,299 Essentially, the amount of wild horses 389 00:22:22,424 --> 00:22:26,178 the Bureau of Land Management states the land can sustain. 390 00:22:26,303 --> 00:22:27,680 But in 2013, 391 00:22:27,805 --> 00:22:30,099 the National Academy of Sciences, 392 00:22:30,224 --> 00:22:33,352 a group of independent bipartisan scientists, 393 00:22:33,477 --> 00:22:35,312 stated that the AMLs 394 00:22:35,437 --> 00:22:38,190 were not supported by scientific information, 395 00:22:38,315 --> 00:22:40,943 but the BLM is still using them 396 00:22:41,068 --> 00:22:45,781 to round up thousands of wild horses every year. 397 00:22:45,906 --> 00:22:49,743 Also stating that they're starving and overpopulated, 398 00:22:49,869 --> 00:22:51,370 a repetitive narrative 399 00:22:51,495 --> 00:22:53,539 that we kept hearing in the media, 400 00:22:53,664 --> 00:22:55,124 which was also supported 401 00:22:55,249 --> 00:22:56,542 by some of the ranchers in the area. 402 00:22:56,667 --> 00:22:58,294 [Richard] It's going to get bumpy. 403 00:22:58,419 --> 00:23:00,421 [Yvette] Now, if you dig a little deeper, 404 00:23:00,546 --> 00:23:04,008 wild horses shared that land with livestock, 405 00:23:04,133 --> 00:23:07,595 with up to 7,300 privately owned cattle 406 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,139 and 36,000 sheep, 407 00:23:10,264 --> 00:23:12,224 which are authorized to graze 408 00:23:12,349 --> 00:23:16,437 in the wild horse complex every year. 409 00:23:16,562 --> 00:23:17,938 Now, you might assume 410 00:23:18,063 --> 00:23:20,149 it's just mom and pop ranchers, 411 00:23:20,274 --> 00:23:23,193 who get to graze their livestock cheaply on public lands, 412 00:23:23,319 --> 00:23:25,404 but they're not. 413 00:23:25,529 --> 00:23:29,617 A large number of them are millionaires, billionaires, 414 00:23:29,742 --> 00:23:33,245 and billionaire corporations on Forbes Rich List. 415 00:23:33,370 --> 00:23:35,414 [music fades] 416 00:23:35,539 --> 00:23:39,627 [upbeat music playing over radio] 417 00:23:39,752 --> 00:23:40,961 [Richard] Okay. 418 00:23:44,548 --> 00:23:46,550 [Richard huffs] 419 00:23:46,675 --> 00:23:48,135 Way over there. 420 00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:50,846 [Yvette] We've got ten minutes to be set up. 421 00:23:50,971 --> 00:23:54,016 We just brought about 400 pounds of gear. 422 00:23:54,141 --> 00:23:56,352 [panting] Oh, God. 423 00:23:56,477 --> 00:23:59,021 Quarter mile. 424 00:23:59,146 --> 00:24:01,941 -[sighs] They are far away. -[Yvette] Oh, my God. 425 00:24:02,066 --> 00:24:03,275 [whispering] Do you think they see us? 426 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:04,985 -[Richard] Yeah. We're on. -Okay. 427 00:24:06,779 --> 00:24:08,614 [Yvette] We were placed on top of a mountain, 428 00:24:08,739 --> 00:24:12,201 miles away from where the helicopters began. 429 00:24:12,326 --> 00:24:14,578 If we didn't have a massive zoom lens, 430 00:24:14,703 --> 00:24:17,998 we wouldn't have been able to see anything. 431 00:24:18,123 --> 00:24:20,125 We also weren't allowed to put up umbrellas, 432 00:24:20,250 --> 00:24:22,670 even though the heat was over 100 degrees, 433 00:24:22,795 --> 00:24:25,589 because they said it would scare the horses. 434 00:24:25,714 --> 00:24:27,716 [helicopter whirring] 435 00:24:41,230 --> 00:24:43,190 The horses were run for miles. 436 00:24:45,109 --> 00:24:46,610 As they got closer, 437 00:24:46,735 --> 00:24:50,030 we saw their coats glistening with sweat, 438 00:24:50,155 --> 00:24:52,366 and babies at the point of exhaustion. 439 00:24:54,493 --> 00:24:56,954 The helicopters then drove them into the trap site, 440 00:24:57,079 --> 00:25:00,958 which was purposefully blocked from view. 441 00:25:01,083 --> 00:25:03,627 This is often where the injuries happen. 442 00:25:03,752 --> 00:25:06,714 Where horses break their legs or their necks, 443 00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:09,925 trying to escape, or get back to their families. 444 00:25:11,969 --> 00:25:15,472 We wondered where that many horses would go, 445 00:25:15,597 --> 00:25:18,809 and why the BLM had a publicist. 446 00:25:18,934 --> 00:25:21,478 [Jenny] Um, so, that historical part, 447 00:25:21,603 --> 00:25:24,356 you know, obviously, they-- they weren't just here. 448 00:25:24,481 --> 00:25:25,983 [Yvette] Mm-hmm. 449 00:25:26,108 --> 00:25:28,777 Something kind of came along after the Ice Age. 450 00:25:28,902 --> 00:25:30,112 Yeah, right. 451 00:25:30,237 --> 00:25:32,531 -To replenish-- -[crosstalk] 452 00:25:32,656 --> 00:25:34,158 You know, being able to survive 453 00:25:34,283 --> 00:25:36,618 in a natural ecological balance. 454 00:25:36,744 --> 00:25:39,288 Green as this looks, you know, they're not gonna eat the sage, 455 00:25:39,413 --> 00:25:41,081 they're not gonna eat-- 456 00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:42,875 'Cause there's not sufficient foraged water for them. 457 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:45,836 [Yvette] It was the same narrative again. 458 00:25:45,961 --> 00:25:47,379 And with all due respect to Jenny, 459 00:25:47,504 --> 00:25:49,131 I'm a horse person, 460 00:25:49,256 --> 00:25:51,133 and the horses that we saw getting rounded up 461 00:25:51,258 --> 00:25:53,927 were fat and healthy. 462 00:25:54,053 --> 00:25:57,181 This was just the beginning of the string of lies 463 00:25:57,306 --> 00:25:58,849 that would be purported 464 00:25:58,974 --> 00:26:01,268 by Bureau of Land Management publicists. 465 00:26:01,393 --> 00:26:03,103 But then, all of a sudden, 466 00:26:03,228 --> 00:26:05,647 they asked us to swing our camera around 467 00:26:05,773 --> 00:26:08,484 and point it in the opposite direction. 468 00:26:08,609 --> 00:26:10,277 They said horses were coming in. 469 00:26:10,402 --> 00:26:12,362 It wasn't true. 470 00:26:12,488 --> 00:26:13,947 Where we were looking, 471 00:26:14,073 --> 00:26:16,075 we noticed that a foal had collapsed 472 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,204 and a lone Wrangler was riding out toward it. 473 00:26:20,329 --> 00:26:22,623 What happened next is heartbreaking to see. 474 00:26:24,541 --> 00:26:25,959 But it's important to show 475 00:26:26,085 --> 00:26:29,213 the blatant disregard for life, 476 00:26:29,338 --> 00:26:33,592 and the cruelty with which these horses are treated. 477 00:26:33,717 --> 00:26:35,761 That baby was maybe a month old. 478 00:26:39,765 --> 00:26:43,811 Five foals died due to the roundup. 479 00:26:43,936 --> 00:26:45,729 One was reported by the BLM 480 00:26:45,854 --> 00:26:48,941 to have sustained injuries during transport. 481 00:26:49,066 --> 00:26:52,069 Possibly meaning the baby was trampled to death 482 00:26:52,194 --> 00:26:54,238 in the trailer. 483 00:26:54,363 --> 00:26:57,574 Another died due to water toxicity in holding, 484 00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:01,286 which can medically indicate fatal dehydration 485 00:27:01,411 --> 00:27:05,582 and muscle fatigue from being run so hard. 486 00:27:05,707 --> 00:27:08,836 The outrage we felt was indescribable. 487 00:27:08,961 --> 00:27:10,504 And how expansive is that, 488 00:27:10,629 --> 00:27:12,339 that the helicopters just appear for that long 489 00:27:12,464 --> 00:27:13,674 and then they're racing these horses... 490 00:27:13,799 --> 00:27:15,259 -[Ed] Yeah. Yeah. -...for miles. 491 00:27:15,384 --> 00:27:17,845 Driving them at a gallop for miles? 492 00:27:17,970 --> 00:27:20,097 I-- I mentioned the family dynamics at the Onaqui herd. 493 00:27:20,222 --> 00:27:22,349 And she basically stopped at me and said... 494 00:27:22,474 --> 00:27:24,143 [Richard] Yeah, "A wild animal's a wild animal." 495 00:27:24,268 --> 00:27:25,644 [Yvette] Yeah, they just mate with each other and-- 496 00:27:25,769 --> 00:27:27,479 [Richard] Some people are animal lovers, 497 00:27:27,604 --> 00:27:29,231 but they don't respect how intelligent they actually are. 498 00:27:29,356 --> 00:27:30,649 [Ed] Yeah. They just can't. 499 00:27:30,774 --> 00:27:32,192 [Yvette] That's just-- that's just-- 500 00:27:32,317 --> 00:27:34,361 That's ignorance, that's willful ignorance. 501 00:27:34,486 --> 00:27:36,697 [Kai] Look, how could-- could those trucks 502 00:27:36,822 --> 00:27:40,826 filled with horses, come all the way here... 503 00:27:40,951 --> 00:27:43,078 -[Yvette] And then come back. -...then come back that fast? 504 00:27:43,203 --> 00:27:47,624 [Kai] That's some conspiracy-- conspiracy shit. [groans] 505 00:27:47,749 --> 00:27:49,501 Just keep rolling the whole time, okay? 506 00:27:49,626 --> 00:27:51,837 [Kai] Yep. Yep. 507 00:27:51,962 --> 00:27:55,757 [Jenny] They want to feed and water these horses 508 00:27:55,883 --> 00:28:00,846 and let them settle before we have a bunch of bodies again. 509 00:28:00,971 --> 00:28:03,557 Yeah. [muffled speech] 510 00:28:03,682 --> 00:28:05,184 [Kai speaking indistinctly] 511 00:28:05,309 --> 00:28:07,060 We do not have that on [muffled speech] horses. 512 00:28:09,646 --> 00:28:11,565 [Yvette] We had to wait for several hours 513 00:28:11,690 --> 00:28:13,817 before we got to see the horses up close. 514 00:28:15,402 --> 00:28:18,614 [somber music] 515 00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:23,577 When we were finally allowed to go in, 516 00:28:23,702 --> 00:28:28,457 we were only allowed to set the camera down a few times. 517 00:28:28,582 --> 00:28:30,834 A ranger with a gun had been with us all day, 518 00:28:30,959 --> 00:28:34,630 and several other BLM employees were armed. 519 00:28:34,755 --> 00:28:37,591 It seemed a little excessive for a couple of filmmakers 520 00:28:37,716 --> 00:28:41,428 and a handful of wild horse advocates. 521 00:28:41,553 --> 00:28:43,263 In the short time that we had, 522 00:28:43,388 --> 00:28:46,725 we managed to capture some very upsetting images 523 00:28:46,850 --> 00:28:49,853 of the horses of Triple B who had lost their freedom. 524 00:28:51,813 --> 00:28:53,732 Once they got to holding, 525 00:28:53,857 --> 00:28:56,610 the Bureau of Land Management euthanized multiple horses, 526 00:28:56,735 --> 00:28:59,613 including those they deemed blind, 527 00:28:59,738 --> 00:29:03,283 even though they had survived just fine in the wild. 528 00:29:03,408 --> 00:29:06,578 Euthanasia in this situation usually isn't done 529 00:29:06,703 --> 00:29:09,748 with a humane injection. 530 00:29:09,873 --> 00:29:13,543 That's one of the reasons the employees carry guns. 531 00:29:13,669 --> 00:29:17,631 They often shoot the horses to put them down at holding. 532 00:29:17,756 --> 00:29:20,342 And we wondered if this was one of the reasons 533 00:29:20,467 --> 00:29:25,347 we had to wait several hours before we got to see them. 534 00:29:25,472 --> 00:29:31,228 Sixteen horses lost their lives in the roundup of Triple B. 535 00:29:31,353 --> 00:29:34,606 Very few would ever see their families again. 536 00:29:37,276 --> 00:29:39,194 It was heartbreaking to think 537 00:29:39,319 --> 00:29:42,072 that this was going to happen to our beloved Onaqui herd, 538 00:29:42,197 --> 00:29:46,576 and that their families would suffer the same fate. 539 00:29:46,702 --> 00:29:50,998 It also started to make us ask deeper questions. 540 00:29:51,123 --> 00:29:53,709 Who are we to look down on animals 541 00:29:53,834 --> 00:29:56,795 like they're lesser or secondary? 542 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:58,547 After all, 543 00:29:58,672 --> 00:30:01,133 humans are social animals, just like horses. 544 00:30:01,258 --> 00:30:02,926 And there are plenty 545 00:30:03,051 --> 00:30:06,722 of other indisputable similarities between us. 546 00:30:06,847 --> 00:30:10,851 To say wild horses don't have feelings or families 547 00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:14,896 seemed like a form of human exceptionalism, 548 00:30:15,022 --> 00:30:18,150 self-delusion, arrogance, 549 00:30:18,275 --> 00:30:21,111 especially given we're the only species 550 00:30:21,236 --> 00:30:24,281 willfully destroying our own planet. 551 00:30:24,406 --> 00:30:28,577 So, perhaps, that makes animals superior to us. 552 00:30:28,702 --> 00:30:30,912 In rare places in the United States 553 00:30:31,038 --> 00:30:32,622 that actually maintain 554 00:30:32,748 --> 00:30:35,459 a thriving, natural ecological balance, 555 00:30:35,584 --> 00:30:38,670 such as Yellowstone, or Glacier National Park, 556 00:30:38,795 --> 00:30:42,382 the animals and habitat flourish. 557 00:30:42,507 --> 00:30:44,092 These are places where predators, 558 00:30:44,217 --> 00:30:46,178 like wolves and mountain lions, 559 00:30:46,303 --> 00:30:49,306 aren't killed to make way for livestock. 560 00:30:49,431 --> 00:30:54,102 But balanced places like this are few and fast-disappearing, 561 00:30:54,227 --> 00:30:56,480 just like wild horses. 562 00:30:56,605 --> 00:31:00,359 If we want to have a chance at living in harmony, 563 00:31:00,484 --> 00:31:04,988 doesn't that mean protecting and re-wilding our world 564 00:31:05,113 --> 00:31:07,616 instead of destroying it? 565 00:31:07,741 --> 00:31:12,079 All of these larger questions started with the Onaqui. 566 00:31:12,204 --> 00:31:14,039 The protection of this herd 567 00:31:14,164 --> 00:31:17,084 began to represent something greater. 568 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:19,586 We decided to ask for support. 569 00:31:19,711 --> 00:31:21,463 From not only the community 570 00:31:21,588 --> 00:31:22,839 fighting hard to protect them, 571 00:31:22,964 --> 00:31:24,841 but from children. 572 00:31:24,966 --> 00:31:27,803 And something miraculous happened. 573 00:31:27,928 --> 00:31:31,473 We began receiving thousands of letters 574 00:31:31,598 --> 00:31:34,059 from people all over the world, 575 00:31:34,184 --> 00:31:38,939 who joined us in standing with wild horses. 576 00:31:39,064 --> 00:31:42,401 Perhaps there is hope for the Onaqui yet. 577 00:31:42,526 --> 00:31:45,445 ["Horse with No Name" by America playing] 578 00:31:50,033 --> 00:31:53,870 ♪ On the first part of the journey ♪ 579 00:31:53,995 --> 00:31:57,791 ♪ I was looking at all the life ♪ 580 00:31:57,916 --> 00:32:01,837 ♪ There were plants and birds and rocks and things ♪ 581 00:32:01,962 --> 00:32:06,299 ♪ There was sand and hills and rings ♪ 582 00:32:06,425 --> 00:32:09,928 ♪ The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz ♪ 583 00:32:10,053 --> 00:32:14,307 ♪ And the sky with no clouds ♪ 584 00:32:14,433 --> 00:32:17,644 ♪ The heat was hot and the ground was dry ♪ 585 00:32:17,769 --> 00:32:21,481 ♪ But the air was full of sound ♪ 586 00:32:21,606 --> 00:32:23,984 ♪ I've been through the desert ♪ 587 00:32:24,109 --> 00:32:25,777 ♪ On a horse with no name ♪ 588 00:32:25,902 --> 00:32:29,197 ♪ It felt good to be out of the rain ♪ 589 00:32:29,322 --> 00:32:33,326 ♪ In the desert, you can't remember your name ♪ 590 00:32:33,452 --> 00:32:37,706 ♪ 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain ♪ 591 00:32:37,831 --> 00:32:41,209 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 592 00:32:41,334 --> 00:32:45,380 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 593 00:32:45,505 --> 00:32:48,884 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 594 00:32:49,009 --> 00:32:52,471 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 595 00:32:52,596 --> 00:32:57,100 ♪ After two days in the desert sun ♪ 596 00:32:57,225 --> 00:33:00,479 ♪ My skin began to turn red ♪ 597 00:33:00,604 --> 00:33:04,483 ♪ After three days in the desert fun ♪ 598 00:33:04,608 --> 00:33:07,903 ♪ I was looking at a river bed ♪ 599 00:33:08,028 --> 00:33:12,157 ♪ And the story it told of a river that flowed ♪ 600 00:33:12,282 --> 00:33:16,286 ♪ Made me sad to think it was dead ♪ 601 00:33:16,411 --> 00:33:18,121 ♪ You see I've been through the desert ♪ 602 00:33:18,246 --> 00:33:20,332 ♪ On a horse with no name ♪ 603 00:33:20,457 --> 00:33:23,919 ♪ It felt good to be out of the rain ♪ 604 00:33:24,044 --> 00:33:27,714 ♪ In the desert, you can't remember your name ♪ 605 00:33:27,839 --> 00:33:31,676 ♪ 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain ♪ 606 00:33:31,801 --> 00:33:35,722 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 607 00:33:35,847 --> 00:33:39,559 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 608 00:33:39,684 --> 00:33:43,563 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 609 00:33:43,688 --> 00:33:46,566 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 610 00:33:48,026 --> 00:33:53,031 ♪ 611 00:34:03,250 --> 00:34:07,087 ♪ After nine days, I let the horse run free ♪ 612 00:34:07,212 --> 00:34:10,757 ♪ 'Cause the desert had turned to sea ♪ 613 00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:14,636 ♪ There were plants and birds and rocks and things ♪ 614 00:34:14,761 --> 00:34:19,140 ♪ There was sand and hills and rings ♪ 615 00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:22,519 ♪ The ocean is a desert with its life underground ♪ 616 00:34:22,644 --> 00:34:26,439 ♪ And a perfect disguise above ♪ 617 00:34:26,565 --> 00:34:30,235 ♪ Under the cities lies a heart made of ground ♪ 618 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:34,072 ♪ But the humans will give no love ♪ 619 00:34:34,197 --> 00:34:36,324 ♪ You see I've been through the desert ♪ 620 00:34:36,449 --> 00:34:38,118 ♪ On a horse with no name ♪ 621 00:34:38,243 --> 00:34:41,788 ♪ It felt good to be out of the rain ♪ 622 00:34:41,913 --> 00:34:45,750 ♪ In the desert, you can't remember your name ♪ 623 00:34:45,875 --> 00:34:49,838 ♪ 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain ♪ 624 00:34:49,963 --> 00:34:53,717 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 625 00:34:53,842 --> 00:34:57,554 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 626 00:34:57,679 --> 00:35:01,683 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 627 00:35:01,808 --> 00:35:05,895 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 628 00:35:06,021 --> 00:35:09,399 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 629 00:35:09,524 --> 00:35:12,986 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 630 00:35:13,111 --> 00:35:16,865 ♪ La-la-la, la-la-la ♪ 631 00:35:16,990 --> 00:35:19,326 ♪ La-la-la, la-la ♪ 632 00:35:19,451 --> 00:35:21,244 [music fades] 633 00:35:22,704 --> 00:35:24,414 [gentle folk music] 634 00:35:24,539 --> 00:35:27,542 [Yvette] Our journey took us over 20,000 miles 635 00:35:27,667 --> 00:35:32,672 across 13 different states and diverse landscapes. 636 00:35:32,797 --> 00:35:36,676 The Red Desert turned into lush forest. 637 00:35:36,801 --> 00:35:39,554 And there were a few places that struck us most of all. 638 00:35:43,767 --> 00:35:45,393 They were the horses of Heber, 639 00:35:45,518 --> 00:35:47,771 living in the Sitgreaves National Forest. 640 00:35:50,023 --> 00:35:51,566 And in the woodlands of Oregon, 641 00:35:51,691 --> 00:35:54,110 these horses had rare bloodlines 642 00:35:54,235 --> 00:35:56,279 thought to have died out many years ago, 643 00:35:56,404 --> 00:35:58,531 until the Kiger were found. 644 00:36:01,618 --> 00:36:03,203 We also wanted to speak with ranchers 645 00:36:03,328 --> 00:36:05,038 to get their side of the story. 646 00:36:05,163 --> 00:36:08,750 Surely not every rancher wanted wild horses gone. 647 00:36:08,875 --> 00:36:12,003 I'm Stacey Davies, Manager of Roaring Springs Ranches 648 00:36:12,128 --> 00:36:13,797 in French Glen, Oregon. 649 00:36:13,922 --> 00:36:16,841 We have, on those ranches, three Herd Management Areas, 650 00:36:16,966 --> 00:36:20,345 South Steens, Beatys Butte, and the Kigers. 651 00:36:20,470 --> 00:36:22,597 [Kathy] I am Kathy Gibson Boatman. 652 00:36:22,722 --> 00:36:24,683 I was born here in Arizona. 653 00:36:24,808 --> 00:36:27,185 Um, I'm an eighth-- seventh generation 654 00:36:27,310 --> 00:36:29,604 involved in cattle ranching in Arizona. 655 00:36:29,729 --> 00:36:31,272 I love horses. 656 00:36:31,398 --> 00:36:33,608 I-- I mean, I'm a rancher because I love horses. 657 00:36:33,733 --> 00:36:35,902 And the wild horses are such an icon. 658 00:36:36,027 --> 00:36:37,529 They keep the trails open, 659 00:36:37,654 --> 00:36:40,407 they utilize foraging areas the cows won't go. 660 00:36:40,532 --> 00:36:43,076 And we feel like they're part of the multiple use 661 00:36:43,201 --> 00:36:44,577 that should happen on that range land. 662 00:36:44,703 --> 00:36:46,705 [Kathy] The government gave homesteads, 663 00:36:46,830 --> 00:36:48,998 encouraging people to come and settle 664 00:36:49,124 --> 00:36:50,875 the wild western frontier 665 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,795 because it was a wild, wild western place, 666 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:56,589 you know, still had Indians doing battle, 667 00:36:56,715 --> 00:37:00,844 and the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires 668 00:37:00,969 --> 00:37:04,305 that they consider how their decisions impact 669 00:37:04,431 --> 00:37:08,393 our historic resources and our cultural traditions. 670 00:37:08,518 --> 00:37:11,813 [Stacey] The Kiger HMA would be somewhere around 30,000 acres. 671 00:37:11,938 --> 00:37:14,733 They generally keep it right around 100 head of horses. 672 00:37:14,858 --> 00:37:16,443 How-- how do you count every single horse 673 00:37:16,568 --> 00:37:18,111 on a single given day? 674 00:37:18,236 --> 00:37:21,489 I've heard there's anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500. 675 00:37:21,614 --> 00:37:25,368 It all depends on what area you're counting those horses in. 676 00:37:26,494 --> 00:37:28,997 7,000 that they know of. 677 00:37:29,122 --> 00:37:30,623 [Stacey] When they set these herds up, 678 00:37:30,749 --> 00:37:34,711 it was recognized that any one herd below 300 679 00:37:34,836 --> 00:37:37,130 would not mean enough genetic diversity 680 00:37:37,255 --> 00:37:39,048 to maintain a healthy population. 681 00:37:39,174 --> 00:37:40,717 There was a big argument 682 00:37:40,842 --> 00:37:44,095 that we should not have herds of less than 300. 683 00:37:44,220 --> 00:37:46,681 So, people, especially advocates, 684 00:37:46,806 --> 00:37:49,934 are currently asking for a look at AML. 685 00:37:50,059 --> 00:37:53,104 And that many of these AMLs are too low, 686 00:37:53,229 --> 00:37:56,149 and that too much forage was allocated to livestock 687 00:37:56,274 --> 00:37:57,484 and not enough to horses. 688 00:37:57,609 --> 00:37:58,943 And-- and I'm asking 689 00:37:59,068 --> 00:38:01,237 rather than have that s-- small debate, 690 00:38:01,362 --> 00:38:04,282 that we have a much bigger national debate. 691 00:38:04,407 --> 00:38:07,494 Let's look at the whole program at the top and come down, 692 00:38:07,619 --> 00:38:11,372 and how many horses is enough for the US government to own? 693 00:38:11,498 --> 00:38:15,001 I think it's wrong to-- to say that every one of these HMAs 694 00:38:15,126 --> 00:38:17,045 should have 300 to 500 head, 695 00:38:17,170 --> 00:38:19,589 so you have enough genetic diversity, 696 00:38:19,714 --> 00:38:21,174 because I don't think the BLM needs 697 00:38:21,299 --> 00:38:23,760 200,000 horses on the range. 698 00:38:23,885 --> 00:38:26,179 I think 20,000's probably enough. 699 00:38:26,304 --> 00:38:27,764 And that wasn't really the intention 700 00:38:27,889 --> 00:38:29,766 of the Wild Horse and Burro Act. 701 00:38:29,891 --> 00:38:34,062 The intention of the Horse-- the Wild Horse and Burro Act 702 00:38:34,187 --> 00:38:36,147 was not to just set up some creatures 703 00:38:36,272 --> 00:38:38,650 as though they were unicorns for people to look at, 704 00:38:38,775 --> 00:38:40,360 who just magically appeared. 705 00:38:40,485 --> 00:38:42,403 There was just an overpopulation. 706 00:38:42,529 --> 00:38:45,281 Therein lies the horse herd that we are dealing with now. 707 00:38:45,406 --> 00:38:46,950 Ha-- have they tested them genetically 708 00:38:47,075 --> 00:38:49,244 to show their lineage? 709 00:38:49,369 --> 00:38:51,830 There's talk of that, but they say it's not-- 710 00:38:51,955 --> 00:38:54,999 Not feasible, not viable, not a viable option. 711 00:38:55,124 --> 00:38:57,001 Congress has allocated every dollar 712 00:38:57,126 --> 00:38:58,711 for the Wild Horse and Burro program 713 00:38:58,837 --> 00:39:00,922 that BLM's ever asked for. 714 00:39:01,047 --> 00:39:03,007 So, you-- if you ask BLM that question, 715 00:39:03,132 --> 00:39:05,218 they'll say, "We don't have enough money." 716 00:39:05,343 --> 00:39:08,555 BLM is not creative. 717 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,140 They are bureaucratic, 718 00:39:11,266 --> 00:39:13,268 they don't think outside the box, 719 00:39:13,393 --> 00:39:16,771 they are not innovative, and I think they should be. 720 00:39:16,896 --> 00:39:19,816 The ranchers are part of the solution. 721 00:39:19,941 --> 00:39:22,360 All of the good ground is private land, 722 00:39:22,485 --> 00:39:24,279 all intermingled with public land. 723 00:39:24,404 --> 00:39:26,990 So, if you take my public grazing permit away from me 724 00:39:27,115 --> 00:39:28,908 and I fence off my private land, 725 00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:31,452 I screw up the HMA completely, 726 00:39:31,578 --> 00:39:33,204 'cause those horses can no longer move 727 00:39:33,329 --> 00:39:36,082 throughout 40 acres with a reservoir in the middle. 728 00:39:36,207 --> 00:39:38,835 We fence off the 40, the horses die. 729 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:40,587 So, what do we own? 730 00:39:40,712 --> 00:39:42,505 We own all the water. 731 00:39:42,630 --> 00:39:46,134 So, there's an interdependence between public and private land. 732 00:39:46,259 --> 00:39:48,928 I hope that we can have continued discussions 733 00:39:49,053 --> 00:39:52,098 about what wild horse-friendly ranching looks like 734 00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:54,225 and it can include the BLM. 735 00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:56,603 We can have that programmatic review. 736 00:39:56,728 --> 00:39:58,771 And if Congress really wants to work on this issue, 737 00:39:58,897 --> 00:40:00,231 that's what they would do. 738 00:40:00,356 --> 00:40:01,774 [Yvette] To date, 739 00:40:01,900 --> 00:40:03,276 there have been no legal roundups 740 00:40:03,401 --> 00:40:05,653 of the Heber horses. 741 00:40:05,778 --> 00:40:09,157 Though the Forest Service is currently pushing for one. 742 00:40:09,282 --> 00:40:11,784 However, in the '80s and '90s, 743 00:40:11,910 --> 00:40:14,704 the Forest Service colluded with ranchers 744 00:40:14,829 --> 00:40:17,040 to round up dozens of Heber horses 745 00:40:17,165 --> 00:40:20,710 and sell them at auction. 746 00:40:20,835 --> 00:40:24,631 These places can often lead to the slaughter pipe line. 747 00:40:26,299 --> 00:40:27,884 [Stacey] Death is an interesting topic. 748 00:40:28,009 --> 00:40:32,096 So, humans, and especially North American humans, 749 00:40:32,221 --> 00:40:34,390 don't deal with death very well. 750 00:40:34,515 --> 00:40:36,684 To me, there's just this total disconnect 751 00:40:36,809 --> 00:40:40,021 between what's humane and not humane. 752 00:40:40,146 --> 00:40:42,398 Now, is the trader right inhumane, 753 00:40:42,523 --> 00:40:44,192 or are they handled poorly in the corral? 754 00:40:44,317 --> 00:40:45,944 We can have a discussion around that. 755 00:40:46,069 --> 00:40:47,779 But the actual death? 756 00:40:47,904 --> 00:40:49,864 There's no better way than to go with a stun gun. 757 00:40:51,032 --> 00:40:52,659 [snaps finger] Done. 758 00:40:52,784 --> 00:40:54,702 [Yvette] But in Mexico, some of those deaths 759 00:40:54,827 --> 00:40:56,621 in those slaughter plants are just-- I-- 760 00:40:56,746 --> 00:40:58,873 So, let's do it in the US, where we can control it. 761 00:41:00,041 --> 00:41:02,001 Horse meat's great meat. 762 00:41:02,126 --> 00:41:04,629 There was great uses for it before. 763 00:41:04,754 --> 00:41:06,339 So, let's do it in the US, 764 00:41:06,464 --> 00:41:08,091 where we can control the manner in which it's done. 765 00:41:08,216 --> 00:41:10,718 We can have humane handling of the animals, 766 00:41:10,843 --> 00:41:12,428 right up until their death. 767 00:41:12,553 --> 00:41:14,055 Far more humane 768 00:41:14,180 --> 00:41:15,306 than what they're going through on the range. 769 00:41:15,431 --> 00:41:17,141 I've had people tell me, 770 00:41:17,266 --> 00:41:18,476 "Well, the ranchers should get their own private land, 771 00:41:18,601 --> 00:41:19,686 or go back to-- go to Texas." 772 00:41:19,811 --> 00:41:21,396 Well, I've been to Texas, 773 00:41:21,521 --> 00:41:23,898 and they're selling off private ranches there. 774 00:41:24,023 --> 00:41:27,568 And they're selling them to be game preserves, you know? 775 00:41:27,694 --> 00:41:29,028 I don't know how you feel about it, 776 00:41:29,153 --> 00:41:31,739 but I don't really want to eat zebra. 777 00:41:31,864 --> 00:41:35,493 ♪ 778 00:41:35,618 --> 00:41:37,370 [Yvette] By this stage, 779 00:41:37,495 --> 00:41:40,206 we had gotten familiar with the slaughter pipe line. 780 00:41:40,331 --> 00:41:42,000 And we had gotten to know some of the players 781 00:41:42,125 --> 00:41:44,669 that run kill pens. 782 00:41:44,794 --> 00:41:48,047 Basically feedlots or auctions, 783 00:41:48,172 --> 00:41:51,300 where kill buyers purchase horses and burros 784 00:41:51,426 --> 00:41:52,969 to send to slaughter. 785 00:41:54,429 --> 00:41:55,930 In the United States, 786 00:41:56,055 --> 00:41:57,932 slaughtering horses to sell their meat 787 00:41:58,057 --> 00:42:01,352 for human consumption is not legal. 788 00:42:01,477 --> 00:42:03,771 However, it's not illegal 789 00:42:03,896 --> 00:42:08,026 to send them across the border to Canada and Mexico. 790 00:42:08,151 --> 00:42:12,572 We wanted to get down to Texas to take a look for ourselves. 791 00:42:12,697 --> 00:42:14,991 Of course, we couldn't bring regular film cameras 792 00:42:15,116 --> 00:42:19,579 into places like these, so we had to be covert. 793 00:42:19,704 --> 00:42:22,165 -Which button is it? -[Yvette's dad] Top one. 794 00:42:22,290 --> 00:42:23,666 Oh, my God, that is a freaking-- 795 00:42:23,791 --> 00:42:25,460 -[Yvette's dad] Yup. -[Richard] That's-- 796 00:42:25,585 --> 00:42:27,045 [Yvette's dad] Do you see the screen here, though? 797 00:42:27,170 --> 00:42:28,463 Where? 798 00:42:28,588 --> 00:42:29,714 [Yvette's dad] Right here in my hand? 799 00:42:29,839 --> 00:42:32,091 I can't move it too far. 800 00:42:32,216 --> 00:42:33,468 [Yvette] My husband, Ed, was in the middle 801 00:42:33,593 --> 00:42:35,261 of producing another movie, 802 00:42:35,386 --> 00:42:37,722 so my dad joined my brother and I on this trip 803 00:42:37,847 --> 00:42:40,808 for an added layer of protection. 804 00:42:40,933 --> 00:42:42,435 [Yvette's dad] I was just thinking of buying a horse. 805 00:42:43,352 --> 00:42:44,562 [man] All right. 806 00:42:44,687 --> 00:42:45,897 [Yvette] It was nerve-wracking, 807 00:42:46,022 --> 00:42:47,815 going into a place like this. 808 00:42:47,940 --> 00:42:51,027 My little camera wasn't as covert as we thought, 809 00:42:51,152 --> 00:42:54,781 but Richard's button cam, which we sewed into his shirt, 810 00:42:54,906 --> 00:42:56,908 was nearly undetectable. 811 00:42:57,033 --> 00:42:58,743 So, most of our footage lives here. 812 00:42:58,868 --> 00:43:01,287 [auctioneer auctioneering] 813 00:43:01,412 --> 00:43:02,747 [man 1] Man, busy day. 814 00:43:02,872 --> 00:43:06,584 [auctioneer continues indistinctly] 815 00:43:13,341 --> 00:43:16,010 [Yvette whispering] Rick. They've got a zebra in here. 816 00:43:16,135 --> 00:43:17,553 It's a baby. 817 00:43:17,678 --> 00:43:20,765 [indistinct chatter] 818 00:43:25,728 --> 00:43:26,938 [Richard] Excuse me, sir. 819 00:43:27,063 --> 00:43:28,606 Where are the wild horses? 820 00:43:28,731 --> 00:43:29,941 [man] They're over the hill. 821 00:43:30,066 --> 00:43:32,151 [Richard] Oh, got you. 822 00:43:32,276 --> 00:43:35,113 There are probably 30, 40... [muffled speech] 823 00:43:35,238 --> 00:43:37,156 [Yvette whispers] Oh, my gosh. 824 00:43:37,281 --> 00:43:39,158 What are those? 825 00:43:39,283 --> 00:43:41,494 It's like a zebra and a horse combined. 826 00:43:50,545 --> 00:43:52,964 [Richard] Oh, my God. 827 00:43:53,089 --> 00:43:55,049 You can tell they got the same blue eye. 828 00:43:55,174 --> 00:43:57,135 [Yvette] Yeah. 829 00:43:57,260 --> 00:43:58,511 You see her down there? 830 00:44:00,513 --> 00:44:02,265 On our very first day, 831 00:44:02,390 --> 00:44:05,226 we got a glimpse into the auction world of Texas. 832 00:44:05,351 --> 00:44:08,396 But the loose horses that my dad was asking about, 833 00:44:08,521 --> 00:44:09,981 the wild horses, 834 00:44:10,106 --> 00:44:12,942 had already left early in the morning. 835 00:44:13,067 --> 00:44:16,195 We'd be there the next day to see them. 836 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:19,407 This was part of the auction not on the schedule. 837 00:44:26,622 --> 00:44:29,709 [Yvette's dad] I want to go one or two more down. 838 00:44:29,834 --> 00:44:31,502 -[Richard] Yeah. -[Yvette] Down here? 839 00:44:31,627 --> 00:44:33,546 [Yvette's dad] Yeah, let's get a little closer, maybe. 840 00:44:33,671 --> 00:44:36,465 -[Yvette] We got good seats. -[Richard] Yeah. 841 00:44:36,591 --> 00:44:39,510 [auctioneer auctioneering] 842 00:44:45,516 --> 00:44:47,643 So, 2,550 down here? 843 00:44:47,768 --> 00:44:51,480 [indistinct chatter] 844 00:44:51,606 --> 00:44:55,234 [auctioneer continues indistinctly] 845 00:45:03,993 --> 00:45:07,580 [indistinct chatter] 846 00:45:17,089 --> 00:45:19,634 [Yvette] It was all we could do to keep from crying out. 847 00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:23,763 Especially when the mothers 848 00:45:23,888 --> 00:45:27,808 and their terrified babies came through. 849 00:45:27,934 --> 00:45:29,852 I was also nervous when I recognized 850 00:45:29,977 --> 00:45:32,230 a known kill buyer in the audience. 851 00:45:32,355 --> 00:45:34,649 Thankfully, he didn't know what I looked like. 852 00:45:37,902 --> 00:45:40,988 We were told that if the horses were bought in big numbers, 853 00:45:41,113 --> 00:45:43,824 they were probably being shipped to slaughter in Mexico. 854 00:45:43,950 --> 00:45:46,160 [Yvette's dad] Where'd they-- Where'd they capture all those? 855 00:45:46,285 --> 00:45:48,496 -In the-- out in the range? -[Richard] Yeah. 856 00:45:48,621 --> 00:45:50,039 [Yvette] We were also curious 857 00:45:50,164 --> 00:45:52,458 where the zebra was from earlier. 858 00:45:52,583 --> 00:45:54,919 [Richard] I think that's him in the red, in the-- yeah. 859 00:45:58,381 --> 00:46:03,511 [Yvette] It was surreal seeing zebras in a place like this. 860 00:46:03,636 --> 00:46:06,222 We couldn't imagine where they might end up next. 861 00:46:07,390 --> 00:46:09,100 Especially given 862 00:46:09,225 --> 00:46:12,561 there are no limits on exotic animal hunting in Texas. 863 00:46:14,230 --> 00:46:16,399 We also noticed on social media, 864 00:46:16,524 --> 00:46:19,902 almost immediately after the donkeys were purchased, 865 00:46:20,027 --> 00:46:22,780 they popped up on a kill pen website... 866 00:46:22,905 --> 00:46:25,324 listed for sale or slaughter. 867 00:46:27,576 --> 00:46:30,288 We ended up speaking to someone in the know at the auction, 868 00:46:30,413 --> 00:46:31,998 who offered to do an interview. 869 00:46:32,123 --> 00:46:33,165 [man over phone] if it's in somebody's budget, 870 00:46:33,291 --> 00:46:34,709 they go across the border, 871 00:46:34,834 --> 00:46:36,335 and once they go across the border, 872 00:46:36,460 --> 00:46:38,337 they more than likely don't come back. 873 00:46:38,462 --> 00:46:40,131 [Yvette] But when our camera showed up, 874 00:46:40,256 --> 00:46:42,883 he disappeared and stopped responding to calls, 875 00:46:43,009 --> 00:46:45,469 text messages, and voice mails. 876 00:46:45,594 --> 00:46:47,680 He did do a brief call with me on the phone. 877 00:46:47,805 --> 00:46:49,140 [Yvette] We were here earlier this morning, 878 00:46:49,265 --> 00:46:50,558 and with the little donkeys 879 00:46:50,683 --> 00:46:52,727 and with some of those wild horses, 880 00:46:52,852 --> 00:46:55,271 we did notice certain numbers were bidding on a lot of them. 881 00:46:55,396 --> 00:46:58,316 Are they bidding on them to send them down to Mexico? 882 00:46:58,441 --> 00:46:59,859 [man over phone] Oh, more than likely. 883 00:46:59,984 --> 00:47:01,527 If you-- if you-- if you're there 884 00:47:01,652 --> 00:47:02,903 and you're paying attention in the ring 885 00:47:03,029 --> 00:47:04,530 and the number of buyers, 886 00:47:04,655 --> 00:47:07,825 if there's a guy there that buys over, 887 00:47:07,950 --> 00:47:10,661 you know, ten head, he's buying for the killers, 888 00:47:10,786 --> 00:47:12,580 is what they-- they call them the killers-- 889 00:47:12,705 --> 00:47:13,914 Or sometimes they're not killers, 890 00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:15,333 but he's buying for Mexico. 891 00:47:15,458 --> 00:47:17,543 Like, 90% of those donkeys, 892 00:47:17,668 --> 00:47:19,086 they probably all got bought, 893 00:47:19,211 --> 00:47:20,463 and they'll probably go to Mexico 894 00:47:20,588 --> 00:47:22,131 and then on the horse side, 895 00:47:22,256 --> 00:47:24,342 yes, if you pay attention to it and you listen 896 00:47:24,467 --> 00:47:26,886 and you see one number and he's buying, 897 00:47:27,011 --> 00:47:28,763 you know, over ten horses 898 00:47:28,888 --> 00:47:31,891 and he's not paying over $1,000 a piece for them, 899 00:47:32,016 --> 00:47:34,935 then, yes, ma'am, he's-- he's putting together a load 900 00:47:35,061 --> 00:47:36,729 and he's gonna send them to Mexico. 901 00:47:36,854 --> 00:47:38,606 They'll send anything down there. 902 00:47:38,731 --> 00:47:40,483 It's-- Whatever doesn't get bought, 903 00:47:40,608 --> 00:47:42,902 a killer buyer will buy, no matter how junky it is. 904 00:47:43,027 --> 00:47:44,820 If it comes in there with a broke leg, 905 00:47:44,945 --> 00:47:46,572 it doesn't matter. 906 00:47:46,697 --> 00:47:48,491 They'll give a price for it and it'll sell. 907 00:47:53,579 --> 00:47:54,914 [door slams shut] 908 00:48:00,711 --> 00:48:02,755 [Yvette] There were low parts in our journey, 909 00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:06,175 but this was definitely one of them. 910 00:48:06,300 --> 00:48:08,594 Thousands of wild horses and burros 911 00:48:08,719 --> 00:48:11,389 had ended up in the slaughter pipe line. 912 00:48:11,514 --> 00:48:13,641 And as the New York Times exposed, 913 00:48:13,766 --> 00:48:18,270 the Bureau of Land Management's own adoption incentive program 914 00:48:18,396 --> 00:48:22,274 had led to duplicitous people making thousands of dollars 915 00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:24,485 by adopting wild horses and burros 916 00:48:24,610 --> 00:48:26,821 and then flipping them at auctions, 917 00:48:26,946 --> 00:48:28,406 like the one we were just at. 918 00:48:31,534 --> 00:48:32,993 The BLM's budget 919 00:48:33,119 --> 00:48:34,620 for the Wild Horse and Burro program 920 00:48:34,745 --> 00:48:36,455 in 2021 alone, 921 00:48:36,580 --> 00:48:40,501 was over 115 million dollars. 922 00:48:40,626 --> 00:48:43,963 Where was all of that being spent? 923 00:48:44,088 --> 00:48:46,674 When we looked, we saw that more than half of it 924 00:48:46,799 --> 00:48:50,970 was being spent on long-term and short-term holding. 925 00:48:51,095 --> 00:48:54,056 Basically incarcerating wild horses 926 00:48:54,181 --> 00:48:58,018 for the rest of their lives at taxpayers' expense. 927 00:48:58,144 --> 00:49:03,357 We'd visited these facilities and it was awful. 928 00:49:03,482 --> 00:49:07,736 The wild horses were branded like cattle. 929 00:49:07,862 --> 00:49:11,490 Tags were strapped tightly around their necks. 930 00:49:11,615 --> 00:49:13,242 Some were even spray painted. 931 00:49:17,037 --> 00:49:18,998 And worst of all, 932 00:49:19,123 --> 00:49:21,375 they were separated from their families. 933 00:49:25,296 --> 00:49:28,257 You could just see the betrayal in their eyes. 934 00:49:30,384 --> 00:49:33,262 Especially when they looked out beyond the bars, 935 00:49:33,387 --> 00:49:34,638 toward the mountains. 936 00:49:38,058 --> 00:49:41,270 Many of these places don't have shade... 937 00:49:41,395 --> 00:49:44,190 or any shelter from the elements. 938 00:49:46,150 --> 00:49:50,321 All they can do is wait and comfort each other. 939 00:49:52,740 --> 00:49:57,411 ♪ 940 00:50:03,125 --> 00:50:05,628 Unsurprisingly, as it turned out... 941 00:50:07,379 --> 00:50:09,465 millions of dollars were being spent 942 00:50:09,590 --> 00:50:14,011 on contracts for helicopter roundups... 943 00:50:14,136 --> 00:50:15,846 and for livestock ranchers 944 00:50:15,971 --> 00:50:19,517 to use their pastures to warehouse wild horses. 945 00:50:21,435 --> 00:50:23,604 Several of these contractors 946 00:50:23,729 --> 00:50:26,315 such as Cattoor Livestock Roundup Inc., 947 00:50:26,440 --> 00:50:28,651 better known as the Cattoor family, 948 00:50:28,776 --> 00:50:32,404 were among the BLM's contractors of choice... 949 00:50:32,530 --> 00:50:37,952 along with Shane F Sampson and Sun J Livestock. 950 00:50:38,077 --> 00:50:41,580 Sampson had earned over four million dollars. 951 00:50:43,916 --> 00:50:48,671 Sun J Livestock had been awarded approximately ten million. 952 00:50:48,796 --> 00:50:52,967 And the Cattoors had earned over 30 million dollars 953 00:50:53,092 --> 00:50:55,928 in contracts from the United States Government. 954 00:50:58,097 --> 00:51:00,641 Let's reiterate that these are contractors, 955 00:51:00,766 --> 00:51:03,769 awarded millions by the American Government, 956 00:51:03,894 --> 00:51:08,315 funded by our tax dollars, to round up wild horses 957 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:12,278 which are supposed to be federally protected. 958 00:51:12,403 --> 00:51:16,949 But shockingly, in 1992, along with several others, 959 00:51:17,074 --> 00:51:20,578 Dave Cattoor was convicted and pled guilty 960 00:51:20,703 --> 00:51:23,205 to breaking a federal law. 961 00:51:23,330 --> 00:51:27,793 For conspiring to use his aircraft to hunt wild horses 962 00:51:27,918 --> 00:51:29,962 for the purposes of capturing them, 963 00:51:30,087 --> 00:51:33,716 killing them and sending them to slaughter. 964 00:51:33,841 --> 00:51:37,386 He was only fined $500. 965 00:51:37,511 --> 00:51:39,847 And the BLM continues to hire 966 00:51:39,972 --> 00:51:42,516 Cattoor Livestock Roundup Inc. 967 00:51:45,060 --> 00:51:46,687 [Scott] My name is Scott Beckstead. 968 00:51:46,812 --> 00:51:48,981 I'm Director of Campaigns for Animal Wellness Action 969 00:51:49,106 --> 00:51:50,899 and the Center for a Humane Economy. 970 00:51:51,025 --> 00:51:52,943 And I'm also an adjunct professor of law 971 00:51:53,068 --> 00:51:54,903 at Willamette University. 972 00:51:55,029 --> 00:51:56,572 There has been a push, 973 00:51:56,697 --> 00:51:59,491 an aggressive push by the Bureau of Land Management 974 00:51:59,617 --> 00:52:01,410 to ramp up these roundups and removals, 975 00:52:01,535 --> 00:52:04,121 and it's being fueled by the huge sums of money 976 00:52:04,246 --> 00:52:06,540 appropriated to it by Congress. 977 00:52:06,665 --> 00:52:08,542 Congress has been successfully lobbied 978 00:52:08,667 --> 00:52:11,128 by the beef industry for the roundup and removal 979 00:52:11,253 --> 00:52:13,380 of huge numbers of wild horses and burros 980 00:52:13,505 --> 00:52:17,092 to get the population down to the low AMLs. 981 00:52:17,217 --> 00:52:20,262 The BLM has constructed this false narrative 982 00:52:20,387 --> 00:52:22,848 about an overpopulation of wild horses. 983 00:52:22,973 --> 00:52:25,059 It's a clever ploy because it diverts 984 00:52:25,184 --> 00:52:27,227 the public's attention away from the effects 985 00:52:27,353 --> 00:52:30,189 of overgrazing by millions of commercial livestock 986 00:52:30,314 --> 00:52:33,734 that the BLM has allowed to happen on our public lands. 987 00:52:33,859 --> 00:52:36,195 What makes these roundups so difficult to stop 988 00:52:36,320 --> 00:52:37,738 is the huge amounts of money. 989 00:52:37,863 --> 00:52:39,823 Congress has really enabled this 990 00:52:39,948 --> 00:52:42,701 by appropriating 116 million 991 00:52:42,826 --> 00:52:46,455 in 2021 alone to fund these operations. 992 00:52:46,580 --> 00:52:48,540 It pays the helicopter contractors 993 00:52:48,666 --> 00:52:50,584 millions of dollars to do their work, 994 00:52:50,709 --> 00:52:53,212 and then it also appropriates millions more 995 00:52:53,337 --> 00:52:55,756 to these private entities, mostly corporations, 996 00:52:55,881 --> 00:52:58,676 to build these off-range holding facilities 997 00:52:58,801 --> 00:53:00,719 where tens of thousands of our wild horses 998 00:53:00,844 --> 00:53:03,597 and burros will be kept. 999 00:53:03,722 --> 00:53:05,557 Hi, I'm Marty Irby, I'm the Executive Director 1000 00:53:05,683 --> 00:53:07,726 of Animal Wellness Action in Washington DC. 1001 00:53:07,851 --> 00:53:10,646 I'm one of the nation's top lobbyists in the country 1002 00:53:10,771 --> 00:53:13,524 and also the top lobbyist on horse protection issues. 1003 00:53:13,649 --> 00:53:16,026 One thing that most people don't realize that occurs 1004 00:53:16,151 --> 00:53:18,654 is that there are lobbying dollars 1005 00:53:18,779 --> 00:53:20,322 in Washington DC that we're up against. 1006 00:53:20,447 --> 00:53:22,116 It's a David and Goliath situation 1007 00:53:22,241 --> 00:53:25,869 because there are actual federal funds 1008 00:53:25,994 --> 00:53:29,581 called "USDA Commodity Checkoff Programs." 1009 00:53:29,707 --> 00:53:31,625 Those commercials, you see, like, "Got milk," 1010 00:53:31,750 --> 00:53:33,544 "Beef, it's what's for dinner," 1011 00:53:33,669 --> 00:53:35,504 "Pork, the other white meat," and "The incredible edible egg," 1012 00:53:35,629 --> 00:53:37,756 aren't really commercials or ad campaigns, 1013 00:53:37,881 --> 00:53:40,050 they're USDA checkoff programs, 1014 00:53:40,175 --> 00:53:43,095 they're funded by dollars paid in by producers 1015 00:53:43,220 --> 00:53:44,680 to sell these products. 1016 00:53:44,805 --> 00:53:47,599 These entities are quasi-governmental entities, 1017 00:53:47,725 --> 00:53:49,143 and they're utilizing the funds 1018 00:53:49,268 --> 00:53:51,687 to illegally lobby for policies 1019 00:53:51,812 --> 00:53:53,313 that we don't support, 1020 00:53:53,439 --> 00:53:56,150 policies that put small farmers out of business, 1021 00:53:56,275 --> 00:53:58,235 policies that harm animals, 1022 00:53:58,360 --> 00:54:00,446 policies that are pro-slaughter, 1023 00:54:00,571 --> 00:54:03,157 total of $850 million a year 1024 00:54:03,282 --> 00:54:05,242 for all of the checkoffs combined. 1025 00:54:05,367 --> 00:54:08,829 Basically, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, 1026 00:54:08,954 --> 00:54:11,206 NCBA, which is the beef checkoff, 1027 00:54:11,331 --> 00:54:15,711 uses their money illegally to lobby for horse slaughter. 1028 00:54:15,836 --> 00:54:17,546 These horses are going to become food 1029 00:54:17,671 --> 00:54:21,049 for someone in China, Japan or Europe. 1030 00:54:21,175 --> 00:54:23,218 I think one of the most glaring examples 1031 00:54:23,343 --> 00:54:26,638 of this corrupt system is with J. R. Simplot, 1032 00:54:26,764 --> 00:54:29,433 uh, which is an Idaho-based food company 1033 00:54:29,558 --> 00:54:32,102 that grazes tens of thousands of cattle 1034 00:54:32,227 --> 00:54:33,937 at a taxpayer-subsidized rate 1035 00:54:34,062 --> 00:54:36,815 of a dollar 35 per animal unit month 1036 00:54:36,940 --> 00:54:40,068 on grazing allotments across five western states. 1037 00:54:40,194 --> 00:54:43,405 So, it's enriching itself by grazing its livestock 1038 00:54:43,530 --> 00:54:45,741 at taxpayer expense on the front end, 1039 00:54:45,866 --> 00:54:48,327 and on the back end it's being paid millions 1040 00:54:48,452 --> 00:54:52,414 by the BLM to hold onto large numbers of wild horses 1041 00:54:52,539 --> 00:54:54,792 that have been removed from our public lands 1042 00:54:54,917 --> 00:54:57,878 to clear the way for more commercial livestock grazing. 1043 00:54:58,003 --> 00:54:59,963 And it should terrify every single American 1044 00:55:00,088 --> 00:55:02,174 who cares about wild horses and burros 1045 00:55:02,299 --> 00:55:05,010 that a food company is being paid 1046 00:55:05,135 --> 00:55:08,347 to hold onto large numbers of these wild horses and burros 1047 00:55:08,472 --> 00:55:10,432 that have been removed from our public lands. 1048 00:55:14,144 --> 00:55:15,729 [Yvette] When you think about it, 1049 00:55:15,854 --> 00:55:18,941 you can barely buy a single can of cat or dog food 1050 00:55:19,066 --> 00:55:21,485 for a dollar 35. 1051 00:55:21,610 --> 00:55:23,487 But big food corporations 1052 00:55:23,612 --> 00:55:25,906 were getting these massive tax subsidies 1053 00:55:26,031 --> 00:55:28,951 to graze their cattle on our public land 1054 00:55:29,076 --> 00:55:31,870 for a little over a dollar a month, 1055 00:55:31,995 --> 00:55:34,748 when private ranchers had to pay over 20 1056 00:55:34,873 --> 00:55:37,709 using their own land. 1057 00:55:37,835 --> 00:55:39,878 That didn't seem fair. 1058 00:55:40,003 --> 00:55:42,756 And wild horses were being rounded up because of it. 1059 00:55:44,424 --> 00:55:47,177 In 2021, we were about to experience 1060 00:55:47,302 --> 00:55:49,638 this corruption for ourselves. 1061 00:55:52,516 --> 00:55:56,520 [calm music] 1062 00:55:59,481 --> 00:56:03,443 The iconic horses of Sand Wash Basin in Colorado 1063 00:56:03,569 --> 00:56:07,531 are known for the legendary paint stallion, Picasso. 1064 00:56:11,410 --> 00:56:15,581 This place, just like Onaqui, had its own magic. 1065 00:56:20,127 --> 00:56:24,172 It was interesting to watch the wild horse hierarchy... 1066 00:56:24,298 --> 00:56:26,842 as each family waited their turn for water. 1067 00:56:29,595 --> 00:56:34,558 Often, the stallions would scope it out first for safety. 1068 00:56:34,683 --> 00:56:37,477 And in some bands, a lieutenant stallion 1069 00:56:37,603 --> 00:56:40,022 can be an extra set of eyes over the family... 1070 00:56:41,648 --> 00:56:44,026 until the band stallion returns. 1071 00:56:44,151 --> 00:56:49,156 ♪ 1072 00:56:59,082 --> 00:57:01,752 At Sand Wash Basin, there were watering holes 1073 00:57:01,877 --> 00:57:04,212 that were filled naturally by the elements. 1074 00:57:06,465 --> 00:57:08,634 And there were also manmade troughs, 1075 00:57:08,759 --> 00:57:11,011 which local advocates helped to maintain. 1076 00:57:17,184 --> 00:57:19,561 Right at sunset... 1077 00:57:19,686 --> 00:57:23,523 hundreds of horses appeared before our eyes. 1078 00:57:39,957 --> 00:57:42,960 And then, almost as quickly as they came... 1079 00:57:44,503 --> 00:57:45,754 they were gone. 1080 00:58:00,769 --> 00:58:04,272 It takes a lot of effort and understanding 1081 00:58:04,398 --> 00:58:07,609 and decades of data to understand 1082 00:58:07,734 --> 00:58:10,487 what the range condition is like. 1083 00:58:10,612 --> 00:58:12,197 Just don't go out there 1084 00:58:12,322 --> 00:58:14,282 looking for the beautiful horses, 1085 00:58:14,408 --> 00:58:15,826 which they are very beautiful, 1086 00:58:15,951 --> 00:58:18,996 and understand what's in the [indistinct]. 1087 00:58:19,121 --> 00:58:22,082 Okay, but could you just tell us the reasoning 1088 00:58:22,207 --> 00:58:23,875 behind the roundup at Sand Wash? 1089 00:58:24,001 --> 00:58:27,295 So, the way we manage horses 1090 00:58:27,421 --> 00:58:29,464 to be in harmony with their habitat, 1091 00:58:29,589 --> 00:58:32,092 so the habitat and the horses are healthy, 1092 00:58:32,217 --> 00:58:34,052 is by managing the numbers. 1093 00:58:34,177 --> 00:58:37,180 Um, you know, unlike other large grazers, 1094 00:58:37,305 --> 00:58:41,226 they're just kind of more or less there all year. 1095 00:58:41,351 --> 00:58:45,397 Um, and so that means that the numbers of animals, 1096 00:58:45,522 --> 00:58:49,067 the numbers of mouths need to be appropriate 1097 00:58:49,192 --> 00:58:52,237 for what the landscape is capable of producing. 1098 00:58:52,362 --> 00:58:53,989 So that's-- 1099 00:58:54,114 --> 00:58:56,324 Let me jump in there and say, "But why do we do it?" 1100 00:58:56,450 --> 00:58:59,244 We do it because we're required by law... 1101 00:58:59,369 --> 00:59:00,912 [Hunter] Mm-hmm. 1102 00:59:01,038 --> 00:59:02,914 ...to manage for a thriving ecological balance. 1103 00:59:03,040 --> 00:59:04,791 How do you guys feel about the fact 1104 00:59:04,916 --> 00:59:07,419 that the Governor has called for a moratorium on this roundup 1105 00:59:07,544 --> 00:59:08,879 to be evaluated through more of a fact 1106 00:59:09,004 --> 00:59:10,255 and science-based lens? 1107 00:59:10,380 --> 00:59:12,007 Uh, we appreciate their interest, 1108 00:59:12,132 --> 00:59:14,509 and we're going to continue to work with Colorado 1109 00:59:14,634 --> 00:59:16,845 to find creative solutions to manage these horses 1110 00:59:16,970 --> 00:59:18,472 in a healthy way 1111 00:59:18,597 --> 00:59:22,017 and also resulting in a healthy landscape. 1112 00:59:22,142 --> 00:59:26,772 That's-- that's what we are going to do moving forward. 1113 00:59:26,897 --> 00:59:30,067 [Yvette] How do you feel about the Governor's position? 1114 00:59:30,192 --> 00:59:32,277 [Bruce] Again, we appreciate their position, 1115 00:59:32,402 --> 00:59:34,154 we appreciate them wanting to work with us, 1116 00:59:34,279 --> 00:59:35,989 and we want to work with them. 1117 00:59:36,114 --> 00:59:38,784 And so we need to by mandate, by law, 1118 00:59:38,909 --> 00:59:41,745 manage healthy horses on healthy range lots. 1119 00:59:41,870 --> 00:59:43,371 [Yvette] Did they consult? 1120 00:59:43,497 --> 00:59:44,915 Because I know the National Academy of Sciences 1121 00:59:45,040 --> 00:59:47,709 in 2013, I believe, stated that the AMLs 1122 00:59:47,834 --> 00:59:49,628 were not based on fact or science. 1123 00:59:49,753 --> 00:59:52,047 So, they're saying-- they're saying there was a-- 1124 00:59:52,172 --> 00:59:55,425 A considerable, uh, production data collected 1125 00:59:55,550 --> 00:59:57,511 all across Sand Wash in the '90s, 1126 00:59:57,636 --> 01:00:00,514 and that went into setting, 1127 01:00:00,639 --> 01:00:02,265 uh, you know, for Sand Wash. 1128 01:00:02,390 --> 01:00:04,309 But from the '90s, into the year-- 1129 01:00:04,434 --> 01:00:07,145 Into 2011, 2013, 2015, 1130 01:00:07,270 --> 01:00:09,272 obviously, there's a lot going on with climate change 1131 01:00:09,397 --> 01:00:11,399 and why would data that's that old-- 1132 01:00:11,525 --> 01:00:15,362 The-- these range lands change, but they change very slowly. 1133 01:00:15,487 --> 01:00:18,532 You don't wait till the range land has collapsed, 1134 01:00:18,657 --> 01:00:20,742 and then you find poor body condition, 1135 01:00:20,867 --> 01:00:22,619 you don't wait for that. 1136 01:00:22,744 --> 01:00:24,412 So-- so, you're rounding them up pro-- 1137 01:00:24,538 --> 01:00:27,499 Before they can reach a point of poor body condition? 1138 01:00:27,624 --> 01:00:29,501 The BLM's role legally, 1139 01:00:29,626 --> 01:00:31,545 statutorily, is to manage the habitat. 1140 01:00:31,670 --> 01:00:33,547 That, you know, the-- the state, 1141 01:00:33,672 --> 01:00:36,091 uh, you know, they manage the animals. 1142 01:00:36,216 --> 01:00:39,302 Um, except for the horses, you know, 1143 01:00:39,427 --> 01:00:42,264 uh, like, say the horse is the only thing BLM manages 1144 01:00:42,389 --> 01:00:44,099 that has a heartbeat. 1145 01:00:44,224 --> 01:00:46,560 Every-- every other critter out here is either the state 1146 01:00:46,685 --> 01:00:50,939 or if it's listed, it's Fish and Wildlife Service. 1147 01:00:51,064 --> 01:00:53,942 [Yvette] The BLM had announced an emergency roundup 1148 01:00:54,067 --> 01:00:57,737 to permanently remove nearly 90% of the wild horses 1149 01:00:57,863 --> 01:00:59,656 of Sand Wash Basin. 1150 01:00:59,781 --> 01:01:01,575 This emergency status 1151 01:01:01,700 --> 01:01:04,119 allowed them to move forward with the roundup quickly 1152 01:01:04,244 --> 01:01:08,874 and didn't require the BLM to assemble public comments. 1153 01:01:08,999 --> 01:01:10,792 They originally said the roundup 1154 01:01:10,917 --> 01:01:13,962 was due to poor body conditions of the horses and drought, 1155 01:01:14,087 --> 01:01:17,007 even though the water holes were full. 1156 01:01:17,132 --> 01:01:21,011 But then the BLM's narrative suddenly changed. 1157 01:01:21,136 --> 01:01:24,097 The BLM then said they were removing the horses 1158 01:01:24,222 --> 01:01:27,350 because of negative impacts to sage-grouse habitat 1159 01:01:27,475 --> 01:01:29,186 and for future starvation. 1160 01:01:30,520 --> 01:01:32,272 They also ignored the requests 1161 01:01:32,397 --> 01:01:34,816 of Colorado Governor Jared Potts, 1162 01:01:34,941 --> 01:01:38,486 Western Watersheds project, and the Sierra Club 1163 01:01:38,612 --> 01:01:42,073 to halt the unnecessary roundup of Sand Wash Basin. 1164 01:01:48,496 --> 01:01:50,165 -[Troy] Yeah. -[man] Yeah. 1165 01:01:50,290 --> 01:01:52,209 We are direct right in the-- 1166 01:01:52,334 --> 01:01:55,253 -In line of the wings. -[Chris] Sure. 1167 01:01:55,378 --> 01:01:56,755 -So, we need to go-- -[horse blusters] 1168 01:01:56,880 --> 01:01:58,089 Just over the other side of this, right? 1169 01:01:58,215 --> 01:01:59,925 -Yeah, I don't know. -Okay. 1170 01:02:00,050 --> 01:02:02,010 I'm just gonna go down here and see if I can find a hole 1171 01:02:02,135 --> 01:02:03,637 -to get to. -All right, absolutely. 1172 01:02:03,762 --> 01:02:04,971 So, yeah, we'll just move the vehicles down 1173 01:02:05,096 --> 01:02:06,473 a little farther. 1174 01:02:06,598 --> 01:02:07,974 Uh, you could leave your equipment here 1175 01:02:08,099 --> 01:02:09,601 if you'd like, just right off this area. 1176 01:02:09,726 --> 01:02:10,977 [Yvette] It's actually safer to be near a tree, 1177 01:02:11,102 --> 01:02:12,354 if the wild horses come near us. 1178 01:02:12,479 --> 01:02:14,689 [Chris] Usually, [indistinct]. 1179 01:02:14,814 --> 01:02:17,567 -[Yvette] It's safer. -I'm not arguing with you. 1180 01:02:17,692 --> 01:02:19,402 We'll comply, but I'm just letting you know 1181 01:02:19,527 --> 01:02:21,863 that God forbid a wild herd ga-- 1182 01:02:21,988 --> 01:02:23,615 Gallops over this mountain, 1183 01:02:23,740 --> 01:02:25,408 you're gonna want to scream to everybody 1184 01:02:25,533 --> 01:02:27,118 to stand under this tree. 1185 01:02:27,244 --> 01:02:28,954 And I just-- I don't care 1186 01:02:29,079 --> 01:02:31,122 whose side of the issue you're on. 1187 01:02:31,248 --> 01:02:32,999 This-- this is safer. 1188 01:02:33,124 --> 01:02:35,710 What Cattoor wants is for us to not get a clear line of sight 1189 01:02:35,835 --> 01:02:37,128 as to what's about to happen. 1190 01:02:37,254 --> 01:02:39,798 So, here we are at Sand Wash Basin. 1191 01:02:39,923 --> 01:02:44,219 We were asked to move from that tree to here. 1192 01:02:44,344 --> 01:02:47,722 So, that the horses apparently can see us. 1193 01:02:47,847 --> 01:02:49,849 And apparently we're hiding behind this mountain. 1194 01:02:51,059 --> 01:02:52,352 However, we cannot see 1195 01:02:52,477 --> 01:02:56,856 the helicopter operation at this point. 1196 01:02:56,982 --> 01:02:59,693 [Yvette] From our vantage point behind the hill, 1197 01:02:59,818 --> 01:03:04,155 we could barely see anything the helicopter was doing... 1198 01:03:04,281 --> 01:03:06,616 until the horses were driven into the trap site. 1199 01:03:08,952 --> 01:03:11,454 It was the first time we had been this close to one. 1200 01:03:12,831 --> 01:03:14,916 And it was horrifying to see. 1201 01:03:18,420 --> 01:03:21,131 Numerous horses had sustained injuries. 1202 01:03:24,926 --> 01:03:26,511 [Chris] Actually, [indistinct] they're putting up-- 1203 01:03:26,636 --> 01:03:29,848 Hovering on the area where the foals were running, 1204 01:03:29,973 --> 01:03:31,474 which indicates that, in fact, 1205 01:03:31,599 --> 01:03:35,020 the foals were not in a good position earlier. 1206 01:03:35,145 --> 01:03:37,397 The paneling does-- the plastic fence, 1207 01:03:37,522 --> 01:03:39,649 it will prevent the foals from-- 1208 01:03:39,774 --> 01:03:42,277 And the horses from wanting to run through the panel. 1209 01:03:42,402 --> 01:03:44,237 So, because they didn't have that up earlier, 1210 01:03:44,362 --> 01:03:46,323 those three yearlings were running around 1211 01:03:46,448 --> 01:03:48,700 and starting to test the pen. 1212 01:03:48,825 --> 01:03:50,535 So, the fact that they're putting up now indicates 1213 01:03:50,660 --> 01:03:52,579 that they weren't doing it correctly earlier. 1214 01:03:52,704 --> 01:03:54,331 [Yvette] Interesting, and that's when, 1215 01:03:54,456 --> 01:03:56,624 apparently, that one-- that one yearling got hurt, 1216 01:03:56,750 --> 01:03:59,711 and his shoulder was bloody or her shoulder was bloody. 1217 01:03:59,836 --> 01:04:02,380 [Brian] Uh, it seems to be, yeah. 1218 01:04:05,175 --> 01:04:06,676 [Yvette] The Bureau of Land Management 1219 01:04:06,801 --> 01:04:09,429 made us wait for almost two hours 1220 01:04:09,554 --> 01:04:11,931 before we were allowed to approach the corrals. 1221 01:04:13,141 --> 01:04:14,851 Their reasoning was, 1222 01:04:14,976 --> 01:04:18,188 "People near the corrals would upset the horses." 1223 01:04:19,814 --> 01:04:21,232 Apparently those rules 1224 01:04:21,358 --> 01:04:23,401 didn't apply to roundup personnel. 1225 01:04:25,653 --> 01:04:28,073 It was cold, and it was raining, 1226 01:04:28,198 --> 01:04:30,742 and it was almost like they were trying to wait us out. 1227 01:04:30,867 --> 01:04:32,494 [man] Ah, there's horse locations-- 1228 01:04:32,619 --> 01:04:34,120 [Yvette] When we were finally allowed closer 1229 01:04:34,245 --> 01:04:36,498 to the trap site... 1230 01:04:36,623 --> 01:04:38,583 that's when we saw the injuries. 1231 01:04:38,708 --> 01:04:41,461 -[woman] [indistinct]? -[man] Yep. 1232 01:04:41,586 --> 01:04:44,964 [woman] So, when do you think... [muffled speech] 1233 01:04:45,090 --> 01:04:47,926 [Yvette] But as hard as all this was to see 1234 01:04:48,051 --> 01:04:51,429 people kept on coming to support the horses 1235 01:04:51,554 --> 01:04:55,892 and to hold the Bureau of Land Management accountable. 1236 01:04:56,017 --> 01:04:59,396 We found it exceedingly bizarre... 1237 01:04:59,521 --> 01:05:03,274 that Dave and Sue Cattoor showed up to watch 1238 01:05:03,400 --> 01:05:07,821 as the horses of Sand Wash Basin lost their freedom. 1239 01:05:07,946 --> 01:05:09,739 I'm Steve Leonard, 1240 01:05:09,864 --> 01:05:11,908 I'm the Wild Horse and Burro Lead for the state of Colorado. 1241 01:05:12,033 --> 01:05:14,869 Roughly we're at 896 horses 1242 01:05:14,994 --> 01:05:18,373 between inside the HMA and outside the HMA. 1243 01:05:18,498 --> 01:05:20,875 And we're trying to reduce that population down 1244 01:05:21,000 --> 01:05:23,545 to the low AML of 163. 1245 01:05:23,670 --> 01:05:25,213 So, this is an emergency gather. 1246 01:05:25,338 --> 01:05:27,090 Um, we're conducting this 1247 01:05:27,215 --> 01:05:28,925 because of the lack of forage and water for these horses. 1248 01:05:29,050 --> 01:05:32,595 Um, and so our objective here is to reduce the herd to, 1249 01:05:32,720 --> 01:05:34,222 um, the appropriate national levels. 1250 01:05:34,347 --> 01:05:35,932 [Yvette] The reasoning seems to have changed 1251 01:05:36,057 --> 01:05:37,851 from an emergency roundup due to drought, 1252 01:05:37,976 --> 01:05:39,811 and because they were in poor body condition 1253 01:05:39,936 --> 01:05:41,479 to identifying that 1254 01:05:41,604 --> 01:05:43,440 they're not going to have enough winter forage, 1255 01:05:43,565 --> 01:05:45,567 and there's something to do with sage-grouse now, 1256 01:05:45,692 --> 01:05:47,735 that was-- didn't seem like it was part of the conversation 1257 01:05:47,861 --> 01:05:49,362 until recently. 1258 01:05:49,487 --> 01:05:51,239 Well, um, so we always take into consideration 1259 01:05:51,364 --> 01:05:53,408 the needs of all the users on public lands when we're-- 1260 01:05:53,533 --> 01:05:54,868 When we're managing wild horses and burros, 1261 01:05:54,993 --> 01:05:56,411 so that includes wildlife. 1262 01:05:56,536 --> 01:05:58,079 Um, so the sage-grouse were always gonna be 1263 01:05:58,204 --> 01:06:01,749 part of this decision to manage this herd. 1264 01:06:01,875 --> 01:06:05,128 [Yvette] Didn't the range land specialist just state 1265 01:06:05,253 --> 01:06:06,880 that the Bureau of Land Management 1266 01:06:07,005 --> 01:06:09,174 only manages wild horses? 1267 01:06:09,299 --> 01:06:13,511 That every other critter falls outside of their purview? 1268 01:06:13,636 --> 01:06:16,473 Why were they suddenly trying to scapegoat wild horses 1269 01:06:16,598 --> 01:06:19,017 for negative effects to sage-grouse? 1270 01:06:19,142 --> 01:06:21,394 I'm Megan Crawford, I'm part of the SWAT team 1271 01:06:21,519 --> 01:06:23,146 here in the Sand Wash, 1272 01:06:23,271 --> 01:06:27,650 and I worked for the BLM the season of 2016 1273 01:06:27,775 --> 01:06:30,195 doing, uh, sage-grouse surveys 1274 01:06:30,320 --> 01:06:33,990 and with the emergency gather, it's honestly kind of a cop-out. 1275 01:06:34,115 --> 01:06:36,075 They don't have to do an environmental assessment, 1276 01:06:36,201 --> 01:06:38,244 they don't have to, uh, 1277 01:06:38,369 --> 01:06:40,205 have a public scoping comment period, 1278 01:06:40,330 --> 01:06:43,708 they-- they basically can say we are doing this, 1279 01:06:43,833 --> 01:06:45,335 these are the numbers we're gonna take, 1280 01:06:45,460 --> 01:06:47,712 this is the amount of horses we're gonna leave, 1281 01:06:47,837 --> 01:06:50,048 and it kind of takes 1282 01:06:50,173 --> 01:06:53,635 all of the accountability out of the system 1283 01:06:53,760 --> 01:06:57,096 because it's sort of just a standing order, 1284 01:06:57,222 --> 01:06:59,557 and we're all just supposed to bend to it. 1285 01:06:59,682 --> 01:07:02,727 And how they can say it's solely the wild horses 1286 01:07:02,852 --> 01:07:04,187 that are the reason 1287 01:07:04,312 --> 01:07:07,982 that the sage-grouse are not rebounding 1288 01:07:08,107 --> 01:07:09,859 seems a little bit absurd to me. 1289 01:07:09,984 --> 01:07:12,612 I'm not sure the exact number of sheep that are out here, 1290 01:07:12,737 --> 01:07:15,406 but having that many sheep compared 1291 01:07:15,532 --> 01:07:18,785 to the amount of horses, I-- I think it's a cop-out to say 1292 01:07:18,910 --> 01:07:21,162 that it's the wild horses that are degrading the land. 1293 01:07:21,287 --> 01:07:23,581 [Yvette] Did any of your beliefs change 1294 01:07:23,706 --> 01:07:26,209 in how things were conducted? 1295 01:07:26,334 --> 01:07:28,294 Honestly, I was a little surprised 1296 01:07:28,419 --> 01:07:32,590 about the brashness of the BLM side. 1297 01:07:32,715 --> 01:07:34,217 I don't think that they really care 1298 01:07:34,342 --> 01:07:35,760 for the horses out here. 1299 01:07:35,885 --> 01:07:37,887 You know, even what they would say, 1300 01:07:38,012 --> 01:07:39,639 the advocates were, 1301 01:07:39,764 --> 01:07:42,225 which they kind of used as a bad word around there. 1302 01:07:42,350 --> 01:07:44,769 [Yvette] One of the advocates on the ground pointed out 1303 01:07:44,894 --> 01:07:47,438 that there were babies only a day old 1304 01:07:47,564 --> 01:07:50,358 being chased by the low flying helicopters. 1305 01:07:50,483 --> 01:07:52,986 Though the BLM continues to define 1306 01:07:53,111 --> 01:07:55,238 helicopter roundups as humane. 1307 01:07:57,323 --> 01:07:59,492 Something else we found suspicious that day 1308 01:07:59,617 --> 01:08:01,953 was the Cattoor helicopter. 1309 01:08:02,078 --> 01:08:05,290 Our camera operator, Jerry, was also a pilot 1310 01:08:05,415 --> 01:08:08,293 and he pointed out that while there was a United Flight, 1311 01:08:08,418 --> 01:08:10,128 30,000 feet above us, 1312 01:08:10,253 --> 01:08:13,047 we could not track the Cattoor helicopter. 1313 01:08:13,172 --> 01:08:14,674 The potential accusation 1314 01:08:14,799 --> 01:08:16,968 was that they had blocked their ADS-B, 1315 01:08:17,093 --> 01:08:21,097 which the FAA said a contractor can do upon request 1316 01:08:21,222 --> 01:08:24,559 but can be dangerous given other aircrafts in the area. 1317 01:08:24,684 --> 01:08:27,478 That, or the signal simply wasn't being picked up on 1318 01:08:27,604 --> 01:08:29,063 because of the terrain. 1319 01:08:29,188 --> 01:08:30,607 What we found suspicious 1320 01:08:30,732 --> 01:08:33,568 was that the BLM repeatedly refused 1321 01:08:33,693 --> 01:08:35,570 to answer any of our questions 1322 01:08:35,695 --> 01:08:39,115 about why the helicopter had vanished. 1323 01:08:39,240 --> 01:08:41,909 So, there was ultimately no way for us to track 1324 01:08:42,035 --> 01:08:46,331 how many grueling miles they were running these horses. 1325 01:08:46,456 --> 01:08:49,167 Uh, the total contract cost for this 1326 01:08:49,292 --> 01:08:50,835 is just under 300,000. 1327 01:08:55,256 --> 01:08:56,924 That doesn't include holding, no. 1328 01:09:02,263 --> 01:09:06,059 [Yvette] With the target of 733 horses to capture 1329 01:09:06,184 --> 01:09:08,645 the approximate cost to taxpayers 1330 01:09:08,770 --> 01:09:12,732 to warehouse all of those horses for the rest of their lives 1331 01:09:12,857 --> 01:09:16,486 was over $36 million. 1332 01:09:16,611 --> 01:09:18,863 Thankfully, due to an intervention 1333 01:09:18,988 --> 01:09:22,533 by Governor Jared Potts and Congressman Joe Neguse, 1334 01:09:22,659 --> 01:09:24,369 the roundup ended early 1335 01:09:24,494 --> 01:09:27,580 and the total captured was 479. 1336 01:09:29,332 --> 01:09:30,833 [Yvette] This is how narrow this stuff is. 1337 01:09:30,958 --> 01:09:34,962 [melancholic music] 1338 01:09:37,131 --> 01:09:39,175 These horses are in this. 1339 01:09:41,302 --> 01:09:43,137 [Yvette] They were sent to a holding facility 1340 01:09:43,262 --> 01:09:47,100 at Canyon City Federal Prison where only months later, 1341 01:09:47,225 --> 01:09:50,770 when 145 horses mysteriously died. 1342 01:09:53,481 --> 01:09:55,942 Only two months after the wild horses 1343 01:09:56,067 --> 01:09:57,527 of Sand Wash Basin 1344 01:09:57,652 --> 01:10:00,238 were almost completely eradicated, 1345 01:10:00,363 --> 01:10:04,617 thousands of sheep were spotted in the basin. 1346 01:10:04,742 --> 01:10:06,703 [protestors] [chanting] Stop the choppers. 1347 01:10:06,828 --> 01:10:10,415 Stop the choppers. Stop the choppers. 1348 01:10:10,540 --> 01:10:14,085 Stop the choppers. Stop the choppers. 1349 01:10:14,210 --> 01:10:17,422 Stop the choppers, stop the cho-- 1350 01:10:17,547 --> 01:10:19,465 Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management 1351 01:10:19,590 --> 01:10:21,801 issued a media statement 1352 01:10:21,926 --> 01:10:24,303 that said this roundup is gonna happen. 1353 01:10:24,429 --> 01:10:25,972 It was a-- 1354 01:10:26,097 --> 01:10:29,934 An absolute disregard of the thousands of people 1355 01:10:30,059 --> 01:10:33,187 across the country and across the world 1356 01:10:33,312 --> 01:10:36,065 who have called the BLM and said, 1357 01:10:36,190 --> 01:10:39,026 "Please, please stop this roundup." 1358 01:10:39,152 --> 01:10:41,320 My name is Erik Molvar, 1359 01:10:41,446 --> 01:10:44,407 and I'm the Executive Director of Western Watersheds Project. 1360 01:10:44,532 --> 01:10:46,242 My name is Deniz Bolbol, 1361 01:10:46,367 --> 01:10:48,870 I'm with the Cloud Foundation, I'm the Advocacy Director. 1362 01:10:48,995 --> 01:10:50,455 Hello, everyone, I'm Marty Irby here, 1363 01:10:50,580 --> 01:10:52,457 Executive Director of Animal Wellness Action 1364 01:10:52,582 --> 01:10:54,667 and chief lobbyist in Washington DC. 1365 01:10:54,792 --> 01:10:56,586 I really appreciate everyone turning out today 1366 01:10:56,711 --> 01:10:58,087 to support the Onaqui horses, 1367 01:10:58,212 --> 01:10:59,881 my name is Ashley Avis, I'm a filmmaker. 1368 01:11:00,006 --> 01:11:02,884 -[protestors cheering] -Now I've been out to Onaqui. 1369 01:11:03,009 --> 01:11:07,305 And the BLM says that 474 wild horses 1370 01:11:07,430 --> 01:11:10,266 are too many for the range. 1371 01:11:10,391 --> 01:11:13,019 Livestock industry coined a term for that. 1372 01:11:13,144 --> 01:11:17,106 -Bullshit. -[protestors cheering] 1373 01:11:17,231 --> 01:11:19,358 Now, the Bureau of Land Management 1374 01:11:19,484 --> 01:11:22,904 has authorized almost 20,000 animal unit months 1375 01:11:23,029 --> 01:11:25,031 of cattle and sheep grazing on Onaqui. 1376 01:11:25,156 --> 01:11:28,743 On a wild horse Herd Management Area 1377 01:11:28,868 --> 01:11:31,621 where they have a congressional responsibility 1378 01:11:31,746 --> 01:11:33,790 -to conserve the wild horses. -[protestor] Exactly. Exactly. 1379 01:11:34,957 --> 01:11:37,668 This kind of injustice 1380 01:11:37,794 --> 01:11:40,213 is happening all around the country. 1381 01:11:40,338 --> 01:11:44,967 It's not about a thriving, natural ecological balance. 1382 01:11:45,092 --> 01:11:47,720 The BLM is creating a problem 1383 01:11:47,845 --> 01:11:51,682 with cattle and sheep degrading the range. 1384 01:11:51,808 --> 01:11:54,602 And then, instead of addressing the cause of the problem, 1385 01:11:54,727 --> 01:11:56,604 they're blaming the convenient scapegoat, 1386 01:11:56,729 --> 01:11:57,939 the wild horse. 1387 01:11:58,064 --> 01:11:59,774 So they can keep on overgrazing 1388 01:11:59,899 --> 01:12:02,527 with as many cattle and sheep as they always have 1389 01:12:02,652 --> 01:12:05,154 without the American public noticing. 1390 01:12:05,279 --> 01:12:07,198 Well, guess what, the public is starting to notice. 1391 01:12:07,323 --> 01:12:09,992 -[protestor] Yes! -[protestors cheering] 1392 01:12:10,117 --> 01:12:12,078 Earlier this year, we sent a letter, 1393 01:12:12,203 --> 01:12:15,706 I think it was 70 or so groups, to Secretary Deb Haaland 1394 01:12:15,832 --> 01:12:18,960 asking her to put a moratorium on the grazing permits 1395 01:12:19,085 --> 01:12:21,087 for these cattle and sheep that they're bringing in. 1396 01:12:21,212 --> 01:12:22,672 We didn't get a response. 1397 01:12:22,797 --> 01:12:24,340 We're asking you, Mr. President, 1398 01:12:24,465 --> 01:12:26,926 please stop the roundups. 1399 01:12:27,051 --> 01:12:29,011 Everyone here has an opportunity 1400 01:12:29,136 --> 01:12:31,097 to let the president know how you feel. 1401 01:12:31,222 --> 01:12:35,434 Call 202-456-1111, 1402 01:12:35,560 --> 01:12:38,437 202-456-1111. 1403 01:12:38,563 --> 01:12:41,148 And let's light up the White House switchboard. 1404 01:12:41,274 --> 01:12:42,817 -[protestors cheering] -Let's light it up. 1405 01:12:42,942 --> 01:12:45,486 It's time to call the President. This has to stop. 1406 01:12:45,611 --> 01:12:48,281 This is a government agency that is broken. 1407 01:12:48,406 --> 01:12:51,409 It's not just sickened, in need of reform, 1408 01:12:51,534 --> 01:12:54,036 it is broken, in need of a complete overhaul. 1409 01:12:54,161 --> 01:12:56,414 We do need leadership from above. 1410 01:12:56,539 --> 01:12:58,165 We need adult supervision 1411 01:12:58,291 --> 01:12:59,625 for the agency bureaucrats 1412 01:12:59,750 --> 01:13:01,335 who have been making the same mistakes, 1413 01:13:01,460 --> 01:13:03,462 -year after year after year. -[protestors cheering] 1414 01:13:03,588 --> 01:13:05,464 I think it's so important 1415 01:13:05,590 --> 01:13:07,758 that not only the people standing here 1416 01:13:07,884 --> 01:13:09,844 but the children in our country 1417 01:13:09,969 --> 01:13:11,554 stand up and raise their voices 1418 01:13:11,679 --> 01:13:13,556 because they too can make a change. 1419 01:13:13,681 --> 01:13:16,767 I'd like to read two letters from two ten-year-olds, 1420 01:13:16,893 --> 01:13:19,186 part of a Girl Scout troop. 1421 01:13:19,312 --> 01:13:20,605 Dear President Biden. 1422 01:13:20,730 --> 01:13:23,316 Dear Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. 1423 01:13:23,441 --> 01:13:25,568 And dear honorable members of Congress. 1424 01:13:25,693 --> 01:13:27,486 "I'm writing to ask you to make laws 1425 01:13:27,612 --> 01:13:29,614 to help protect the wild Mustang herds." 1426 01:13:29,739 --> 01:13:31,699 "If you were a horse and you were rounded up 1427 01:13:31,824 --> 01:13:34,994 in a tiny pen and slaughtered, how would that make you feel? 1428 01:13:35,119 --> 01:13:36,871 Scared. 1429 01:13:36,996 --> 01:13:39,040 That is how these horses feel, and that is sad and wrong." 1430 01:13:39,165 --> 01:13:42,001 "Roundups of herds like the Onaqui must be stopped. 1431 01:13:42,126 --> 01:13:43,544 The facts have shown 1432 01:13:43,669 --> 01:13:45,421 that these horses just end up in kill pens 1433 01:13:45,546 --> 01:13:47,715 bound for a life of pain and suffering." 1434 01:13:47,840 --> 01:13:49,383 "These majestic creatures 1435 01:13:49,508 --> 01:13:51,552 are caught in the system of ranching monopolies, 1436 01:13:51,677 --> 01:13:53,971 encouraged by government enablement 1437 01:13:54,096 --> 01:13:55,640 and distortion of the truth." 1438 01:13:55,765 --> 01:13:57,099 "President Biden, 1439 01:13:57,224 --> 01:13:59,185 please stop the wild Onaqui roundups. 1440 01:13:59,310 --> 01:14:01,187 There are babies and elderly horses 1441 01:14:01,312 --> 01:14:04,315 out on the range who will not survive the helicopters. 1442 01:14:04,440 --> 01:14:06,442 You are the voice that can stop this." 1443 01:14:06,567 --> 01:14:08,569 "Please help the Onaqui stay where they belong." 1444 01:14:08,694 --> 01:14:11,530 "These horses represent the story of America." 1445 01:14:11,656 --> 01:14:13,574 "What will you do for the generations to come?" 1446 01:14:13,699 --> 01:14:16,452 "Have the courage to see beyond profit, 1447 01:14:16,577 --> 01:14:20,873 and take a serious look at America's long term values." 1448 01:14:20,998 --> 01:14:24,669 I'm Jocelyn, I'm ten years old, and I stand with wild horses. 1449 01:14:24,794 --> 01:14:26,295 I stand with wild horses. 1450 01:14:26,420 --> 01:14:27,838 I stand with wild horses. 1451 01:14:27,964 --> 01:14:30,341 Hopeful and determined, Jocelyn. 1452 01:14:37,223 --> 01:14:41,227 [emotional music] 1453 01:14:43,980 --> 01:14:47,233 [Yvette] After the rally to save the Onaqui... 1454 01:14:47,358 --> 01:14:49,527 going out to the range was cleansing. 1455 01:14:53,447 --> 01:14:55,533 All of our favorite families were there. 1456 01:14:57,284 --> 01:14:59,328 The chestnut foal Sun Catcher. 1457 01:15:01,247 --> 01:15:02,873 The powerful Stargazer. 1458 01:15:05,376 --> 01:15:06,627 The bay roan. 1459 01:15:08,629 --> 01:15:10,923 Norman and the three amigos. 1460 01:15:11,048 --> 01:15:16,220 ♪ 1461 01:15:24,729 --> 01:15:27,440 [horse neighs] 1462 01:15:27,565 --> 01:15:30,317 It was as if they were putting on a show for us. 1463 01:15:31,694 --> 01:15:33,821 [horse neighs] 1464 01:15:35,906 --> 01:15:38,200 Never had we been so close. 1465 01:15:39,368 --> 01:15:41,287 [horse neighs] 1466 01:15:43,831 --> 01:15:46,250 Stargazer was in full form, 1467 01:15:46,375 --> 01:15:48,002 battling several of the stallions 1468 01:15:48,127 --> 01:15:50,171 right before our eyes. 1469 01:15:50,296 --> 01:15:54,175 [horses neigh] 1470 01:15:59,764 --> 01:16:04,602 A young stallion sailed before us... 1471 01:16:04,727 --> 01:16:09,190 as he courted the affections of his very first mare. 1472 01:16:17,364 --> 01:16:19,992 It was a harmony only nature could know. 1473 01:16:23,245 --> 01:16:27,249 And we were given this quiet glimpse into all of it. 1474 01:16:29,752 --> 01:16:32,379 And then... 1475 01:16:32,505 --> 01:16:35,674 the one horse we'd hoped to see for years... 1476 01:16:37,551 --> 01:16:40,638 the legendary Old Man... 1477 01:16:40,763 --> 01:16:44,225 seemed to materialize out of the mountains. 1478 01:16:44,350 --> 01:16:49,355 ♪ 1479 01:17:16,423 --> 01:17:18,884 He walked beside us... 1480 01:17:19,009 --> 01:17:21,929 and stayed with us until sunset... 1481 01:17:23,973 --> 01:17:25,182 when he was called home. 1482 01:17:25,307 --> 01:17:30,312 ♪ 1483 01:17:48,539 --> 01:17:53,586 And that night, we were given the spectacular gift... 1484 01:17:53,711 --> 01:17:58,716 of hundreds of Onaqui horses galloping to water... 1485 01:17:58,841 --> 01:18:00,801 like ghosts of the desert. 1486 01:18:05,764 --> 01:18:07,933 Well, uh, thank you everybody for being here, 1487 01:18:08,058 --> 01:18:11,020 my name is Gus Warr, I'm the BLM Wild Horse and Burro 1488 01:18:11,145 --> 01:18:13,022 Program Manager for Utah, 1489 01:18:13,147 --> 01:18:16,150 and I'll be the incident commander on this gather. 1490 01:18:16,275 --> 01:18:19,320 Um, been a lot of publicity, 1491 01:18:19,445 --> 01:18:22,156 a lot of things associated with-- with this gather. 1492 01:18:22,281 --> 01:18:24,825 Uh, we did have a litigation case we were working through, 1493 01:18:24,950 --> 01:18:27,536 and we wanted to allow Judge Moss 1494 01:18:27,661 --> 01:18:30,664 to make his ruling without overstepping our bounds 1495 01:18:30,789 --> 01:18:32,124 and not doing something we shouldn't, 1496 01:18:32,249 --> 01:18:33,876 and we did get a ruling 1497 01:18:34,001 --> 01:18:35,711 which gave us the green light to be out here today. 1498 01:18:35,836 --> 01:18:37,421 This is Lisa Reid, 1499 01:18:37,546 --> 01:18:40,299 she's our lead public affairs person out here 1500 01:18:40,424 --> 01:18:42,676 on this gather and, uh, 1501 01:18:42,801 --> 01:18:45,638 you're gonna hear her, uh, what I call barking orders. 1502 01:18:45,763 --> 01:18:48,224 She's in charge of all of you. 1503 01:18:48,349 --> 01:18:51,185 I'm in charge of everything out here, 1504 01:18:51,310 --> 01:18:54,772 meaning we got an operations person over here, 1505 01:18:54,897 --> 01:18:56,232 we've got a law enforcement branch, 1506 01:18:56,357 --> 01:18:57,775 we've got a public affairs 1507 01:18:57,900 --> 01:18:59,568 and so I'm trying to keep it all in check, 1508 01:18:59,693 --> 01:19:02,696 but she's-- she's kind of trying to corral the people. 1509 01:19:02,821 --> 01:19:04,406 [officer] You'll see us around, 1510 01:19:04,531 --> 01:19:06,325 we're gonna be scattered throughout the operation, 1511 01:19:06,450 --> 01:19:08,827 and, uh, we're here for safety, and we're gonna hope to prevent 1512 01:19:08,953 --> 01:19:10,663 any interference with the operation. 1513 01:19:10,788 --> 01:19:13,749 Because if we start interfering with gather operations, 1514 01:19:13,874 --> 01:19:16,460 then unfortunately, we have to move further back, 1515 01:19:16,585 --> 01:19:20,506 further away or-- or, you know, if worse comes to worse, 1516 01:19:20,631 --> 01:19:22,967 we may have to ask somebody that's not cooperating 1517 01:19:23,092 --> 01:19:25,302 for law enforcement to escort them out of the site. 1518 01:19:25,427 --> 01:19:28,013 It's a hike but it's-- it's the best-- 1519 01:19:28,138 --> 01:19:29,640 It's the best viewing you're gonna get. 1520 01:19:30,808 --> 01:19:33,185 [emotional music] 1521 01:19:33,310 --> 01:19:35,187 [Yvette panting] 1522 01:19:39,024 --> 01:19:40,693 [Yvette] We were no longer shocked 1523 01:19:40,818 --> 01:19:43,153 that the Onaqui roundup was justified 1524 01:19:43,279 --> 01:19:45,906 much like the rest. 1525 01:19:46,031 --> 01:19:48,909 When an organization called "Friends of Animals" 1526 01:19:49,034 --> 01:19:50,911 filed a lawsuit to stop it, 1527 01:19:51,036 --> 01:19:55,291 the BLM field manager for Utah testified under oath 1528 01:19:55,416 --> 01:19:58,043 that the horses were in poor body condition 1529 01:19:58,168 --> 01:20:00,087 due to being overpopulated 1530 01:20:00,212 --> 01:20:02,631 and needed to be rounded up for their own good 1531 01:20:02,756 --> 01:20:05,634 to prevent future starvation. 1532 01:20:05,759 --> 01:20:10,347 This ended up being false, even by the BLM's own admission. 1533 01:20:10,472 --> 01:20:12,182 And three days into the roundup, 1534 01:20:12,308 --> 01:20:15,185 the agency announced that most of the horses 1535 01:20:15,311 --> 01:20:17,730 were in good shape after all. 1536 01:20:17,855 --> 01:20:19,565 But instead of pulling back 1537 01:20:19,690 --> 01:20:22,901 or releasing the healthy horses... 1538 01:20:23,027 --> 01:20:24,987 they simply changed the justification 1539 01:20:25,112 --> 01:20:27,114 for the roundup to drought. 1540 01:20:32,786 --> 01:20:36,123 We, along with tens of thousands of people 1541 01:20:36,248 --> 01:20:39,752 and advocacy groups across the world... 1542 01:20:39,877 --> 01:20:43,714 tried everything we could to stop the roundup of Onaqui. 1543 01:20:43,839 --> 01:20:48,844 ♪ 1544 01:20:53,140 --> 01:20:57,227 The night before it happened, as they walked away... 1545 01:20:57,353 --> 01:20:59,104 it was like a funeral march. 1546 01:21:00,314 --> 01:21:02,191 It was as if they knew. 1547 01:21:10,449 --> 01:21:14,161 On the first day, the helicopter kept a distance, 1548 01:21:14,286 --> 01:21:16,538 and only 14 horses were captured. 1549 01:21:18,415 --> 01:21:20,125 None of the families that we knew 1550 01:21:20,250 --> 01:21:22,628 lived in this remote area. 1551 01:21:22,753 --> 01:21:26,340 So, we were shocked to see Old Man there 1552 01:21:26,465 --> 01:21:28,092 as if he were bearing witness. 1553 01:21:30,594 --> 01:21:32,888 The Associated Press showed up 1554 01:21:33,013 --> 01:21:36,809 along with advocates and other media. 1555 01:21:36,934 --> 01:21:40,521 But we were surprised at how few people turned out. 1556 01:21:40,646 --> 01:21:42,481 I think the BLM was too, 1557 01:21:42,606 --> 01:21:44,316 because in the days that followed, 1558 01:21:44,441 --> 01:21:47,903 the roundup became significantly more aggressive. 1559 01:21:53,325 --> 01:21:56,995 [Yvette] Sweetheart, run. 1560 01:21:57,121 --> 01:21:58,831 So, the question was, "Why can't we see the traps?" 1561 01:21:58,956 --> 01:22:00,874 They're over here, we looked at the viewing area, 1562 01:22:00,999 --> 01:22:02,668 and all you could see is the corrals. 1563 01:22:02,793 --> 01:22:05,254 You couldn't see the gather area out here. 1564 01:22:05,379 --> 01:22:06,588 [Yvette] Can we go up on that ridge, 1565 01:22:06,713 --> 01:22:08,298 like we did yesterday? 1566 01:22:08,424 --> 01:22:09,842 We were able to climb the mountain to look down-- 1567 01:22:09,967 --> 01:22:11,051 No, we-- we've selected a viewing site, 1568 01:22:11,176 --> 01:22:12,511 we've alerted the contractor, 1569 01:22:12,636 --> 01:22:13,887 we've alerted the helicopter pilot, 1570 01:22:14,012 --> 01:22:15,431 it's going to be right out here. 1571 01:22:15,556 --> 01:22:17,057 That's where we're going to be viewing from. 1572 01:22:17,182 --> 01:22:18,934 Unfortunately, we cannot see the trap site today, 1573 01:22:19,059 --> 01:22:20,310 and there's plenty of space 1574 01:22:20,436 --> 01:22:22,187 to allow us a clear line of sight, 1575 01:22:22,312 --> 01:22:24,231 but there are a lot more horses that are being rounded up, 1576 01:22:24,356 --> 01:22:27,901 so that can lead to a lot more injury in that area. 1577 01:22:28,026 --> 01:22:29,528 It's just-- it's really disappointing 1578 01:22:29,653 --> 01:22:32,614 that our observation rights are being denied. 1579 01:22:32,739 --> 01:22:35,659 But I'm not surprised. 1580 01:22:35,784 --> 01:22:38,287 [Yvette] What was heartbreaking about that morning 1581 01:22:38,412 --> 01:22:39,872 was when we arrived, 1582 01:22:39,997 --> 01:22:43,125 dozens of Onaqui horses were grazing 1583 01:22:43,250 --> 01:22:44,877 right near the trap site. 1584 01:22:48,547 --> 01:22:51,175 Stargazer sounded the alarm 1585 01:22:51,300 --> 01:22:53,051 before it even happened 1586 01:22:53,177 --> 01:22:55,971 and tried to move his family over the mountain 1587 01:22:56,096 --> 01:22:59,433 before taking the lead to try to guide them to safety. 1588 01:23:00,601 --> 01:23:01,852 But he was too late. 1589 01:23:11,236 --> 01:23:14,031 The horses were driven back and forth 1590 01:23:14,156 --> 01:23:15,491 as the helicopter looped. 1591 01:23:19,620 --> 01:23:21,872 It was horrifying to see. 1592 01:23:21,997 --> 01:23:26,752 ♪ 1593 01:23:29,505 --> 01:23:31,381 [Yvette] Oh, my gosh. 1594 01:23:31,507 --> 01:23:32,925 It's going in really fast. 1595 01:23:37,012 --> 01:23:40,057 [Yvette] The helicopter flew so low to the horses 1596 01:23:40,182 --> 01:23:43,143 we were terrified there would be a collision. 1597 01:23:43,268 --> 01:23:44,520 [Yvette] Oh, my God. 1598 01:23:46,605 --> 01:23:48,190 Guys, you've got to be kidding me. 1599 01:23:51,735 --> 01:23:54,780 [Yvette] This was the worst roundup we had ever been to. 1600 01:23:54,905 --> 01:23:57,032 And it was personal... 1601 01:23:57,157 --> 01:23:59,076 as we watched our families stampeded. 1602 01:24:02,162 --> 01:24:05,499 The young foal we called Sun Catcher... 1603 01:24:05,624 --> 01:24:08,502 The bay roans, perlino mares 1604 01:24:08,627 --> 01:24:11,672 and even Stargazer and his family... 1605 01:24:11,797 --> 01:24:13,966 were among those caught in the melee. 1606 01:24:18,345 --> 01:24:20,597 We felt like we were being held captive, 1607 01:24:20,722 --> 01:24:22,391 stuck on top of the mountain... 1608 01:24:23,892 --> 01:24:26,228 unable to help them... 1609 01:24:26,353 --> 01:24:29,481 as the Onaqui disappeared into a cloud of dust. 1610 01:24:31,650 --> 01:24:33,527 We felt like we had failed them. 1611 01:24:37,364 --> 01:24:39,575 The bay roan managed to escape. 1612 01:24:41,285 --> 01:24:43,620 But he didn't run away. 1613 01:24:43,745 --> 01:24:45,789 He went back for his family 1614 01:24:45,914 --> 01:24:49,126 and circled the trap site crying for them. 1615 01:24:52,004 --> 01:24:53,463 No, he's going in, he's going in. 1616 01:24:55,340 --> 01:24:56,925 [Yvette] As journalists, 1617 01:24:57,050 --> 01:24:59,720 it is our constitutional right to observe. 1618 01:24:59,845 --> 01:25:02,848 But the BLM did not allow us to see what they were doing 1619 01:25:02,973 --> 01:25:04,641 behind the mountain. 1620 01:25:04,766 --> 01:25:07,853 Unlike Sand Wash Basin, we had no vantage point 1621 01:25:07,978 --> 01:25:10,188 to document any of the injuries 1622 01:25:10,314 --> 01:25:12,941 or potential deaths of these horses. 1623 01:25:13,066 --> 01:25:14,484 Were any horses injured yesterday? 1624 01:25:14,610 --> 01:25:15,902 [woman] None. 1625 01:25:16,028 --> 01:25:17,529 [Yvette] And who is the organization 1626 01:25:17,654 --> 01:25:19,197 -down there right now? -Wild Horses of America. 1627 01:25:19,323 --> 01:25:20,782 And so why would you give preferential treatment 1628 01:25:20,907 --> 01:25:22,242 -to an organization? -[woman] There is no 1629 01:25:22,367 --> 01:25:23,827 preferential treatment, only the fact 1630 01:25:23,952 --> 01:25:26,455 that they are part of our dart team program. 1631 01:25:26,580 --> 01:25:28,206 That's clearly preferential treatment, 1632 01:25:28,332 --> 01:25:31,251 when we want to document what is going on down there, 1633 01:25:31,376 --> 01:25:33,086 and you're denying us our right to observe. 1634 01:25:33,211 --> 01:25:35,797 There is nothing-- there is nothing obstructive 1635 01:25:35,922 --> 01:25:39,760 about us putting our camera on a ridge just like yesterday 1636 01:25:39,885 --> 01:25:42,638 when there were far fewer horses. 1637 01:25:42,763 --> 01:25:44,097 We're not-- we're not obstructing anything. 1638 01:25:44,222 --> 01:25:45,557 And we had looked at other locations, 1639 01:25:45,682 --> 01:25:47,184 in fact, we were over a mile and a half 1640 01:25:47,309 --> 01:25:48,935 to where we can get straight on, 1641 01:25:49,061 --> 01:25:51,480 but we felt like this was closer and you could see more 1642 01:25:51,605 --> 01:25:53,482 and get better identification of the horses. 1643 01:25:53,607 --> 01:25:55,776 [Yvette] Can we go see the holding facility 1644 01:25:55,901 --> 01:25:57,319 or the, uh, the corrals now? 1645 01:25:57,444 --> 01:25:58,987 We'd like to go up on that ridge, 1646 01:25:59,112 --> 01:26:00,864 it's a similar distance that we hiked yesterday. 1647 01:26:00,989 --> 01:26:02,783 So, we already talked about you could go over here and look, 1648 01:26:02,908 --> 01:26:04,284 you can't see the holding facility, 1649 01:26:04,409 --> 01:26:05,744 and no, you can't go down there because-- 1650 01:26:05,869 --> 01:26:07,746 [Yvette] We don't need to go down there, 1651 01:26:07,871 --> 01:26:09,498 we've got 1 000 millimeter lens, we could go over to that ridge, 1652 01:26:09,623 --> 01:26:11,166 which is actually kind of shorter 1653 01:26:11,291 --> 01:26:12,501 than we hiked yesterday and we're allowed to do. 1654 01:26:12,626 --> 01:26:14,169 We'd like to get a clear shot. 1655 01:26:14,294 --> 01:26:15,796 I think you should go over here and look and-- 1656 01:26:15,921 --> 01:26:17,172 Because you don't believe us, go over here-- 1657 01:26:17,297 --> 01:26:18,173 I don't know where the individual 1658 01:26:18,298 --> 01:26:19,716 that went over there. 1659 01:26:19,841 --> 01:26:20,926 [Yvette] I mean, you've scouted this area, 1660 01:26:21,051 --> 01:26:22,511 you mentioned that this morning. 1661 01:26:22,636 --> 01:26:24,054 Can we get a clear shot of the trap-- from-- 1662 01:26:24,179 --> 01:26:25,472 -Of the trap site from there? -You can't, 1663 01:26:25,597 --> 01:26:27,099 you can't, that's why I'm saying-- 1664 01:26:27,224 --> 01:26:28,558 [Yvette] So, why would you send us over there? 1665 01:26:28,684 --> 01:26:29,976 Because that's where you asked to go. 1666 01:26:30,102 --> 01:26:31,103 [Yvette] I asked to go on this ridge 1667 01:26:31,228 --> 01:26:32,979 to go see the trap site. 1668 01:26:33,105 --> 01:26:34,690 Yeah, you're not going to be able to see that down there, 1669 01:26:34,815 --> 01:26:36,108 and, you know, we have to keep people controlled. 1670 01:26:36,233 --> 01:26:37,567 [Yvette] We can see it down there. 1671 01:26:37,693 --> 01:26:39,277 What if I get you part way down there 1672 01:26:39,403 --> 01:26:40,946 and all of a sudden the helicopter takes off and-- 1673 01:26:41,071 --> 01:26:42,364 [Yvette] I assume that you're in communication 1674 01:26:42,489 --> 01:26:44,032 -with the helicopter. -We are. 1675 01:26:44,157 --> 01:26:45,701 [Yvette] You're denying our right to observe, 1676 01:26:45,826 --> 01:26:47,619 you're denying our constitutional rights. 1677 01:26:47,744 --> 01:26:49,454 [Brian] What did you mean by you need to control the people? 1678 01:26:49,579 --> 01:26:52,332 We need to-- we need to make sure people are safe. 1679 01:26:52,457 --> 01:26:53,959 -That's what I mean-- -[Yvette] There's no safety 1680 01:26:54,084 --> 01:26:55,669 unless you've got some rogue helicopter pilot 1681 01:26:55,794 --> 01:26:57,254 who's going to take off, 1682 01:26:57,379 --> 01:26:59,005 and then you really hired the wrong person, 1683 01:26:59,131 --> 01:27:00,674 it is perfectly safe for us. 1684 01:27:00,799 --> 01:27:02,300 We got the best helicopter pilot in the business. 1685 01:27:02,426 --> 01:27:04,136 [Yvette] Wonderful. Great. I thought he did-- 1686 01:27:04,261 --> 01:27:05,637 I thought he kept a very reasonable distance yesterday. 1687 01:27:05,762 --> 01:27:07,097 -What about today? -[Yvette] I thought, 1688 01:27:07,222 --> 01:27:08,724 well, he got pretty darn close today. 1689 01:27:08,849 --> 01:27:10,434 I would like to go over there, so if you've got 1690 01:27:10,559 --> 01:27:11,810 the best helicopter pilot in the distance, 1691 01:27:11,935 --> 01:27:13,562 he's not going to take off on me. 1692 01:27:13,687 --> 01:27:15,731 ...people are getting a little bit, uh, emotional, 1693 01:27:15,856 --> 01:27:17,607 and, you know, we're going to keep people here-- 1694 01:27:17,733 --> 01:27:19,276 A minute ago, it was for our safety, 1695 01:27:19,401 --> 01:27:21,111 now you're saying it's because we're emotional. 1696 01:27:21,236 --> 01:27:23,113 [Gus] Well, emotion runs into that. 1697 01:27:23,238 --> 01:27:25,657 If people are getting emotional, how do you control people? 1698 01:27:25,782 --> 01:27:27,033 [Brian] We weren't emotional a minute ago. 1699 01:27:27,159 --> 01:27:28,702 [Yvette] No, we very calmly asked, 1700 01:27:28,827 --> 01:27:30,787 and we said it is our right as journalists, 1701 01:27:30,912 --> 01:27:33,290 as public observers to go over there 1702 01:27:33,415 --> 01:27:35,000 and point our camera at the trap site. 1703 01:27:35,125 --> 01:27:36,376 ...of everybody 1704 01:27:36,501 --> 01:27:37,711 and the coordination of this group, 1705 01:27:37,836 --> 01:27:39,045 we want to keep you here. 1706 01:27:39,171 --> 01:27:40,547 So, that's what we're gonna do. 1707 01:27:40,672 --> 01:27:42,007 [journalist] Can I go? I'm not emotional. 1708 01:27:42,132 --> 01:27:43,550 We're gonna keep you here. 1709 01:27:43,675 --> 01:27:45,093 Yeah, no. 1710 01:27:45,218 --> 01:27:48,764 So, um, we made such a stink 1711 01:27:48,889 --> 01:27:51,391 and made some-- made some pretty damn good points, 1712 01:27:51,516 --> 01:27:54,352 and they are now allowing us, after a fight, 1713 01:27:54,478 --> 01:27:58,315 to go over to a certain point 1714 01:27:58,440 --> 01:28:00,400 where we're allowed to observe. 1715 01:28:00,525 --> 01:28:01,777 -Are you filming this? -[helicopter whirling] 1716 01:28:03,069 --> 01:28:04,696 So, holy cow. 1717 01:28:09,534 --> 01:28:10,786 Wow. 1718 01:28:21,713 --> 01:28:22,964 This is nuts. 1719 01:28:26,301 --> 01:28:27,552 This is nuts. 1720 01:28:37,687 --> 01:28:43,401 [piano music] 1721 01:28:43,527 --> 01:28:46,571 There is a child that just got out of the helicopter. 1722 01:28:46,696 --> 01:28:49,950 Why is a-- why is a kid riding around? 1723 01:28:50,075 --> 01:28:52,494 How is that not a liability issue? 1724 01:28:52,619 --> 01:28:54,538 [Kai] Well, that's because it's daddy's helicopter. 1725 01:28:54,663 --> 01:28:56,122 [Yvette] Yeah, but for a government roundup 1726 01:28:56,248 --> 01:28:57,666 of wild horses, you've got a chi-- 1727 01:28:57,791 --> 01:28:59,376 -You've got a child? -[Kai] Yeah. 1728 01:28:59,501 --> 01:29:02,295 That's not even a teenager. That's a little girl. 1729 01:29:02,420 --> 01:29:03,880 [Kai] No reason that we couldn't-- 1730 01:29:04,005 --> 01:29:06,925 Yeah, there's no-- this is absurd, yeah. 1731 01:29:07,050 --> 01:29:09,219 We can go low, we can have the camera low, 1732 01:29:09,344 --> 01:29:12,389 we can have-- we could crouch below those rocks. 1733 01:29:12,514 --> 01:29:14,391 -[Yvette] Absolutely. -[Kai] Zero issue. 1734 01:29:14,516 --> 01:29:16,101 [Yvette] We could sit right up here. 1735 01:29:16,226 --> 01:29:18,895 We could see the helicopter operations from there. 1736 01:29:19,020 --> 01:29:20,647 All the way around the mountain, 1737 01:29:20,772 --> 01:29:22,649 and then we could see the trap site. 1738 01:29:22,774 --> 01:29:26,194 We could actually see the horses running in, like this. 1739 01:29:28,488 --> 01:29:29,739 So, they run them in from there. 1740 01:29:38,331 --> 01:29:39,624 And then they're forced through here. 1741 01:29:39,749 --> 01:29:41,626 Can you imagine if you were a horse 1742 01:29:41,751 --> 01:29:43,712 and you run? 1743 01:29:43,837 --> 01:29:45,088 Can you tell me about the child 1744 01:29:45,213 --> 01:29:46,840 that was in the chopper yesterday? 1745 01:29:46,965 --> 01:29:48,717 I have no idea what you're talking about. 1746 01:29:48,842 --> 01:29:50,510 [Yvette] There was a little girl that got out of the chopper, 1747 01:29:50,635 --> 01:29:52,095 we've got it on film. 1748 01:29:52,220 --> 01:29:53,805 Why is a child riding around? 1749 01:29:53,930 --> 01:29:55,181 -Is that legal? -Couldn't tell you. 1750 01:29:57,309 --> 01:29:58,894 [Yvette] But after the roundup is done 1751 01:29:59,019 --> 01:30:00,729 and the chopper is grounded, 1752 01:30:00,854 --> 01:30:02,731 why can't we go over to the other side of the mountain 1753 01:30:02,856 --> 01:30:05,609 if we're half a mile away on 1 000 millimeter lens? 1754 01:30:09,029 --> 01:30:10,822 We discussed this yesterday. 1755 01:30:10,947 --> 01:30:13,450 Yeah, and I'd like to know why what you said is changing again. 1756 01:30:16,453 --> 01:30:17,787 So, you're not gonna let 1757 01:30:17,913 --> 01:30:19,539 the Associated Press over there either? 1758 01:30:19,664 --> 01:30:22,250 Yeah, come in. 1759 01:30:22,375 --> 01:30:24,127 [Yvette] We were told we couldn't go 1760 01:30:24,252 --> 01:30:27,047 near the trap site because it was a safety issue. 1761 01:30:27,172 --> 01:30:30,967 But a little girl not only rode around in the helicopter, 1762 01:30:31,092 --> 01:30:33,386 but sat on the back of a water truck 1763 01:30:33,511 --> 01:30:35,221 as the horses were hosed down. 1764 01:30:35,347 --> 01:30:38,141 [horses neigh] 1765 01:30:38,266 --> 01:30:42,812 ♪ 1766 01:30:47,067 --> 01:30:48,318 [Yvette] This is just so unfair. 1767 01:30:50,320 --> 01:30:53,490 -I can hear them crying. -[horses neigh] 1768 01:30:53,615 --> 01:30:54,866 This is just really heartbreaking. 1769 01:31:02,624 --> 01:31:05,543 We're not allowed to view the holding facility, 1770 01:31:05,669 --> 01:31:08,046 even though it's a BLM holding facility. 1771 01:31:08,171 --> 01:31:10,173 There's Kai, we've got officers. 1772 01:31:10,298 --> 01:31:11,841 I'm not sure what we're about to encounter. 1773 01:31:16,930 --> 01:31:20,934 [melancholic music] 1774 01:31:23,645 --> 01:31:26,690 [horses neigh] 1775 01:31:31,444 --> 01:31:32,696 [horse blusters] 1776 01:31:33,863 --> 01:31:36,116 [horses neigh] 1777 01:31:43,289 --> 01:31:47,168 [horses neigh] 1778 01:31:47,293 --> 01:31:48,753 [horses neigh] 1779 01:31:50,922 --> 01:31:52,173 [horses neigh] 1780 01:31:58,847 --> 01:32:00,765 -[Yvette] That sound is-- -[Kai] I know, it's terrible. 1781 01:32:00,890 --> 01:32:02,851 We've been listening to it for hours now, 1782 01:32:02,976 --> 01:32:04,394 for two hours, it's horrible. 1783 01:32:04,519 --> 01:32:05,729 [horse neighs] 1784 01:32:05,854 --> 01:32:10,859 ♪ 1785 01:32:12,819 --> 01:32:14,612 [horse neighs] 1786 01:32:16,364 --> 01:32:17,615 [Yvette] I'm so sorry. 1787 01:32:27,167 --> 01:32:30,462 [Yvette] Three months later, we went back to Delta. 1788 01:32:34,591 --> 01:32:38,094 Almost all of the families we've gotten to know... 1789 01:32:38,219 --> 01:32:40,472 had been captured and separated. 1790 01:32:43,016 --> 01:32:45,935 The beautiful perlino sisters 1791 01:32:46,061 --> 01:32:49,272 strode through pools of water and mud. 1792 01:32:51,483 --> 01:32:54,486 And their brave stallion who escaped 1793 01:32:54,611 --> 01:32:56,946 but gallantly went back for them 1794 01:32:57,072 --> 01:32:58,323 was captured too. 1795 01:33:00,116 --> 01:33:01,868 The father of the chestnut foal. 1796 01:33:03,828 --> 01:33:05,789 Even the powerful Stargazer... 1797 01:33:07,749 --> 01:33:10,376 who had been so resplendent in the wild... 1798 01:33:11,920 --> 01:33:13,797 had been reduced to this. 1799 01:33:13,922 --> 01:33:18,927 ♪ 1800 01:34:19,154 --> 01:34:20,572 [birds chirping] 1801 01:34:21,656 --> 01:34:25,660 [flute music] 1802 01:34:32,041 --> 01:34:35,086 A number of the horses from roundups... 1803 01:34:35,211 --> 01:34:37,839 found safe landings at sanctuaries. 1804 01:34:39,883 --> 01:34:42,093 The cremello and the black from Onaqui 1805 01:34:42,218 --> 01:34:47,015 landed at Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary in Colorado. 1806 01:34:47,140 --> 01:34:49,267 The Black has joined the herd. 1807 01:34:49,392 --> 01:34:51,769 Though the cremello wanders alone. 1808 01:34:54,606 --> 01:34:57,567 Norman remained free on the range. 1809 01:34:57,692 --> 01:35:00,236 Though one of the three amigos, Rowan, 1810 01:35:00,361 --> 01:35:02,947 was reported to be killed by the BLM 1811 01:35:03,072 --> 01:35:05,116 only days before the roundup 1812 01:35:05,241 --> 01:35:08,953 for supposedly having a pre-existing injury. 1813 01:35:11,247 --> 01:35:15,168 We never did find the chestnut foal. 1814 01:35:15,293 --> 01:35:18,463 Although Stargazer's story ended in a different way. 1815 01:35:21,007 --> 01:35:24,844 After the BLM auctioned off the surviving Onaqui horses, 1816 01:35:24,969 --> 01:35:28,598 he and his favorite mare were adopted together. 1817 01:35:28,723 --> 01:35:31,226 Although they will never again be free. 1818 01:35:33,436 --> 01:35:35,438 Old Man was left wild... 1819 01:35:37,148 --> 01:35:38,441 though we never saw him again. 1820 01:35:42,403 --> 01:35:45,281 The fate of nearly 60,000 1821 01:35:45,406 --> 01:35:47,283 wild horses and burros 1822 01:35:47,408 --> 01:35:51,454 stuck in holding facilities across the United States... 1823 01:35:51,579 --> 01:35:52,956 will never fully be known. 1824 01:35:57,794 --> 01:35:59,754 This film is in honor of them... 1825 01:36:02,090 --> 01:36:03,800 and for all of their mysterious... 1826 01:36:05,093 --> 01:36:09,013 unfathomable wild beauty 1827 01:36:09,138 --> 01:36:10,682 that they've brought to the world. 1828 01:36:10,807 --> 01:36:14,811 ♪ 1829 01:36:54,726 --> 01:36:56,227 Unbridled and unbroken, 1830 01:36:56,352 --> 01:36:57,812 these symbols of our nation's merits 1831 01:36:57,937 --> 01:36:59,731 embody the tonic of wildness 1832 01:36:59,856 --> 01:37:02,817 that Henry David Thoreau so eloquently phrased 1833 01:37:02,942 --> 01:37:04,527 in his reflective piece, Walden. 1834 01:37:04,652 --> 01:37:07,697 Wild horses and burros have a place on these lands, 1835 01:37:07,822 --> 01:37:09,907 epitomizing the tenacity and grit 1836 01:37:10,033 --> 01:37:11,326 this nation strives for. 1837 01:37:11,451 --> 01:37:15,788 ♪ 1838 01:38:15,139 --> 01:38:20,144 ♪ 1839 01:39:15,450 --> 01:39:20,455 ♪