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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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[horse neighs]

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[hooves clopping]

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[ethereal music]

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[Yvette] I'll never forget
the first time

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that I saw a wild horse.

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It was right
at the edge of dawn,

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when the sky was
in that special
shade between blue and purple.

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And I thought,
in that moment,

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they looked like ghosts
of the desert.

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♪

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It was a journey
none of us expected to go on.

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Encountering
such extraordinary beauty...

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and traversing
the vast Western US.

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We were searching
for the answer to one question.

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Why are wild horses
disappearing?

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[helicopter whirring]

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At first, what we discovered
sounded like a conspiracy...

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until we realized it was.

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[music fades]

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Anyone who says magic is gone
from the world

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hasn't been in the wild
with horses.

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There's a famous quote

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that I'd love
for you to think about,

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as we take you
through this journey.

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"We need
the tonic of wildness.

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We require that all things
be mysterious and unexplorable.

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That the land and the sea
be indefinitely wild.

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Unfathomed by us,
because they are unfathomable.

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We can never have enough
of nature."

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Most people don't know...

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that wild horses even exist
in our country.

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Representing purity,

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and power, and freedom.

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We originally began
this project

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as a love letter
to wild horses.

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And to gather footage
for a film

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that I was directing
at the time.

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A modern-day retelling
ofBlack Beauty.

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It's little known
that Anna C. Wells' classic

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wasn't necessarily written
as a children's book.

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It was an animal welfare plea,

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to protect
the horses of her time.

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Like most people,
we had no idea

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that wild horses were being
rounded up in mass numbers,

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taken away from their homes
and their families...

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put into government
holding facilities,

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never to gallop again.

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[horses neighing]

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So, after the credits rolled
onBlack Beauty,

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we decided to keep going.

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But little did we know,

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beyond the extraordinary beauty
of wild horses,

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they had an enemy.

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One that was well-funded

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and full of lies,
deceit, and corruption.

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We had no idea
we were about to enter a war.

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We just got to Delta.

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We're not allowed
to view the holding facility,

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even though
it's a BLM holding facility.

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There's Kai,
we've got officers,

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I'm not sure
what we're about to encounter.

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The famous Onaqui Horses
were just rounded up,

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and they said that
we couldn't come observe.

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So, we came anyway.

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The horses are just being
unloaded from the trucks.

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[horses neighing]

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This is... [sighs]

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...this is really hard to see.

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[somber music]

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[horses whinnying]

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I think one of the worst things
in doing all of this...

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[helicopter whirring]

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...was watching their freedom
get taken away.

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-Gosh, that sound is--
-[man 1] I know, it's terrible.

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And we've been listening to it
for hours now,

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-for two hours, it's horrible.
-[Yvette sighs]

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And our question was...

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why?

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Why is this happening
to wild horses?

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Aren't they living symbols
of America?

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Aren't they supposed to be
federally protected?

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And if wild horses
live on public land,

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which they do...

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...don't the people have a say?

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[crowd chanting]
Stop the choppers!

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Isn't this our land?

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[crowd chanting]
Stop the choppers!

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Stop the choppers!

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[Yvette]
But before we go forward,

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let's go back.

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To understand where
wild horses really came from,

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and why they,
like other species,

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such as wolves, coyotes,

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trout and sage-grouse,

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are being scapegoated

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and knowingly eradicated
from our public lands.

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Because unless
we do something...

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wild horses will disappear...

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forever.

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[Yvette speaking
Indigenous language]

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My name is
Dr. Yvette Running Horse Collin

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and I'm an Oglala Lakota
researcher and scientist.

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And I'm an administrator

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for the He'Sapa Unity Alliance
Council of Elders.

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So, Western science
and academia now agrees

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that the horse originated
in North America.

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However, they say
that all the horses died out

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in North and South America
during the last Ice Age,

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which is around 13,000
to 11,000 years ago,

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until Columbus
reintroduced them

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in the late 1400s.

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Many, many, many species
survived the Ice Age.

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For example,
the elk, the antelope,

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of course, we had the wolf,
the bear, the bison.

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So, I find it
very interesting,

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why they would focus
on the horse.

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Contrary to what Western
academia has put forward,

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our people say,
we always had the horse.

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History is often told
by the conqueror.

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There were many accounts
in the Spanish chronicles

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of multiple quadrupeds, right,
four-legged animals

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everywhere,
all over the place.

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There were also accounts
where Native peoples and horses

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were reported
as living together

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in a domestic-type situation.

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There is a great deal
of fossil evidence

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to prove that the horses

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did not go extinct
in the Americas

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and that they indeed
had a relationship

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with different Native peoples.

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This issue has not been properly
scientifically researched.

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What would happen...

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if it's understood
and widely accepted

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that the horse
survived the Ice Age?

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And, in fact, some of that blood
is still in the wild horses

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that roam these lands today.

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If the United States
follows its own laws,

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they would then be protected
by the Endangered Species Act.

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Not only
would they be protected,

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it also protects the lands
that they call home.

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They wouldn't be available
for extraction, uh, for mining.

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They would have to be kept pure

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and allowed
to live in balance.

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[plane roaring faintly]

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The wild horse war
has been going on

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for a long time.

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In 1971, President Nixon
stepped in to help.

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The president had been moved

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by the plight
of wild horses and burros

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after he received
thousands of letters

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sent in by children,

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a campaign organized
by Velma Johnson,

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better known
as "Wild Horse Annie."

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The president opened
his remarks on the bill

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by quoting
Henry David Thoreau.

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"We need the tonic
of wildness," he began.

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Congress unanimously passed

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the Wild and
Free-Roaming Horses
and Burros Act of 1971.

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Which stated
that they should be protected

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from capture, branding,
harassment, and death.

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It became
starkly black and white to us

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how much
that law was being violated,

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and how little had changed.

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We did not embark on this

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to become
investigative reporters.

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But we also refused
to stand idly by,

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after witnessing
such antiquated cruelty

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still happening today.

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We very calmly asked
and we said it is our right...

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-Yep. Yeah.
-...as journalists,

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as public observers,
to go over there

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and point our camera--

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And-- and we feel that
for the safety of everybody,

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and the coordination
of this group,

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we want to keep you here,
so that's what we're gonna do.

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[crewmember] A minute ago,
it was for our safety,

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now you're saying
it's 'cause we're emotional.

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[man]
Well, emotion runs into that.

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If people are getting emotional,
how do you control people?

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[birds chirping]

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[Yvette] Today,
wild horses are under attack,

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perhaps more
than ever before.

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The law
President Nixon championed

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is being ignored.

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And even worse,

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the Bureau of Land Management
is currently trying to reduce

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wild horse populations down

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to what President Nixon
considered to be...

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extinction level.

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The president's policy
contained one fatal flaw.

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The Wild Horse
and Burro Act grants

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the Bureau of Land Management
sole authority

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to determine
the amount of wild horses

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that can roam free
on public land.

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Since 1971,

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the BLM has set
the appropriate amount to zero

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in nearly 50%
of herd management areas

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initially protected
at a federal level.

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But to get
to the bottom of all of this,

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we felt like we needed
to start with the horses.

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We needed to go out
into the wild.

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[delicate music]

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Our journey began in Utah,

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with the famous Onaqui horses.

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♪

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You come
to a place like this

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and the horses
are right off the road.

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And that's probably why
they're arguably

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the most famous horses
in the country.

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The more time
we spent with them...

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we began to learn about
their families.

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There were the curious foals,

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00:13:56,270 --> 00:13:57,967
the watchful mothers...

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00:14:00,056 --> 00:14:04,017
the playful adolescents,
and the bachelors.

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00:14:06,062 --> 00:14:07,672
There were stallions

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00:14:07,716 --> 00:14:09,631
that battled
for mares and dominance...

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00:14:09,674 --> 00:14:11,024
[horses braying]

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00:14:12,982 --> 00:14:14,810
And the more
quirky personalities.

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It was clear
how much they were
just like us.

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We got to know
the rhythm of their lives

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and how
they had been given names,

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00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,095
like Stargazer
and Moon Drinker.

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The cremello
and his best friend, the black.

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The powerful bay roan
who is very protective

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00:14:48,278 --> 00:14:50,933
over his mares,
the perlino sisters.

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There was one stallion
with piercing blue eyes,

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that someone called Norman,
and the name stuck.

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00:15:00,595 --> 00:15:03,946
Norman was part
of what's called bachelor band,

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00:15:03,990 --> 00:15:05,774
which means
a group of young stallions

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00:15:05,817 --> 00:15:08,385
who hang out together.

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His two best friends
were Rowan and Rudy.

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00:15:13,825 --> 00:15:16,306
Our favorite family
didn't have any names,

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00:15:16,350 --> 00:15:19,919
so we called
the stallion, Wind Knot,

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00:15:19,962 --> 00:15:22,834
and his chestnut foal,
Suncatcher.

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When we first saw them,
there were over 500 horses,

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but the most famous
proved elusive.

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He was a legendary
white stallion called Old Man.

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00:15:39,939 --> 00:15:41,853
The Gandalf of the mountains.

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00:15:46,380 --> 00:15:48,338
This place
was like a fairytale.

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00:15:50,384 --> 00:15:53,300
And it was right here
for all of us.

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00:15:55,258 --> 00:15:59,001
But only two months
after we first visited them,

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we found out the Onaqui were
going to be rounded up, too.

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00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:06,617
We realized at that point,

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00:16:06,661 --> 00:16:11,535
as filmmakers,
we had a duty to protect them.

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00:16:11,579 --> 00:16:16,062
Not only the Onaqui,
but all wild horses.

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00:16:16,105 --> 00:16:21,110
But this issue
has been going on
for over 100 years.

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00:16:21,154 --> 00:16:22,851
How were we gonna
make a difference?

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00:16:25,723 --> 00:16:27,682
As they usually did,
the horses guided us.

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00:16:30,250 --> 00:16:33,470
Right to the good people
that could help.

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[Kimerlee]
Hi, I'm Kimerlee Curyl,

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00:16:35,211 --> 00:16:37,822
and I am a wild horse
photographer and advocate

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00:16:37,866 --> 00:16:40,695
for keeping our wild horses
on our public lands.

255
00:16:40,738 --> 00:16:43,176
[Erik] My name is Erik Molvar,
I'm a wildlife biologist,

256
00:16:43,219 --> 00:16:45,091
and I'm also
the Executive Director

257
00:16:45,134 --> 00:16:46,744
of Western Watersheds Project,

258
00:16:46,788 --> 00:16:48,442
a conservation group
dedicated to protecting

259
00:16:48,485 --> 00:16:50,052
and restoring wildlife
and watersheds

260
00:16:50,096 --> 00:16:51,445
throughout the American West.

261
00:16:51,488 --> 00:16:52,968
[Kimerlee]
So, I've been coming out

262
00:16:53,012 --> 00:16:56,015
to the Onaqui Range
since 2000-- 2009.

263
00:16:56,058 --> 00:16:58,017
But my first visit out here,
of course,

264
00:16:58,060 --> 00:17:00,584
was beyond magical
and life-changing.

265
00:17:00,628 --> 00:17:02,586
To drive out here,

266
00:17:02,630 --> 00:17:06,329
I did not expect to be immersed
in such a large herd of horses.

267
00:17:06,373 --> 00:17:07,983
To walk amongst them,

268
00:17:08,027 --> 00:17:09,854
feel like I became part
of the herd that week.

269
00:17:09,897 --> 00:17:13,641
And unfortunately, that fall,
there was an "emergency roundup"

270
00:17:13,684 --> 00:17:16,383
and they stripped
these horses down to--

271
00:17:16,425 --> 00:17:18,950
the last I read,
was somewhere between 50 and 75,

272
00:17:18,993 --> 00:17:21,214
and that was in 2009.

273
00:17:21,257 --> 00:17:23,390
[Erik] Here we are in the--
in the middle of the Red Desert,

274
00:17:23,433 --> 00:17:27,262
and it's one of the largest
unfenced tracts of public land

275
00:17:27,307 --> 00:17:29,048
anywhere remaining
in North America.

276
00:17:29,091 --> 00:17:32,703
The Red Desert is one
of the real biological hot spots

277
00:17:32,747 --> 00:17:34,488
in the American West.

278
00:17:34,531 --> 00:17:36,577
One of the places where
the ecosystems are healthiest,

279
00:17:36,620 --> 00:17:38,666
where the biodiversity
is greatest.

280
00:17:38,709 --> 00:17:41,147
And this is an area
that used to have

281
00:17:41,190 --> 00:17:43,018
thousands and thousands
of wild horses,

282
00:17:43,062 --> 00:17:45,847
but has been subjected
to heavy roundups

283
00:17:45,890 --> 00:17:47,457
by the Bureau
of Land Management,

284
00:17:47,501 --> 00:17:49,546
and now,
they're getting quite rare.

285
00:17:49,590 --> 00:17:51,026
In the Western United States,

286
00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:54,247
there are less
than 100,000 wild horses.

287
00:17:54,290 --> 00:17:57,685
There are two million cattle
that are set loose

288
00:17:57,728 --> 00:17:59,904
on Western Public Lands
every year,

289
00:17:59,948 --> 00:18:01,776
and who knows
how many million sheep.

290
00:18:01,819 --> 00:18:05,127
The Bureau of Land Management
recently did an analysis

291
00:18:05,171 --> 00:18:06,955
and determined
that pretty much

292
00:18:06,998 --> 00:18:09,088
all of the wild horse areas
in the Red Desert

293
00:18:09,131 --> 00:18:11,873
are meeting the thriving
natural ecological balance

294
00:18:11,916 --> 00:18:13,570
that's required by federal law.

295
00:18:13,614 --> 00:18:16,573
And yet,
the agency wants to take away

296
00:18:16,617 --> 00:18:18,053
thousands of these horses,

297
00:18:18,097 --> 00:18:19,446
even though the land
is in great shape.

298
00:18:19,489 --> 00:18:21,317
[Kimerlee]
It's also frustrating that

299
00:18:21,361 --> 00:18:23,972
if you were to look at a graph
of the, what is it,

300
00:18:24,015 --> 00:18:27,149
245 million acres
of public lands that we have

301
00:18:27,193 --> 00:18:30,413
and you look at how much
is allotted for cattle,

302
00:18:30,457 --> 00:18:34,635
and then you look at the very
small fraction for horses,

303
00:18:34,678 --> 00:18:36,506
you just got to
do the math on that.

304
00:18:36,550 --> 00:18:39,509
[Erik] Wild horses forage
a lot more like bison.

305
00:18:39,553 --> 00:18:42,947
Horses can forage ten,
20 miles away from water.

306
00:18:42,991 --> 00:18:44,427
So, they have
a lighter impact

307
00:18:44,471 --> 00:18:47,256
on the overall health
of the vegetation.

308
00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:51,608
Whereas cattle will forage
right next to water sources.

309
00:18:51,652 --> 00:18:53,828
And these
are the biodiversity hot spots,

310
00:18:53,871 --> 00:18:56,178
the oases
out here in the arid lands.

311
00:18:56,222 --> 00:18:59,312
So, if you have
really heavy overgrazing,

312
00:18:59,355 --> 00:19:00,748
close to water,

313
00:19:00,791 --> 00:19:02,489
you're wiping out
the biodiversity

314
00:19:02,532 --> 00:19:04,839
not just of the vegetation,
but of all the animals,

315
00:19:04,882 --> 00:19:09,322
the insects, the birds,
that depend on that.

316
00:19:09,365 --> 00:19:11,411
Wild horses have always been
an easy scapegoat

317
00:19:11,454 --> 00:19:12,760
for the livestock industry,

318
00:19:12,803 --> 00:19:14,588
because
they don't want to admit

319
00:19:14,631 --> 00:19:17,199
that their cattle and sheep,
and the huge numbers of them,

320
00:19:17,243 --> 00:19:19,593
that are overgrazing
chronically, year after year,

321
00:19:19,636 --> 00:19:21,943
are the problem with land health
in the American West.

322
00:19:21,986 --> 00:19:25,207
This is a-- a simple case
of the federal government

323
00:19:25,251 --> 00:19:27,340
doing the bidding
of a handful of privileged

324
00:19:27,383 --> 00:19:31,213
livestock permitees
that want the horses gone.

325
00:19:31,257 --> 00:19:34,956
They're pointing
to basically an innocent victim

326
00:19:34,999 --> 00:19:36,784
in all of this.

327
00:19:36,827 --> 00:19:39,526
Perhaps the biggest issue
facing Bureau of Land Management

328
00:19:39,569 --> 00:19:43,094
is the agency's
incompetence itself.

329
00:19:43,138 --> 00:19:46,533
[Yvette] We left the Red Desert
with two new allies.

330
00:19:46,576 --> 00:19:51,059
And in 2019, we experienced
our first roundup.

331
00:19:51,102 --> 00:19:54,671
Which was a massive removal
of over 800 horses

332
00:19:54,715 --> 00:19:58,066
in the Triple B area
of Nevada.

333
00:19:58,109 --> 00:19:59,937
But before we get
into the darker stuff,

334
00:19:59,981 --> 00:20:02,636
I think it's probably time
to introduce our team.

335
00:20:02,679 --> 00:20:04,203
[Ed] Uh,
Wyoming cell service

336
00:20:04,246 --> 00:20:06,596
isn't the best cell service
in the world.

337
00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,511
[Richard] That's why we're
listening to Alanis Morissette.

338
00:20:08,555 --> 00:20:10,470
[Yvette]
The driver is my husband, Ed.

339
00:20:10,513 --> 00:20:13,908
He's my partner
in all things.

340
00:20:13,951 --> 00:20:15,649
[Richard]
That's a lot of sand.

341
00:20:15,692 --> 00:20:18,347
The sarcastic one
is my younger brother, Richard.

342
00:20:18,391 --> 00:20:20,915
There's Kai,
our brilliant cinematographer,

343
00:20:20,958 --> 00:20:23,222
and our two first ACs,

344
00:20:23,265 --> 00:20:25,311
who rotated
during different trips,

345
00:20:25,354 --> 00:20:27,835
Brianna and Rocio.

346
00:20:27,878 --> 00:20:30,359
There was our set
photographer, Marcello,

347
00:20:30,403 --> 00:20:34,058
and our puppy, Whiskey,
who grew up along the journey.

348
00:20:34,102 --> 00:20:36,365
[Richard] This ferocious
snarling hell hound right here.

349
00:20:36,409 --> 00:20:38,106
[Yvette] As for me,

350
00:20:38,149 --> 00:20:39,629
I was usually editing
from the front seat,

351
00:20:39,673 --> 00:20:43,981
or running off
to find the horses.

352
00:20:44,025 --> 00:20:46,288
A film crew
is like a family,

353
00:20:46,332 --> 00:20:49,291
and we are fortunate to have
such a passionate
team of people

354
00:20:49,335 --> 00:20:51,206
who endured long hours

355
00:20:51,250 --> 00:20:53,643
and sometimes
questionable motel rooms

356
00:20:53,687 --> 00:20:56,646
to tell this story.

357
00:20:56,690 --> 00:20:58,648
We drove through the night
to get to Ely,

358
00:20:58,692 --> 00:21:01,347
and braced ourselves for what
was to come the next day.

359
00:21:04,263 --> 00:21:06,395
[Richard] We say goodbye
to the...

360
00:21:06,439 --> 00:21:08,005
historic Hotel Nevada

361
00:21:08,049 --> 00:21:10,356
and Gambling Hall
and Denny's today.

362
00:21:11,748 --> 00:21:13,141
Now we are officially

363
00:21:13,184 --> 00:21:15,056
in the middle
of absolutely nowhere.

364
00:21:15,099 --> 00:21:17,363
[Ed] I want to know
who even found these horses

365
00:21:17,406 --> 00:21:18,886
and decided
they need to be rounded--

366
00:21:18,929 --> 00:21:20,191
-[Richard] Exactly.
-[Yvette] Look around.

367
00:21:20,235 --> 00:21:22,324
Like,
you can't even see them.

368
00:21:22,368 --> 00:21:26,197
[Richard] But, guys,
look how overpopulated it is.

369
00:21:26,241 --> 00:21:31,290
[Yvette] The Triple B HMA
is over 1.2 million acres.

370
00:21:31,333 --> 00:21:34,205
An HMA means
Herd Management Area,

371
00:21:34,249 --> 00:21:36,338
basically the amount of land

372
00:21:36,382 --> 00:21:39,385
wild horses
are allowed to be free.

373
00:21:39,428 --> 00:21:41,343
The BLM justified
this roundup,

374
00:21:41,387 --> 00:21:44,041
where they planned
to take up to 800 horses

375
00:21:44,085 --> 00:21:45,869
away from their homes,

376
00:21:45,913 --> 00:21:48,698
by citing unnecessary
degradation to the land

377
00:21:48,742 --> 00:21:51,092
and wanting to restore
a thriving,

378
00:21:51,135 --> 00:21:55,357
natural ecological balance
for multi-use.

379
00:21:55,401 --> 00:21:58,317
There were an estimated
3,000 horses

380
00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:00,841
across all of this land.

381
00:22:00,884 --> 00:22:03,365
But the BLM wanted to
reduce them down

382
00:22:03,409 --> 00:22:06,368
to as low as 474.

383
00:22:06,412 --> 00:22:08,065
To give you an idea,

384
00:22:08,109 --> 00:22:11,982
that's one horse
per roughly 2,500 acres

385
00:22:12,026 --> 00:22:15,334
or 1,900 football fields.

386
00:22:15,377 --> 00:22:18,119
This is what's called an
Appropriate Management Level,

387
00:22:18,162 --> 00:22:20,121
or AML.

388
00:22:20,164 --> 00:22:22,602
Essentially,
the amount of wild horses

389
00:22:22,645 --> 00:22:26,475
the Bureau of Land Management
states the land can sustain.

390
00:22:26,519 --> 00:22:27,998
But in 2013,

391
00:22:28,042 --> 00:22:30,392
the National Academy
of Sciences,

392
00:22:30,436 --> 00:22:33,656
a group of independent
bipartisan scientists,

393
00:22:33,700 --> 00:22:35,615
stated that the AMLs

394
00:22:35,658 --> 00:22:38,487
were not supported
by scientific information,

395
00:22:38,531 --> 00:22:41,272
but the BLM
is still using them

396
00:22:41,316 --> 00:22:46,103
to round up thousands
of wild horses every year.

397
00:22:46,147 --> 00:22:50,064
Also stating that they're
starving and overpopulated,

398
00:22:50,107 --> 00:22:51,674
a repetitive narrative

399
00:22:51,718 --> 00:22:53,850
that we kept hearing
in the media,

400
00:22:53,894 --> 00:22:55,417
which was also supported

401
00:22:55,461 --> 00:22:56,853
by some of the ranchers
in the area.

402
00:22:56,897 --> 00:22:58,594
[Richard]
It's going to get bumpy.

403
00:22:58,638 --> 00:23:00,727
[Yvette] Now,
if you dig a little deeper,

404
00:23:00,770 --> 00:23:04,339
wild horses shared that land
with livestock,

405
00:23:04,383 --> 00:23:07,908
with up to 7,300
privately owned cattle

406
00:23:07,951 --> 00:23:10,432
and 36,000 sheep,

407
00:23:10,476 --> 00:23:12,521
which are authorized to graze

408
00:23:12,565 --> 00:23:16,743
in the wild horse complex
every year.

409
00:23:16,786 --> 00:23:18,266
Now, you might assume

410
00:23:18,309 --> 00:23:20,442
it's just
mom and pop ranchers,

411
00:23:20,486 --> 00:23:23,489
who get to graze
their livestock
cheaply on public lands,

412
00:23:23,532 --> 00:23:25,708
but they're not.

413
00:23:25,752 --> 00:23:29,930
A large number of them
are millionaires, billionaires,

414
00:23:29,973 --> 00:23:33,542
and billionaire corporations
on Forbes Rich List.

415
00:23:33,586 --> 00:23:35,718
[music fades]

416
00:23:35,762 --> 00:23:39,940
[upbeat music playing
over radio]

417
00:23:39,983 --> 00:23:41,245
[Richard] Okay.

418
00:23:44,771 --> 00:23:46,860
[Richard huffs]

419
00:23:46,903 --> 00:23:48,470
Way over there.

420
00:23:48,514 --> 00:23:51,168
[Yvette] We've got
ten minutes to be set up.

421
00:23:51,212 --> 00:23:54,345
We just brought
about 400 pounds of gear.

422
00:23:54,389 --> 00:23:56,652
[panting] Oh, God.

423
00:23:56,696 --> 00:23:59,350
Quarter mile.

424
00:23:59,394 --> 00:24:02,266
-[sighs] They are far away.
-[Yvette] Oh, my God.

425
00:24:02,310 --> 00:24:03,572
[whispering]
Do you think they see us?

426
00:24:03,616 --> 00:24:05,269
-[Richard] Yeah. We're on.
-Okay.

427
00:24:07,010 --> 00:24:08,925
[Yvette] We were placed
on top of a mountain,

428
00:24:08,969 --> 00:24:12,494
miles away from where
the helicopters began.

429
00:24:12,538 --> 00:24:14,888
If we didn't have
a massive zoom lens,

430
00:24:14,931 --> 00:24:18,326
we wouldn't have been able
to see anything.

431
00:24:18,369 --> 00:24:20,459
We also weren't allowed
to put up umbrellas,

432
00:24:20,502 --> 00:24:22,983
even though
the heat was over 100 degrees,

433
00:24:23,026 --> 00:24:25,899
because they said
it would scare the horses.

434
00:24:25,942 --> 00:24:27,988
[helicopter whirring]

435
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:43,482
The horses were run
for miles.

436
00:24:45,353 --> 00:24:46,920
As they got closer,

437
00:24:46,963 --> 00:24:50,358
we saw their coats
glistening with sweat,

438
00:24:50,401 --> 00:24:52,621
and babies
at the point of exhaustion.

439
00:24:54,710 --> 00:24:57,278
The helicopters then drove them
into the trap site,

440
00:24:57,321 --> 00:25:01,282
which was purposefully
blocked from view.

441
00:25:01,325 --> 00:25:03,937
This is often
where the injuries happen.

442
00:25:03,980 --> 00:25:07,027
Where horses break their legs
or their necks,

443
00:25:07,070 --> 00:25:10,204
trying to escape,
or get back to their families.

444
00:25:12,206 --> 00:25:15,775
We wondered where
that many horses would go,

445
00:25:15,818 --> 00:25:19,126
and why the BLM had
a publicist.

446
00:25:19,169 --> 00:25:21,781
[Jenny] Um, so,
that historical part,

447
00:25:21,824 --> 00:25:24,653
you know, obviously, they--
they weren't just here.

448
00:25:24,697 --> 00:25:26,307
[Yvette] Mm-hmm.

449
00:25:26,350 --> 00:25:29,092
Something kind of came along
after the Ice Age.

450
00:25:29,136 --> 00:25:30,441
Yeah, right.

451
00:25:30,485 --> 00:25:32,835
-To replenish--
-[crosstalk]

452
00:25:32,879 --> 00:25:34,489
You know,
being able to survive

453
00:25:34,533 --> 00:25:36,926
in a natural
ecological balance.

454
00:25:36,970 --> 00:25:39,581
Green as this looks, you know,
they're not gonna eat the sage,

455
00:25:39,625 --> 00:25:41,409
they're not gonna eat--

456
00:25:41,452 --> 00:25:43,193
'cause there's not sufficient
foraged water for them.

457
00:25:43,237 --> 00:25:46,153
[Yvette]
It was the same
narrative again.

458
00:25:46,196 --> 00:25:47,676
And with all due respect
to Jenny,

459
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:49,460
I'm a horse person,

460
00:25:49,504 --> 00:25:51,462
and the horses that we saw
getting rounded up

461
00:25:51,506 --> 00:25:54,248
were fat and healthy.

462
00:25:54,291 --> 00:25:57,512
This was just the beginning
of the string of lies

463
00:25:57,556 --> 00:25:59,166
that would be purported

464
00:25:59,209 --> 00:26:01,603
by Bureau of Land Management
publicists.

465
00:26:01,647 --> 00:26:03,431
But then,
all of a sudden,

466
00:26:03,474 --> 00:26:05,955
they asked us
to swing our camera around

467
00:26:05,999 --> 00:26:08,784
and point it
in the opposite direction.

468
00:26:08,828 --> 00:26:10,612
They said
horses were coming in.

469
00:26:10,656 --> 00:26:12,658
It wasn't true.

470
00:26:12,701 --> 00:26:14,268
Where we were looking,

471
00:26:14,311 --> 00:26:16,400
we noticed
that a foal had collapsed

472
00:26:16,444 --> 00:26:20,535
and a lone Wrangler
was riding out toward it.

473
00:26:20,579 --> 00:26:22,885
What happened next
is heartbreaking to see.

474
00:26:24,757 --> 00:26:26,280
But it's important to show

475
00:26:26,323 --> 00:26:29,544
the blatant disregard
for life,

476
00:26:29,588 --> 00:26:33,896
and the cruelty with which
these horses are treated.

477
00:26:33,940 --> 00:26:36,029
That baby
was maybe a month old.

478
00:26:39,989 --> 00:26:44,124
Five foals died
due to the roundup.

479
00:26:44,167 --> 00:26:46,039
One was reported by the BLM

480
00:26:46,082 --> 00:26:49,259
to have sustained injuries
during transport.

481
00:26:49,303 --> 00:26:52,393
Possibly meaning
the baby was trampled to death

482
00:26:52,436 --> 00:26:54,569
in the trailer.

483
00:26:54,613 --> 00:26:57,877
Another died due to
water toxicity in holding,

484
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,620
which can medically indicate
fatal dehydration

485
00:27:01,663 --> 00:27:05,885
and muscle fatigue
from being run so hard.

486
00:27:05,928 --> 00:27:09,149
The outrage we felt
was indescribable.

487
00:27:09,192 --> 00:27:10,803
And how expansive is that,

488
00:27:10,846 --> 00:27:12,674
that the helicopters
just appear for that long

489
00:27:12,718 --> 00:27:13,980
and then they're racing
these horses...

490
00:27:14,023 --> 00:27:15,590
-[Ed] Yeah. Yeah.
-...for miles.

491
00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:18,158
Driving them at a gallop
for miles?

492
00:27:18,201 --> 00:27:20,421
I-- I mentioned the family
dynamics at the Onaqui herd.

493
00:27:20,464 --> 00:27:22,684
And she basically stopped
at me and said...

494
00:27:22,728 --> 00:27:24,468
[Richard] Yeah,
"A wild animal's a wild animal."

495
00:27:24,512 --> 00:27:25,948
[Yvette] Yeah, they just mate
with each other and--

496
00:27:25,992 --> 00:27:27,776
[Richard] Some people
are animal lovers,

497
00:27:27,820 --> 00:27:29,560
but they don't respect how
intelligent they actually are.

498
00:27:29,604 --> 00:27:30,953
[Ed] Yeah. They just can't.

499
00:27:30,997 --> 00:27:32,520
[Yvette]
That's just-- that's just--

500
00:27:32,563 --> 00:27:34,696
that's ignorance,
that's willful ignorance.

501
00:27:34,740 --> 00:27:37,003
[Kai] Look,
how could-- could those trucks

502
00:27:37,046 --> 00:27:41,137
filled with horses,
come all the way here...

503
00:27:41,181 --> 00:27:43,400
-[Yvette] And then come back.
-...then come back that fast?

504
00:27:43,444 --> 00:27:47,927
[Kai] That's some conspiracy--
conspiracy shit. [groans]

505
00:27:47,970 --> 00:27:49,798
Just keep rolling
the whole time, okay?

506
00:27:49,842 --> 00:27:52,148
[Kai] Yep. Yep.

507
00:27:52,192 --> 00:27:56,065
[Jenny] They want to feed
and water these horses

508
00:27:56,109 --> 00:28:01,157
and let them settle before
we have a bunch of bodies again.

509
00:28:01,201 --> 00:28:03,856
Yeah. [muffled speech]

510
00:28:03,899 --> 00:28:05,509
[Kai speaking indistinctly]

511
00:28:05,553 --> 00:28:07,337
We do not have that on
[muffled speech] horses.

512
00:28:09,862 --> 00:28:11,864
[Yvette] We had to wait
for several hours

513
00:28:11,907 --> 00:28:14,083
before we got to see
the horses up close.

514
00:28:15,650 --> 00:28:18,871
[somber music]

515
00:28:21,917 --> 00:28:23,876
When we were finally allowed
to go in,

516
00:28:23,919 --> 00:28:28,750
we were only allowed to set
the camera down a few times.

517
00:28:28,794 --> 00:28:31,144
A ranger with a gun
had been with us all day,

518
00:28:31,187 --> 00:28:34,930
and several other
BLM employees were armed.

519
00:28:34,974 --> 00:28:37,890
It seemed a little excessive
for a couple of filmmakers

520
00:28:37,933 --> 00:28:41,763
and a handful
of wild horse advocates.

521
00:28:41,807 --> 00:28:43,591
In the short time
that we had,

522
00:28:43,634 --> 00:28:47,029
we managed to capture
some very upsetting images

523
00:28:47,073 --> 00:28:50,119
of the horses of Triple B
who had lost their freedom.

524
00:28:52,034 --> 00:28:54,036
Once they got to holding,

525
00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,909
the Bureau of Land Management
euthanized multiple horses,

526
00:28:56,952 --> 00:28:59,912
including those
they deemed blind,

527
00:28:59,955 --> 00:29:03,611
even though they had survived
just fine in the wild.

528
00:29:03,654 --> 00:29:06,875
Euthanasia in this situation
usually isn't done

529
00:29:06,919 --> 00:29:10,052
with a humane injection.

530
00:29:10,096 --> 00:29:13,839
That's one of the reasons
the employees carry guns.

531
00:29:13,882 --> 00:29:17,930
They often shoot the horses
to put them down at holding.

532
00:29:17,973 --> 00:29:20,671
And we wondered
if this was one of the reasons

533
00:29:20,715 --> 00:29:25,676
we had to wait several hours
before we got to see them.

534
00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:31,552
Sixteen horses lost their lives
in the roundup of Triple B.

535
00:29:31,595 --> 00:29:34,860
Very few would ever see
their families again.

536
00:29:37,514 --> 00:29:39,516
It was heartbreaking to think

537
00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:42,389
that this was going to happen
to our beloved Onaqui herd,

538
00:29:42,432 --> 00:29:46,872
and that their families
would suffer the same fate.

539
00:29:46,915 --> 00:29:51,311
It also started to make us
ask deeper questions.

540
00:29:51,354 --> 00:29:54,009
Who are we to look down
on animals

541
00:29:54,053 --> 00:29:57,099
like they're lesser
or secondary?

542
00:29:57,143 --> 00:29:58,840
After all,

543
00:29:58,884 --> 00:30:01,451
humans are social animals,
just like horses.

544
00:30:01,495 --> 00:30:03,236
And there are plenty

545
00:30:03,279 --> 00:30:07,022
of other indisputable
similarities between us.

546
00:30:07,066 --> 00:30:11,157
To say wild horses don't have
feelings or families

547
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:15,204
seemed like a form
of human exceptionalism,

548
00:30:15,248 --> 00:30:18,468
self-delusion, arrogance,

549
00:30:18,512 --> 00:30:21,428
especially given
we're the only species

550
00:30:21,471 --> 00:30:24,605
willfully destroying
our own planet.

551
00:30:24,648 --> 00:30:28,870
So, perhaps, that makes
animals superior to us.

552
00:30:28,914 --> 00:30:31,220
In rare places
in the United States

553
00:30:31,264 --> 00:30:32,918
that actually maintain

554
00:30:32,961 --> 00:30:35,790
a thriving,
natural ecological balance,

555
00:30:35,834 --> 00:30:38,967
such as Yellowstone,
or Glacier National Park,

556
00:30:39,011 --> 00:30:42,710
the animals
and habitat flourish.

557
00:30:42,753 --> 00:30:44,407
These are places
where predators,

558
00:30:44,451 --> 00:30:46,496
like wolves
and mountain lions,

559
00:30:46,540 --> 00:30:49,630
aren't killed
to make way for livestock.

560
00:30:49,673 --> 00:30:54,417
But balanced places like this
are few and fast-disappearing,

561
00:30:54,461 --> 00:30:56,811
just like wild horses.

562
00:30:56,855 --> 00:31:00,684
If we want to have a chance
at living in harmony,

563
00:31:00,728 --> 00:31:05,298
doesn't that mean protecting
and re-wilding our world

564
00:31:05,341 --> 00:31:07,909
instead of destroying it?

565
00:31:07,953 --> 00:31:12,392
All of these larger questions
started with the Onaqui.

566
00:31:12,435 --> 00:31:14,350
The protection of this herd

567
00:31:14,394 --> 00:31:17,397
began to represent
something greater.

568
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:19,921
We decided to ask
for support.

569
00:31:19,965 --> 00:31:21,792
From not only the community

570
00:31:21,836 --> 00:31:23,142
fighting hard to protect them,

571
00:31:23,185 --> 00:31:25,144
but from children.

572
00:31:25,187 --> 00:31:28,103
And something
miraculous happened.

573
00:31:28,147 --> 00:31:31,802
We began receiving
thousands of letters

574
00:31:31,846 --> 00:31:34,370
from people all over the world,

575
00:31:34,414 --> 00:31:39,245
who joined us
in standing with wild horses.

576
00:31:39,288 --> 00:31:42,726
Perhaps there is hope
for the Onaqui yet.

577
00:31:42,770 --> 00:31:45,729
["Horse with No Name"
by America playing]

578
00:31:50,256 --> 00:31:54,173
♪ On the first part
of the journey ♪

579
00:31:54,216 --> 00:31:58,090
♪ I was looking
at all the life ♪

580
00:31:58,133 --> 00:32:02,137
♪ There were plants and birds
and rocks and things ♪

581
00:32:02,181 --> 00:32:06,620
♪ There was sand
and hills and rings ♪

582
00:32:06,663 --> 00:32:10,232
♪ The first thing I met
was a fly with a buzz ♪

583
00:32:10,276 --> 00:32:14,628
♪ And the sky with no clouds

584
00:32:14,671 --> 00:32:17,979
♪ The heat was hot
and the ground was dry ♪

585
00:32:18,023 --> 00:32:21,809
♪ But the air
was full of sound ♪

586
00:32:21,852 --> 00:32:24,290
♪ I've been
through the desert ♪

587
00:32:24,333 --> 00:32:26,074
♪ On a horse with no name

588
00:32:26,118 --> 00:32:29,512
♪ It felt good to be
out of the rain ♪

589
00:32:29,556 --> 00:32:33,647
♪ In the desert,
you can't remember your name ♪

590
00:32:33,690 --> 00:32:37,999
♪ 'Cause there ain't no one
for to give you no pain ♪

591
00:32:38,043 --> 00:32:41,524
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

592
00:32:41,568 --> 00:32:45,702
♪ La-la-la, la-la

593
00:32:45,746 --> 00:32:49,184
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

594
00:32:49,228 --> 00:32:52,796
♪ La-la-la, la-la

595
00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:57,410
♪ After two days
in the desert sun ♪

596
00:32:57,453 --> 00:33:00,804
♪ My skin began
to turn red ♪

597
00:33:00,848 --> 00:33:04,808
♪ After three days
in the desert fun ♪

598
00:33:04,852 --> 00:33:08,203
♪ I was looking
at a river bed ♪

599
00:33:08,247 --> 00:33:12,468
♪ And the story it told
of a river that flowed ♪

600
00:33:12,512 --> 00:33:16,603
♪ Made me sad to think
it was dead ♪

601
00:33:16,646 --> 00:33:18,431
♪ You see I've been
through the desert ♪

602
00:33:18,474 --> 00:33:20,650
♪ On a horse with no name

603
00:33:20,694 --> 00:33:24,219
♪ It felt good to be
out of the rain ♪

604
00:33:24,263 --> 00:33:28,049
♪ In the desert,
you can't remember your name ♪

605
00:33:28,093 --> 00:33:32,010
♪ 'Cause there ain't no one
for to give you no pain ♪

606
00:33:32,053 --> 00:33:36,057
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

607
00:33:36,101 --> 00:33:39,887
♪ La-la-la, la-la

608
00:33:39,930 --> 00:33:43,891
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

609
00:33:43,934 --> 00:33:46,850
♪ La-la-la, la-la

610
00:33:48,243 --> 00:33:53,292
♪

611
00:34:03,476 --> 00:34:07,393
♪ After nine days,
I let the horse run free ♪

612
00:34:07,436 --> 00:34:11,092
♪ 'Cause the desert
had turned to sea ♪

613
00:34:11,136 --> 00:34:14,965
♪ There were plants and birds
and rocks and things ♪

614
00:34:15,009 --> 00:34:19,447
♪ There was sand
and hills and rings ♪

615
00:34:19,492 --> 00:34:22,842
♪ The ocean is a desert
with its life underground ♪

616
00:34:22,886 --> 00:34:26,760
♪ And a perfect disguise
above ♪

617
00:34:26,803 --> 00:34:30,545
♪ Under the cities
lies a heart made of ground ♪

618
00:34:30,590 --> 00:34:34,376
♪ But the humans
will give no love ♪

619
00:34:34,420 --> 00:34:36,639
♪ You see I've been
through the desert ♪

620
00:34:36,683 --> 00:34:38,424
♪ On a horse with no name

621
00:34:38,467 --> 00:34:42,123
♪ It felt good
to be out of the rain ♪

622
00:34:42,167 --> 00:34:46,083
♪ In the desert,
you can't remember your name ♪

623
00:34:46,127 --> 00:34:50,130
♪ 'Cause there ain't no one
for to give you no pain ♪

624
00:34:50,175 --> 00:34:54,047
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

625
00:34:54,092 --> 00:34:57,878
♪ La-la-la, la-la

626
00:34:57,921 --> 00:35:02,012
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

627
00:35:02,056 --> 00:35:06,191
♪ La-la-la, la-la

628
00:35:06,234 --> 00:35:09,716
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

629
00:35:09,759 --> 00:35:13,285
♪ La-la-la, la-la

630
00:35:13,328 --> 00:35:17,158
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la

631
00:35:17,202 --> 00:35:19,639
♪ La-la-la, la-la

632
00:35:19,682 --> 00:35:21,510
[music fades]

633
00:35:22,946 --> 00:35:24,731
[gentle folk music]

634
00:35:24,774 --> 00:35:27,864
[Yvette] Our journey took us
over 20,000 miles

635
00:35:27,908 --> 00:35:33,000
across 13 different states
and diverse landscapes.

636
00:35:33,043 --> 00:35:37,004
The Red Desert turned
into lush forest.

637
00:35:37,047 --> 00:35:39,833
And there were a few places
that struck us most of all.

638
00:35:44,011 --> 00:35:45,708
They were the horses of Heber,

639
00:35:45,752 --> 00:35:48,058
living in the Sitgreaves
National Forest.

640
00:35:50,235 --> 00:35:51,888
And in the woodlands
of Oregon,

641
00:35:51,932 --> 00:35:54,413
these horses
had rare bloodlines

642
00:35:54,456 --> 00:35:56,589
thought to have died out
many years ago,

643
00:35:56,632 --> 00:35:58,808
until the Kiger were found.

644
00:36:01,855 --> 00:36:03,509
We also wanted to speak
with ranchers

645
00:36:03,552 --> 00:36:05,337
to get their side
of the story.

646
00:36:05,380 --> 00:36:09,079
Surely not every rancher
wanted wild horses gone.

647
00:36:09,123 --> 00:36:12,300
I'm Stacey Davies, Manager
of Roaring Springs Ranches

648
00:36:12,344 --> 00:36:14,128
in French Glen, Oregon.

649
00:36:14,172 --> 00:36:17,175
We have, on those ranches,
three Herd Management Areas,

650
00:36:17,218 --> 00:36:20,656
South Steens, Beatys Butte,
and the Kigers.

651
00:36:20,700 --> 00:36:22,919
[Kathy]
I am Kathy Gibson Boatman.

652
00:36:22,963 --> 00:36:25,008
I was born here
in Arizona.

653
00:36:25,052 --> 00:36:27,489
Um, I'm an eighth--
seventh generation

654
00:36:27,533 --> 00:36:29,926
involved in cattle ranching
in Arizona.

655
00:36:29,970 --> 00:36:31,580
I love horses.

656
00:36:31,624 --> 00:36:33,930
I-- I mean, I'm a rancher
because I love horses.

657
00:36:33,974 --> 00:36:36,237
And the wild horses
are such an icon.

658
00:36:36,281 --> 00:36:37,847
They keep the trails open,

659
00:36:37,891 --> 00:36:40,720
they utilize foraging areas
the cows won't go.

660
00:36:40,763 --> 00:36:43,375
And we feel like they're part
of the multiple use

661
00:36:43,418 --> 00:36:44,898
that should happen
on that range land.

662
00:36:44,941 --> 00:36:47,030
[Kathy]
The government gave homesteads,

663
00:36:47,074 --> 00:36:49,294
encouraging people
to come and settle

664
00:36:49,337 --> 00:36:51,209
the wild western frontier

665
00:36:51,252 --> 00:36:54,124
because it was a wild,
wild western place,

666
00:36:54,168 --> 00:36:56,910
you know,
still had Indians doing battle,

667
00:36:56,953 --> 00:37:01,175
and the Historic Preservation
Act of 1966 requires

668
00:37:01,219 --> 00:37:04,613
that they consider
how their decisions impact

669
00:37:04,657 --> 00:37:08,704
our historic resources
and our cultural traditions.

670
00:37:08,748 --> 00:37:12,142
[Stacey] The Kiger HMA would be
somewhere around 30,000 acres.

671
00:37:12,186 --> 00:37:15,058
They generally keep it
right around 100 head of horses.

672
00:37:15,102 --> 00:37:16,756
How-- how do you count
every single horse

673
00:37:16,799 --> 00:37:18,410
on a single given day?

674
00:37:18,453 --> 00:37:21,804
I've heard there's anywhere
from 1,000 to 2,500.

675
00:37:21,848 --> 00:37:25,634
It all depends on what area
you're counting those horses in.

676
00:37:26,722 --> 00:37:29,290
7,000 that they know of.

677
00:37:29,334 --> 00:37:30,944
[Stacey]
When they set these herds up,

678
00:37:30,987 --> 00:37:35,035
it was recognized
that any one herd below 300

679
00:37:35,078 --> 00:37:37,429
would not mean
enough genetic diversity

680
00:37:37,472 --> 00:37:39,344
to maintain
a healthy population.

681
00:37:39,387 --> 00:37:41,041
There was a big argument

682
00:37:41,084 --> 00:37:44,392
that we should not have herds
of less than 300.

683
00:37:44,436 --> 00:37:47,003
So, people,
especially advocates,

684
00:37:47,047 --> 00:37:50,268
are currently asking
for a look at AML.

685
00:37:50,311 --> 00:37:53,401
And that many of these
AMLs are too low,

686
00:37:53,445 --> 00:37:56,448
and that too much forage
was allocated to livestock

687
00:37:56,491 --> 00:37:57,797
and not enough to horses.

688
00:37:57,840 --> 00:37:59,277
And-- and I'm asking

689
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:01,540
rather than have
that s-- small debate,

690
00:38:01,583 --> 00:38:04,586
that we have
a much bigger national debate.

691
00:38:04,630 --> 00:38:07,807
Let's look at the whole program
at the top and come down,

692
00:38:07,850 --> 00:38:11,680
and how many horses is enough
for the US government to own?

693
00:38:11,724 --> 00:38:15,336
I think it's wrong to-- to say
that every one of these HMAs

694
00:38:15,380 --> 00:38:17,338
should have
300 to 500 head,

695
00:38:17,382 --> 00:38:19,906
so you have enough
genetic diversity,

696
00:38:19,949 --> 00:38:21,473
because I don't think
the BLM needs

697
00:38:21,516 --> 00:38:24,084
200,000 horses
on the range.

698
00:38:24,127 --> 00:38:26,478
I think 20,000's
probably enough.

699
00:38:26,521 --> 00:38:28,088
And that wasn't really
the intention

700
00:38:28,131 --> 00:38:30,090
of the Wild Horse
and Burro Act.

701
00:38:30,133 --> 00:38:34,355
The intention of the Horse--
the Wild Horse and Burro Act

702
00:38:34,399 --> 00:38:36,444
was not to just set up
some creatures

703
00:38:36,488 --> 00:38:38,968
as though they were unicorns
for people to look at,

704
00:38:39,012 --> 00:38:40,666
who just magically appeared.

705
00:38:40,709 --> 00:38:42,711
There was just
an overpopulation.

706
00:38:42,755 --> 00:38:45,584
Therein lies the horse herd
that we are dealing with now.

707
00:38:45,627 --> 00:38:47,281
Ha-- have they tested
them genetically

708
00:38:47,325 --> 00:38:49,544
to show their lineage?

709
00:38:49,588 --> 00:38:52,155
There's talk of that,
but they say it's not--

710
00:38:52,199 --> 00:38:55,333
not feasible, not viable,
not a viable option.

711
00:38:55,376 --> 00:38:57,335
Congress has allocated
every dollar

712
00:38:57,378 --> 00:38:59,032
for the Wild Horse
and Burro program

713
00:38:59,075 --> 00:39:01,251
that BLM's ever asked for.

714
00:39:01,295 --> 00:39:03,341
So, you--
if you ask BLM that question,

715
00:39:03,384 --> 00:39:05,517
they'll say,
"We don't have enough money."

716
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:08,868
BLM is not creative.

717
00:39:08,911 --> 00:39:11,436
They are bureaucratic,

718
00:39:11,479 --> 00:39:13,568
they don't think
outside the box,

719
00:39:13,612 --> 00:39:17,093
they are not innovative,
and I think they should be.

720
00:39:17,137 --> 00:39:20,140
The ranchers
are part of the solution.

721
00:39:20,183 --> 00:39:22,664
All of the good ground
is private land,

722
00:39:22,708 --> 00:39:24,579
all intermingled
with public land.

723
00:39:24,623 --> 00:39:27,321
So, if you take my public
grazing permit away from me

724
00:39:27,365 --> 00:39:29,236
and I fence off
my private land,

725
00:39:29,279 --> 00:39:31,760
I screw up
the HMA completely,

726
00:39:31,804 --> 00:39:33,501
'cause those horses
can no longer move

727
00:39:33,545 --> 00:39:36,417
throughout 40 acres
with a reservoir in the middle.

728
00:39:36,461 --> 00:39:39,159
We fence off the 40,
the horses die.

729
00:39:39,202 --> 00:39:40,900
So, what do we own?

730
00:39:40,943 --> 00:39:42,815
We own all the water.

731
00:39:42,858 --> 00:39:46,427
So, there's an interdependence
between public and private land.

732
00:39:46,471 --> 00:39:49,256
I hope that we can have
continued discussions

733
00:39:49,299 --> 00:39:52,433
about what wild horse-friendly
ranching looks like

734
00:39:52,477 --> 00:39:54,522
and it can include the BLM.

735
00:39:54,566 --> 00:39:56,916
We can have
that programmatic review.

736
00:39:56,959 --> 00:39:59,092
And if Congress really
wants to work on this issue,

737
00:39:59,135 --> 00:40:00,528
that's what they would do.

738
00:40:00,572 --> 00:40:02,095
[Yvette] To date,

739
00:40:02,138 --> 00:40:03,575
there have been
no legal roundups

740
00:40:03,618 --> 00:40:05,968
of the Heber horses.

741
00:40:06,012 --> 00:40:09,450
Though the Forest Service
is currently pushing for one.

742
00:40:09,494 --> 00:40:12,105
However,
in the '80s and '90s,

743
00:40:12,148 --> 00:40:15,021
the Forest Service
colluded with ranchers

744
00:40:15,064 --> 00:40:17,371
to round up
dozens of Heber horses

745
00:40:17,415 --> 00:40:21,027
and sell them at auction.

746
00:40:21,070 --> 00:40:24,900
These places can often lead
to the slaughter pipeline.

747
00:40:26,511 --> 00:40:28,208
[Stacey]
Death is an interesting topic.

748
00:40:28,251 --> 00:40:32,430
So, humans, and especially
North American humans,

749
00:40:32,473 --> 00:40:34,693
don't deal with death
very well.

750
00:40:34,736 --> 00:40:36,999
To me, there's just
this total disconnect

751
00:40:37,043 --> 00:40:40,350
between what's humane
and not humane.

752
00:40:40,394 --> 00:40:42,701
Now, is the trader right
inhumane,

753
00:40:42,744 --> 00:40:44,485
or are they handled poorly
in the corral?

754
00:40:44,529 --> 00:40:46,269
We can have
a discussion around that.

755
00:40:46,313 --> 00:40:48,097
But the actual death?

756
00:40:48,141 --> 00:40:50,143
There's no better way
than to go with a stun gun.

757
00:40:51,274 --> 00:40:52,972
[snaps finger] Done.

758
00:40:53,015 --> 00:40:55,017
[Yvette] But in Mexico,
some of those deaths

759
00:40:55,061 --> 00:40:56,932
in those slaughter plants
are just-- I--

760
00:40:56,976 --> 00:40:59,152
So, let's do it in the US,
where we can control it.

761
00:41:00,283 --> 00:41:02,329
Horse meat's great meat.

762
00:41:02,372 --> 00:41:04,940
There was great uses
for it before.

763
00:41:04,984 --> 00:41:06,638
So, let's do it
in the US,

764
00:41:06,681 --> 00:41:08,422
where we can control
the manner in which it's done.

765
00:41:08,466 --> 00:41:11,033
We can have humane
handling of the animals,

766
00:41:11,077 --> 00:41:12,731
right up until their death.

767
00:41:12,774 --> 00:41:14,384
Far more humane

768
00:41:14,428 --> 00:41:15,603
than what they're going through
on the range.

769
00:41:15,647 --> 00:41:17,475
I've had people tell me,

770
00:41:17,518 --> 00:41:18,780
"Well, the ranchers should get
their own private land,

771
00:41:18,824 --> 00:41:19,999
or go back to--
go to Texas."

772
00:41:20,042 --> 00:41:21,696
Well, I've been to Texas,

773
00:41:21,740 --> 00:41:24,220
and they're selling off
private ranches there.

774
00:41:24,264 --> 00:41:27,876
And they're selling them
to be game preserves, you know?

775
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:29,356
I don't know
how you feel about it,

776
00:41:29,399 --> 00:41:32,054
but I don't really
want to eat zebra.

777
00:41:32,098 --> 00:41:35,797
♪

778
00:41:35,841 --> 00:41:37,669
[Yvette] By this stage,

779
00:41:37,712 --> 00:41:40,541
we had gotten familiar
with the slaughter pipeline.

780
00:41:40,585 --> 00:41:42,325
And we had gotten to know
some of the players

781
00:41:42,369 --> 00:41:44,980
that run kill pens.

782
00:41:45,024 --> 00:41:48,375
Basically feedlots
or auctions,

783
00:41:48,418 --> 00:41:51,596
where kill buyers
purchase horses and burros

784
00:41:51,639 --> 00:41:53,249
to send to slaughter.

785
00:41:54,642 --> 00:41:56,252
In the United States,

786
00:41:56,296 --> 00:41:58,254
slaughtering horses
to sell their meat

787
00:41:58,298 --> 00:42:01,649
for human consumption
is not legal.

788
00:42:01,693 --> 00:42:04,086
However, it's not illegal

789
00:42:04,130 --> 00:42:08,351
to send them across the border
to Canada and Mexico.

790
00:42:08,395 --> 00:42:12,878
We wanted to get down to Texas
to take a look for ourselves.

791
00:42:12,921 --> 00:42:15,315
Of course, we couldn't bring
regular film cameras

792
00:42:15,358 --> 00:42:19,885
into places like these,
so we had to be covert.

793
00:42:19,928 --> 00:42:22,496
-Which button is it?
-[Yvette's dad] Top one.

794
00:42:22,540 --> 00:42:23,976
Oh, my God,
that is a freaking--

795
00:42:24,019 --> 00:42:25,760
-[Yvette's dad] Yup.
-[Richard] That's--

796
00:42:25,804 --> 00:42:27,370
[Yvette's dad] Do you see
the screen here, though?

797
00:42:27,414 --> 00:42:28,763
Where?

798
00:42:28,807 --> 00:42:30,025
[Yvette's dad]
Right here in my hand?

799
00:42:30,069 --> 00:42:32,419
I can't move it too far.

800
00:42:32,462 --> 00:42:33,768
[Yvette] My husband, Ed,
was in the middle

801
00:42:33,812 --> 00:42:35,596
of producing
another movie,

802
00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:38,033
so my dad joined
my brother and I on this trip

803
00:42:38,077 --> 00:42:41,123
for an added
layer of protection.

804
00:42:41,167 --> 00:42:42,690
[Yvette's dad] I was just
thinking of buying a horse.

805
00:42:43,604 --> 00:42:44,866
[man] All right.

806
00:42:44,910 --> 00:42:46,215
[Yvette] It was nerve-wracking,

807
00:42:46,259 --> 00:42:48,130
going into a place like this.

808
00:42:48,174 --> 00:42:51,351
My little camera
wasn't as covert as we thought,

809
00:42:51,394 --> 00:42:55,094
but Richard's button cam,
which we sewed into his shirt,

810
00:42:55,137 --> 00:42:57,226
was nearly undetectable.

811
00:42:57,270 --> 00:42:59,054
So, most of our footage
lives here.

812
00:42:59,098 --> 00:43:01,622
[auctioneer auctioneering]

813
00:43:01,666 --> 00:43:03,058
[man 1] Man, busy day.

814
00:43:03,102 --> 00:43:06,845
[auctioneer continues
indistinctly]

815
00:43:13,591 --> 00:43:16,332
[Yvette whispering] Rick.
They've got a zebra in here.

816
00:43:16,376 --> 00:43:17,856
It's a baby.

817
00:43:17,899 --> 00:43:21,033
[indistinct chatter]

818
00:43:25,951 --> 00:43:27,256
[Richard] Excuse me, sir.

819
00:43:27,300 --> 00:43:28,910
Where are the wild horses?

820
00:43:28,954 --> 00:43:30,259
[man] They're over the hill.

821
00:43:30,303 --> 00:43:32,479
[Richard] Oh, got you.

822
00:43:32,522 --> 00:43:35,438
There are probably 30, 40...
[muffled speech]

823
00:43:35,482 --> 00:43:37,484
[Yvette whispers]
Oh, my gosh.

824
00:43:37,527 --> 00:43:39,486
What are those?

825
00:43:39,529 --> 00:43:41,749
It's like a zebra
and a horse combined.

826
00:43:50,758 --> 00:43:53,282
[Richard] Oh, my God.

827
00:43:53,326 --> 00:43:55,371
You can tell
they got the same blue eye.

828
00:43:55,415 --> 00:43:57,460
[Yvette] Yeah.

829
00:43:57,504 --> 00:43:58,766
You see her down there?

830
00:44:00,725 --> 00:44:02,596
On our very first day,

831
00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:05,555
we got a glimpse into
the auction world of Texas.

832
00:44:05,599 --> 00:44:08,689
But the loose horses
that my dad was asking about,

833
00:44:08,733 --> 00:44:10,299
the wild horses,

834
00:44:10,343 --> 00:44:13,259
had already left
early in the morning.

835
00:44:13,302 --> 00:44:16,523
We'd be there
the next day to see them.

836
00:44:16,566 --> 00:44:19,657
This was part of the auction
not on the schedule.

837
00:44:26,838 --> 00:44:30,015
[Yvette's dad] I want to go
one or two more down.

838
00:44:30,058 --> 00:44:31,799
-[Richard] Yeah.
-[Yvette] Down here?

839
00:44:31,843 --> 00:44:33,845
[Yvette's dad] Yeah, let's get
a little closer, maybe.

840
00:44:33,888 --> 00:44:36,761
-[Yvette] We got good seats.
-[Richard] Yeah.

841
00:44:36,804 --> 00:44:39,764
[auctioneer auctioneering]

842
00:44:45,770 --> 00:44:47,946
So, 2,550 down here?

843
00:44:47,989 --> 00:44:51,776
[indistinct chatter]

844
00:44:51,819 --> 00:44:55,518
[auctioneer continues
indistinctly]

845
00:45:04,223 --> 00:45:07,835
[indistinct chatter]

846
00:45:17,323 --> 00:45:19,891
[Yvette] It was all we could do
to keep from crying out.

847
00:45:21,936 --> 00:45:24,069
Especially when the mothers

848
00:45:24,112 --> 00:45:28,116
and their terrified babies
came through.

849
00:45:28,160 --> 00:45:30,162
I was also nervous
when I recognized

850
00:45:30,205 --> 00:45:32,555
a known kill buyer
in the audience.

851
00:45:32,599 --> 00:45:34,906
Thankfully, he didn't know
what I looked like.

852
00:45:38,126 --> 00:45:41,303
We were told that if the horses
were bought in big numbers,

853
00:45:41,347 --> 00:45:44,132
they were probably
being shipped
to slaughter in Mexico.

854
00:45:44,176 --> 00:45:46,482
[Yvette's dad] Where'd they--
Where'd they capture all those?

855
00:45:46,526 --> 00:45:48,789
-In the-- out in the range?
-[Richard] Yeah.

856
00:45:48,833 --> 00:45:50,356
[Yvette] We were also curious

857
00:45:50,399 --> 00:45:52,793
where the zebra
was from earlier.

858
00:45:52,837 --> 00:45:55,187
[Richard] I think that's him
in the red, in the-- yeah.

859
00:45:58,625 --> 00:46:03,804
[Yvette] It was surreal seeing
zebras in a place like this.

860
00:46:03,848 --> 00:46:06,502
We couldn't imagine
where they might end up next.

861
00:46:07,634 --> 00:46:09,418
Especially given

862
00:46:09,462 --> 00:46:12,813
there are no limits on
exotic animal hunting in Texas.

863
00:46:14,467 --> 00:46:16,730
We also noticed
on social media,

864
00:46:16,774 --> 00:46:20,212
almost immediately after
the donkeys were purchased,

865
00:46:20,255 --> 00:46:23,084
they popped up
on a kill pen website...

866
00:46:23,128 --> 00:46:25,608
listed for sale
or slaughter.

867
00:46:27,828 --> 00:46:30,613
We ended up speaking to someone
in the know at the auction,

868
00:46:30,657 --> 00:46:32,311
who offered
to do an interview.

869
00:46:32,354 --> 00:46:33,486
[man over phone]
If it's in somebody's budget,

870
00:46:33,529 --> 00:46:35,009
they go across the border,

871
00:46:35,053 --> 00:46:36,663
and once
they go across the border,

872
00:46:36,706 --> 00:46:38,665
they more than likely
don't come back.

873
00:46:38,708 --> 00:46:40,449
[Yvette]
But when our camera showed up,

874
00:46:40,493 --> 00:46:43,191
he disappeared and stopped
responding to calls,

875
00:46:43,235 --> 00:46:45,803
text messages,
and voicemails.

876
00:46:45,846 --> 00:46:47,979
He did do a brief call
with me on the phone.

877
00:46:48,022 --> 00:46:49,458
[Yvette] We were here
earlier this morning,

878
00:46:49,502 --> 00:46:50,851
and with the little donkeys

879
00:46:50,895 --> 00:46:53,027
and with some
of those wild horses,

880
00:46:53,071 --> 00:46:55,595
we did notice certain numbers
were bidding on a lot of them.

881
00:46:55,638 --> 00:46:58,641
Are they bidding on them
to send them down to Mexico?

882
00:46:58,685 --> 00:47:00,165
[man over phone]
Oh, more than likely.

883
00:47:00,208 --> 00:47:01,862
If you-- if you--
if you're there

884
00:47:01,906 --> 00:47:03,211
and you're paying attention
in the ring

885
00:47:03,255 --> 00:47:04,865
and the number of buyers,

886
00:47:04,909 --> 00:47:08,129
if there's a guy there
that buys over,

887
00:47:08,173 --> 00:47:10,958
you know, ten head,
he's buying for the killers,

888
00:47:11,002 --> 00:47:12,873
is what they--
they call them the killers--

889
00:47:12,917 --> 00:47:14,222
or sometimes
they're not killers,

890
00:47:14,266 --> 00:47:15,658
but he's buying for Mexico.

891
00:47:15,702 --> 00:47:17,878
Like, 90% of those donkeys,

892
00:47:17,922 --> 00:47:19,401
they probably all got bought,

893
00:47:19,445 --> 00:47:20,794
and they'll probably
go to Mexico

894
00:47:20,838 --> 00:47:22,448
and then on the horse side,

895
00:47:22,491 --> 00:47:24,667
yes, if you pay attention to it
and you listen

896
00:47:24,711 --> 00:47:27,192
and you see one number
and he's buying,

897
00:47:27,235 --> 00:47:29,063
you know, over ten horses

898
00:47:29,107 --> 00:47:32,197
and he's not paying
over $1,000 a piece for them,

899
00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:35,243
then, yes, ma'am, he's--
he's putting together a load

900
00:47:35,287 --> 00:47:37,028
and he's gonna send them
to Mexico.

901
00:47:37,071 --> 00:47:38,899
They'll send
anything down there.

902
00:47:38,943 --> 00:47:40,814
It's-- Whatever
doesn't get bought,

903
00:47:40,858 --> 00:47:43,208
a killer buyer will buy,
no matter how junky it is.

904
00:47:43,251 --> 00:47:45,123
If it comes in there
with a broke leg,

905
00:47:45,166 --> 00:47:46,907
it doesn't matter.

906
00:47:46,951 --> 00:47:48,778
They'll give a price for it
and it'll sell.

907
00:47:53,827 --> 00:47:55,176
[door slams shut]

908
00:48:00,965 --> 00:48:03,054
[Yvette] There were low parts
in our journey,

909
00:48:03,097 --> 00:48:06,492
but this was definitely
one of them.

910
00:48:06,535 --> 00:48:08,929
Thousands of wild horses
and burros

911
00:48:08,973 --> 00:48:11,714
had ended up
in the slaughter pipeline.

912
00:48:11,758 --> 00:48:13,934
And as theNew York Times
exposed,

913
00:48:13,978 --> 00:48:18,591
the Bureau of Land Management's
own adoption incentive program

914
00:48:18,634 --> 00:48:22,595
had led to duplicitous people
making thousands of dollars

915
00:48:22,638 --> 00:48:24,814
by adopting
wild horses and burros

916
00:48:24,858 --> 00:48:27,121
and then flipping them
at auctions,

917
00:48:27,165 --> 00:48:28,688
like the one
we were just at.

918
00:48:31,778 --> 00:48:33,301
The BLM's budget

919
00:48:33,345 --> 00:48:34,955
for the Wild Horse
and Burro program

920
00:48:34,999 --> 00:48:36,783
in 2021 alone,

921
00:48:36,826 --> 00:48:40,830
was over
115 million dollars.

922
00:48:40,874 --> 00:48:44,269
Where was all of that
being spent?

923
00:48:44,312 --> 00:48:46,967
When we looked,
we saw that more
than half of it

924
00:48:47,011 --> 00:48:51,276
was being spent on long-term
and short-term holding.

925
00:48:51,319 --> 00:48:54,366
Basically incarcerating
wild horses

926
00:48:54,409 --> 00:48:58,326
for the rest of their lives
at taxpayers' expense.

927
00:48:58,370 --> 00:49:03,679
We'd visited these facilities
and it was awful.

928
00:49:03,723 --> 00:49:08,032
The wild horses
were branded like cattle.

929
00:49:08,075 --> 00:49:11,818
Tags were strapped
tightly around their necks.

930
00:49:11,861 --> 00:49:13,515
Some were even spray painted.

931
00:49:17,258 --> 00:49:19,304
And worst of all,

932
00:49:19,347 --> 00:49:21,654
they were separated
from their families.

933
00:49:25,527 --> 00:49:28,530
You could just see
the betrayal in their eyes.

934
00:49:30,619 --> 00:49:33,579
Especially when they looked out
beyond the bars,

935
00:49:33,622 --> 00:49:34,928
toward the mountains.

936
00:49:38,279 --> 00:49:41,587
Many of these places
don't have shade...

937
00:49:41,630 --> 00:49:44,459
or any shelter
from the elements.

938
00:49:46,374 --> 00:49:50,596
All they can do is wait
and comfort each other.

939
00:49:52,990 --> 00:49:57,690
♪

940
00:50:03,348 --> 00:50:05,915
Unsurprisingly,
as it turned out...

941
00:50:07,613 --> 00:50:09,789
millions of dollars
were being spent

942
00:50:09,832 --> 00:50:14,315
on contracts
for helicopter roundups...

943
00:50:14,359 --> 00:50:16,143
and for livestock ranchers

944
00:50:16,187 --> 00:50:19,799
to use their pastures
to warehouse wild horses.

945
00:50:21,670 --> 00:50:23,933
Several of these contractors

946
00:50:23,977 --> 00:50:26,632
such as Cattoor
Livestock Roundup Inc.,

947
00:50:26,675 --> 00:50:28,982
better known
as the Cattoor family,

948
00:50:29,026 --> 00:50:32,725
were among the BLM's
contractors of choice...

949
00:50:32,768 --> 00:50:38,252
along with Shane F. Sampson
and Sun J Livestock.

950
00:50:38,296 --> 00:50:41,864
Sampson had earned
over four million dollars.

951
00:50:44,128 --> 00:50:49,002
Sun J Livestock
had been awarded
approximately ten million.

952
00:50:49,046 --> 00:50:53,267
And the Cattoors had earned
over 30 million dollars

953
00:50:53,311 --> 00:50:56,183
in contracts from
the United States Government.

954
00:50:58,316 --> 00:51:00,970
Let's reiterate
that these are contractors,

955
00:51:01,014 --> 00:51:04,104
awarded millions
by the American Government,

956
00:51:04,148 --> 00:51:08,630
funded by our tax dollars,
to round up wild horses

957
00:51:08,674 --> 00:51:12,591
which are supposed to be
federally protected.

958
00:51:12,634 --> 00:51:17,248
But shockingly, in 1992,
along with several others,

959
00:51:17,291 --> 00:51:20,903
Dave Cattoor was convicted
and pled guilty

960
00:51:20,947 --> 00:51:23,515
to breaking a federal law.

961
00:51:23,558 --> 00:51:28,128
For conspiring to use
his aircraft to
hunt wild horses

962
00:51:28,172 --> 00:51:30,261
for the purposes
of capturing them,

963
00:51:30,304 --> 00:51:34,047
killing them
and sending them to slaughter.

964
00:51:34,091 --> 00:51:37,703
He was only fined $500.

965
00:51:37,746 --> 00:51:40,140
And the BLM continues to hire

966
00:51:40,184 --> 00:51:42,795
Cattoor Livestock Roundup Inc.

967
00:51:45,276 --> 00:51:47,016
[Scott]
My name is Scott Beckstead.

968
00:51:47,060 --> 00:51:49,280
I'm Director of Campaigns
for Animal Wellness Action

969
00:51:49,323 --> 00:51:51,195
and the Center
for a Humane Economy.

970
00:51:51,238 --> 00:51:53,240
And I'm also
an adjunct professor of law

971
00:51:53,284 --> 00:51:55,199
at Willamette University.

972
00:51:55,242 --> 00:51:56,896
There has been a push,

973
00:51:56,939 --> 00:51:59,812
an aggressive push
by the Bureau of Land Management

974
00:51:59,855 --> 00:52:01,727
to ramp up these roundups
and removals,

975
00:52:01,770 --> 00:52:04,425
and it's being fueled
by the huge sums of money

976
00:52:04,469 --> 00:52:06,862
appropriated to it by Congress.

977
00:52:06,906 --> 00:52:08,864
Congress
has been successfully lobbied

978
00:52:08,908 --> 00:52:11,432
by the beef industry
for the roundup and removal

979
00:52:11,476 --> 00:52:13,695
of huge numbers
of wild horses and burros

980
00:52:13,739 --> 00:52:17,395
to get the population down
to the low AMLs.

981
00:52:17,438 --> 00:52:20,572
The BLM has constructed
this false narrative

982
00:52:20,615 --> 00:52:23,183
about an overpopulation
of wild horses.

983
00:52:23,227 --> 00:52:25,359
It's a clever ploy
because it diverts

984
00:52:25,403 --> 00:52:27,535
the public's attention
away from the effects

985
00:52:27,579 --> 00:52:30,495
of overgrazing by millions
of commercial livestock

986
00:52:30,538 --> 00:52:34,063
that the BLM has allowed
to happen on our public lands.

987
00:52:34,107 --> 00:52:36,501
What makes these roundups
so difficult to stop

988
00:52:36,544 --> 00:52:38,067
is the huge amounts of money.

989
00:52:38,111 --> 00:52:40,157
Congress has really enabled this

990
00:52:40,200 --> 00:52:43,029
by appropriating 116 million

991
00:52:43,072 --> 00:52:46,772
in 2021 alone
to fund these operations.

992
00:52:46,815 --> 00:52:48,861
It pays
the helicopter contractors

993
00:52:48,904 --> 00:52:50,906
millions of dollars
to do their work,

994
00:52:50,950 --> 00:52:53,518
and then it also appropriates
millions more

995
00:52:53,561 --> 00:52:56,085
to these private entities,
mostly corporations,

996
00:52:56,129 --> 00:52:59,001
to build these off-range
holding facilities

997
00:52:59,045 --> 00:53:01,047
where tens of thousands
of our wild horses

998
00:53:01,090 --> 00:53:03,919
and burros will be kept.

999
00:53:03,963 --> 00:53:05,878
Hi, I'm Marty Irby,
I'm the Executive Director

1000
00:53:05,921 --> 00:53:08,054
of Animal Wellness Action
in Washington DC.

1001
00:53:08,097 --> 00:53:10,970
I'm one of the nation's
top lobbyists in the country

1002
00:53:11,013 --> 00:53:13,842
and also the top lobbyist
on horse protection issues.

1003
00:53:13,886 --> 00:53:16,323
One thing that most people
don't realize that occurs

1004
00:53:16,367 --> 00:53:18,978
is that there are
lobbying dollars

1005
00:53:19,021 --> 00:53:20,632
in Washington DC
that we're up against.

1006
00:53:20,675 --> 00:53:22,416
It's a David and Goliath
situation

1007
00:53:22,460 --> 00:53:26,203
because there are
actual federal funds

1008
00:53:26,246 --> 00:53:29,902
called "USDA
Commodity Checkoff Programs."

1009
00:53:29,945 --> 00:53:31,947
Those commercials, you see,
like, "Got milk,"

1010
00:53:31,991 --> 00:53:33,862
"Beef,
it's what's for dinner,"

1011
00:53:33,906 --> 00:53:35,821
"Pork, the other white meat,"
and "The incredible edible egg,"

1012
00:53:35,864 --> 00:53:38,084
aren't really commercials
or ad campaigns,

1013
00:53:38,127 --> 00:53:40,347
they're USDA checkoff programs,

1014
00:53:40,391 --> 00:53:43,394
they're funded by dollars
paid in by producers

1015
00:53:43,437 --> 00:53:45,004
to sell these products.

1016
00:53:45,047 --> 00:53:47,920
These entities
are quasi-governmental entities,

1017
00:53:47,963 --> 00:53:49,443
and they're utilizing the funds

1018
00:53:49,487 --> 00:53:52,011
to illegally lobby for policies

1019
00:53:52,054 --> 00:53:53,621
that we don't support,

1020
00:53:53,665 --> 00:53:56,450
policies that put
small farmers out of business,

1021
00:53:56,494 --> 00:53:58,539
policies that harm animals,

1022
00:53:58,583 --> 00:54:00,759
policies that are pro-slaughter,

1023
00:54:00,802 --> 00:54:03,457
total of $850 million a year

1024
00:54:03,501 --> 00:54:05,546
for all of
the checkoffs combined.

1025
00:54:05,590 --> 00:54:09,158
Basically, the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association,

1026
00:54:09,202 --> 00:54:11,509
NCBA,
which is the beef checkoff,

1027
00:54:11,552 --> 00:54:16,035
uses their money illegally
to lobby for horse slaughter.

1028
00:54:16,078 --> 00:54:17,863
These horses
are going to become food

1029
00:54:17,906 --> 00:54:21,345
for someone
in China, Japan or Europe.

1030
00:54:21,388 --> 00:54:23,521
I think
one of the most glaring examples

1031
00:54:23,564 --> 00:54:26,959
of this corrupt system
is with J. R. Simplot,

1032
00:54:27,002 --> 00:54:29,744
uh, which is an Idaho-based
food company

1033
00:54:29,788 --> 00:54:32,399
that grazes
tens of thousands of cattle

1034
00:54:32,443 --> 00:54:34,271
at a taxpayer-subsidized rate

1035
00:54:34,314 --> 00:54:37,143
of a dollar 35
per animal unit month

1036
00:54:37,186 --> 00:54:40,364
on grazing allotments
across five western states.

1037
00:54:40,407 --> 00:54:43,715
So, it's enriching itself
by grazing its livestock

1038
00:54:43,758 --> 00:54:46,065
at taxpayer expense
on the front end,

1039
00:54:46,108 --> 00:54:48,633
and on the back end
it's being paid millions

1040
00:54:48,676 --> 00:54:52,724
by the BLM to hold onto
large numbers of wild horses

1041
00:54:52,767 --> 00:54:55,117
that have been removed
from our public lands

1042
00:54:55,161 --> 00:54:58,207
to clear the way for more
commercial livestock grazing.

1043
00:54:58,251 --> 00:55:00,297
And it should terrify
every single American

1044
00:55:00,340 --> 00:55:02,473
who cares about
wild horses and burros

1045
00:55:02,516 --> 00:55:05,345
that a food company
is being paid

1046
00:55:05,389 --> 00:55:08,653
to hold onto large numbers
of these wild horses and burros

1047
00:55:08,696 --> 00:55:10,698
that have been removed
from our public lands.

1048
00:55:14,398 --> 00:55:16,051
[Yvette]
When you think about it,

1049
00:55:16,095 --> 00:55:19,272
you can barely buy
a single can of cat or dog food

1050
00:55:19,316 --> 00:55:21,796
for a dollar 35.

1051
00:55:21,840 --> 00:55:23,798
But big food corporations

1052
00:55:23,842 --> 00:55:26,235
were getting
these massive tax subsidies

1053
00:55:26,279 --> 00:55:29,282
to graze their cattle
on our public land

1054
00:55:29,326 --> 00:55:32,198
for a little over
a dollar a month,

1055
00:55:32,241 --> 00:55:35,070
when private ranchers
had to pay over 20

1056
00:55:35,114 --> 00:55:38,030
using their own land.

1057
00:55:38,073 --> 00:55:40,206
That didn't seem fair.

1058
00:55:40,249 --> 00:55:43,035
And wild horses were being
rounded up because of it.

1059
00:55:44,645 --> 00:55:47,474
In 2021,
we were about to experience

1060
00:55:47,518 --> 00:55:49,911
this corruption for ourselves.

1061
00:55:52,740 --> 00:55:56,788
[calm music]

1062
00:55:59,704 --> 00:56:03,751
The iconic horses
of Sand Wash Basin in Colorado

1063
00:56:03,795 --> 00:56:07,842
are known for the legendary
paint stallion, Picasso.

1064
00:56:11,629 --> 00:56:15,850
This place, just like Onaqui,
had its own magic.

1065
00:56:20,377 --> 00:56:24,468
It was interesting to watch
the wild horse hierarchy...

1066
00:56:24,511 --> 00:56:27,122
as each family
waited their turn for water.

1067
00:56:29,821 --> 00:56:34,869
Often, the stallions would
scope it out first for safety.

1068
00:56:34,913 --> 00:56:37,785
And in some bands,
a lieutenant stallion

1069
00:56:37,829 --> 00:56:40,309
can be an extra set of eyes
over the family...

1070
00:56:41,876 --> 00:56:44,357
until the band stallion
returns.

1071
00:56:44,401 --> 00:56:49,406
♪

1072
00:56:59,328 --> 00:57:02,070
At Sand Wash Basin,
there were watering holes

1073
00:57:02,114 --> 00:57:04,464
that were filled naturally
by the elements.

1074
00:57:06,684 --> 00:57:08,947
And there were also
manmade troughs,

1075
00:57:08,990 --> 00:57:11,297
which local advocates
helped to maintain.

1076
00:57:17,434 --> 00:57:19,871
Right at sunset...

1077
00:57:19,914 --> 00:57:23,788
hundreds of horses
appeared before our eyes.

1078
00:57:40,195 --> 00:57:43,242
And then, almost as quickly
as they came...

1079
00:57:44,722 --> 00:57:46,027
they were gone.

1080
00:58:00,999 --> 00:58:04,568
It takes a lot of effort
and understanding

1081
00:58:04,611 --> 00:58:07,919
and decades of data
to understand

1082
00:58:07,962 --> 00:58:10,791
what the range condition
is like.

1083
00:58:10,835 --> 00:58:12,532
Just don't go out there

1084
00:58:12,576 --> 00:58:14,578
looking for
the beautiful horses,

1085
00:58:14,621 --> 00:58:16,144
which they are very beautiful,

1086
00:58:16,188 --> 00:58:19,321
and understand
what's in the [indistinct].

1087
00:58:19,365 --> 00:58:22,411
Okay, but could you just
tell us the reasoning

1088
00:58:22,455 --> 00:58:24,196
behind the roundup at Sand Wash?

1089
00:58:24,239 --> 00:58:27,591
So, the way we manage horses

1090
00:58:27,634 --> 00:58:29,767
to be in harmony
with their habitat,

1091
00:58:29,810 --> 00:58:32,421
so the habitat
and the horses are healthy,

1092
00:58:32,465 --> 00:58:34,380
is by managing the numbers.

1093
00:58:34,423 --> 00:58:37,514
Um, you know,
unlike other large grazers,

1094
00:58:37,557 --> 00:58:41,561
they're just kind of
more or less there all year.

1095
00:58:41,605 --> 00:58:45,696
Um, and so that means
that the numbers of animals,

1096
00:58:45,739 --> 00:58:49,395
the numbers of mouths
need to be appropriate

1097
00:58:49,438 --> 00:58:52,572
for what the landscape
is capable of producing.

1098
00:58:52,616 --> 00:58:54,313
So that's--

1099
00:58:54,356 --> 00:58:56,620
Let me jump in there and say,
"But why do we do it?"

1100
00:58:56,663 --> 00:58:59,579
We do it because
we're required by law...

1101
00:58:59,623 --> 00:59:01,233
[Hunter] Mm-hmm.

1102
00:59:01,276 --> 00:59:03,235
...to manage for a thriving
ecological balance.

1103
00:59:03,278 --> 00:59:05,106
How do you guys
feel about the fact

1104
00:59:05,150 --> 00:59:07,718
that the Governor has called
for a moratorium on this roundup

1105
00:59:07,761 --> 00:59:09,197
to be evaluated
through more of a fact

1106
00:59:09,241 --> 00:59:10,590
and science-based lens?

1107
00:59:10,634 --> 00:59:12,331
Uh, we appreciate
their interest,

1108
00:59:12,374 --> 00:59:14,812
and we're going to continue
to work with Colorado

1109
00:59:14,855 --> 00:59:17,162
to find creative solutions
to manage these horses

1110
00:59:17,205 --> 00:59:18,772
in a healthy way

1111
00:59:18,816 --> 00:59:22,341
and also resulting
in a healthy landscape.

1112
00:59:22,384 --> 00:59:27,085
That's-- that's what we are
going to do moving forward.

1113
00:59:27,128 --> 00:59:30,392
[Yvette] How do you feel about
the Governor's position?

1114
00:59:30,436 --> 00:59:32,612
[Bruce] Again,
we appreciate their position,

1115
00:59:32,656 --> 00:59:34,483
we appreciate them
wanting to work with us,

1116
00:59:34,527 --> 00:59:36,311
and we want to work with them.

1117
00:59:36,355 --> 00:59:39,097
And so we need to
by mandate, by law,

1118
00:59:39,140 --> 00:59:42,056
manage healthy horses
on healthy range lots.

1119
00:59:42,100 --> 00:59:43,667
[Yvette] Did they consult?

1120
00:59:43,710 --> 00:59:45,233
Because I know
the National Academy of Sciences

1121
00:59:45,277 --> 00:59:48,019
in 2013, I believe,
stated that the AMLs

1122
00:59:48,062 --> 00:59:49,934
were not based
on fact or science.

1123
00:59:49,977 --> 00:59:52,371
So, they're saying--
they're saying there was a--

1124
00:59:52,414 --> 00:59:55,722
a considerable, uh,
production data collected

1125
00:59:55,766 --> 00:59:57,811
all across Sand Wash
in the '90s,

1126
00:59:57,855 --> 01:00:00,814
and that went into setting,

1127
01:00:00,858 --> 01:00:02,599
uh, you know, for Sand Wash.

1128
01:00:02,642 --> 01:00:04,644
But from the '90s,
into the year--

1129
01:00:04,688 --> 01:00:07,473
into 2011, 2013, 2015,

1130
01:00:07,516 --> 01:00:09,606
obviously, there's a lot
going on with climate change

1131
01:00:09,649 --> 01:00:11,695
and why would data
that's that old--

1132
01:00:11,738 --> 01:00:15,655
The-- these rangelands change,
but they change very slowly.

1133
01:00:15,699 --> 01:00:18,832
You don't wait till
the range land has collapsed,

1134
01:00:18,876 --> 01:00:21,052
and then you find
poor body condition,

1135
01:00:21,095 --> 01:00:22,923
you don't wait for that.

1136
01:00:22,967 --> 01:00:24,708
So-- so,
you're rounding them up pro--

1137
01:00:24,751 --> 01:00:27,798
before they can reach a point
of poor body condition?

1138
01:00:27,841 --> 01:00:29,800
The BLM's role legally,

1139
01:00:29,843 --> 01:00:31,845
statutorily,
is to manage the habitat.

1140
01:00:31,889 --> 01:00:33,847
That, you know, the-- the state,

1141
01:00:33,891 --> 01:00:36,415
uh, you know,
they manage the animals.

1142
01:00:36,458 --> 01:00:39,636
Um, except
for the horses, you know,

1143
01:00:39,679 --> 01:00:42,595
uh, like, say the horse
is the only thing BLM manages

1144
01:00:42,639 --> 01:00:44,423
that has a heartbeat.

1145
01:00:44,466 --> 01:00:46,860
Every-- every other critter
out here is either the state

1146
01:00:46,904 --> 01:00:51,256
or if it's listed,
it's Fish and Wildlife Service.

1147
01:00:51,299 --> 01:00:54,259
[Yvette] The BLM had announced
an emergency roundup

1148
01:00:54,302 --> 01:00:58,045
to permanently remove
nearly 90% of the wild horses

1149
01:00:58,089 --> 01:00:59,960
of Sand Wash Basin.

1150
01:01:00,004 --> 01:01:01,875
This emergency status

1151
01:01:01,919 --> 01:01:04,443
allowed them to move forward
with the roundup quickly

1152
01:01:04,486 --> 01:01:09,187
and didn't require the BLM
to assemble public comments.

1153
01:01:09,230 --> 01:01:11,102
They originally said
the roundup

1154
01:01:11,145 --> 01:01:14,279
was due to poor body conditions
of the horses and drought,

1155
01:01:14,322 --> 01:01:17,325
even though
the water holes were full.

1156
01:01:17,369 --> 01:01:21,329
But then the BLM's narrative
suddenly changed.

1157
01:01:21,373 --> 01:01:24,419
The BLM then said
they were removing the horses

1158
01:01:24,463 --> 01:01:27,684
because of negative impacts
to sage-grouse habitat

1159
01:01:27,727 --> 01:01:29,468
and for future starvation.

1160
01:01:30,774 --> 01:01:32,601
They also ignored the requests

1161
01:01:32,645 --> 01:01:35,126
of Colorado Governor
Jared Polis,

1162
01:01:35,169 --> 01:01:38,782
Western Watersheds project,
and the Sierra Club

1163
01:01:38,825 --> 01:01:42,350
to halt the unnecessary roundup
of Sand Wash Basin.

1164
01:01:48,748 --> 01:01:50,489
-[Troy] Yeah.
-[man] Yeah.

1165
01:01:50,532 --> 01:01:52,534
We are direct right in the--

1166
01:01:52,578 --> 01:01:55,581
-in line of the wings.
-[Chris] Sure.

1167
01:01:55,624 --> 01:01:57,061
-So, we need to go--
-[horse blusters]

1168
01:01:57,104 --> 01:01:58,410
Just over
the other side of this, right?

1169
01:01:58,453 --> 01:02:00,238
-Yeah, I don't know.
-Okay.

1170
01:02:00,281 --> 01:02:02,327
I'm just gonna go down here
and see if I can find a hole

1171
01:02:02,370 --> 01:02:03,937
-to get to.
-All right, absolutely.

1172
01:02:03,981 --> 01:02:05,286
So, yeah, we'll just move
the vehicles down

1173
01:02:05,330 --> 01:02:06,766
a little farther.

1174
01:02:06,810 --> 01:02:08,289
Uh, you could leave
your equipment here

1175
01:02:08,333 --> 01:02:09,900
if you'd like,
just right off this area.

1176
01:02:09,943 --> 01:02:11,292
[Yvette] It's actually safer
to be near a tree,

1177
01:02:11,336 --> 01:02:12,685
if the wild horses come near us.

1178
01:02:12,729 --> 01:02:14,992
[Chris] Usually, [indistinct].

1179
01:02:15,035 --> 01:02:17,864
-[Yvette] It's safer.
-I'm not arguing with you.

1180
01:02:17,908 --> 01:02:19,736
We'll comply,
but I'm just letting you know

1181
01:02:19,779 --> 01:02:22,173
that God forbid
a wild herd ga--

1182
01:02:22,216 --> 01:02:23,914
gallops over this mountain,

1183
01:02:23,957 --> 01:02:25,742
you're gonna want to scream
to everybody

1184
01:02:25,785 --> 01:02:27,439
to stand under this tree.

1185
01:02:27,482 --> 01:02:29,267
And I just-- I don't care

1186
01:02:29,310 --> 01:02:31,443
whose side of the issue
you're on.

1187
01:02:31,486 --> 01:02:33,314
This-- this is safer.

1188
01:02:33,358 --> 01:02:36,013
What Cattoor wants is for us
to not get a clear line of sight

1189
01:02:36,056 --> 01:02:37,449
as to what's about to happen.

1190
01:02:37,492 --> 01:02:40,104
So, here we are
at Sand Wash Basin.

1191
01:02:40,147 --> 01:02:44,543
We were asked to move
from that tree to here.

1192
01:02:44,586 --> 01:02:48,025
So, that the horses apparently
can see us.

1193
01:02:48,068 --> 01:02:50,114
And apparently we're hiding
behind this mountain.

1194
01:02:51,289 --> 01:02:52,681
However, we cannot see

1195
01:02:52,725 --> 01:02:57,164
the helicopter operation
at this point.

1196
01:02:57,208 --> 01:02:59,993
[Yvette] From our vantage point
behind the hill,

1197
01:03:00,037 --> 01:03:04,476
we could barely see anything
the helicopter was doing...

1198
01:03:04,519 --> 01:03:06,870
until the horses were driven
into the trap site.

1199
01:03:09,176 --> 01:03:11,744
It was the first time
we had been this close to one.

1200
01:03:13,050 --> 01:03:15,182
And it was horrifying to see.

1201
01:03:18,664 --> 01:03:21,406
Numerous horses
had sustained injuries.

1202
01:03:25,149 --> 01:03:26,846
[Chris] Actually, [indistinct]
they're putting up--

1203
01:03:26,890 --> 01:03:30,154
Hovering on the area
where the foals were running,

1204
01:03:30,197 --> 01:03:31,808
which indicates that,
in fact,

1205
01:03:31,851 --> 01:03:35,333
the foals were
not in a good position earlier.

1206
01:03:35,376 --> 01:03:37,726
The paneling does--
the plastic fence,

1207
01:03:37,770 --> 01:03:39,946
it will prevent
the foals from--

1208
01:03:39,990 --> 01:03:42,601
and the horses from wanting
to run through the panel.

1209
01:03:42,644 --> 01:03:44,559
So, because they didn't have
that up earlier,

1210
01:03:44,603 --> 01:03:46,648
those three yearlings
were running around

1211
01:03:46,692 --> 01:03:48,999
and starting to test the pen.

1212
01:03:49,042 --> 01:03:50,870
So, the fact that
they're putting up now indicates

1213
01:03:50,914 --> 01:03:52,872
that they weren't doing it
correctly earlier.

1214
01:03:52,916 --> 01:03:54,656
[Yvette] Interesting,
and that's when,

1215
01:03:54,700 --> 01:03:56,920
apparently, that one--
that one yearling got hurt,

1216
01:03:56,963 --> 01:04:00,010
and his shoulder was bloody
or her shoulder was bloody.

1217
01:04:00,053 --> 01:04:02,664
[Brian] Uh,
it seems to be, yeah.

1218
01:04:05,406 --> 01:04:06,973
[Yvette]
The Bureau of Land Management

1219
01:04:07,017 --> 01:04:09,758
made us wait
for almost two hours

1220
01:04:09,802 --> 01:04:12,196
before we were allowed
to approach the corrals.

1221
01:04:13,371 --> 01:04:15,155
Their reasoning was,

1222
01:04:15,199 --> 01:04:18,463
"People near the corrals
would upset the horses."

1223
01:04:20,030 --> 01:04:21,553
Apparently those rules

1224
01:04:21,596 --> 01:04:23,685
didn't apply
to roundup personnel.

1225
01:04:25,905 --> 01:04:28,386
It was cold,
and it was raining,

1226
01:04:28,429 --> 01:04:31,041
and it was almost like
they were trying to
wait us out.

1227
01:04:31,084 --> 01:04:32,825
[man] Ah,
there's horse locations--

1228
01:04:32,869 --> 01:04:34,435
[Yvette] When we were finally
allowed closer

1229
01:04:34,479 --> 01:04:36,829
to the trap site...

1230
01:04:36,873 --> 01:04:38,918
that's when we saw
the injuries.

1231
01:04:38,962 --> 01:04:41,790
-[woman] [indistinct]?
-[man] Yep.

1232
01:04:41,834 --> 01:04:45,272
[woman] So, when do you think...
[muffled speech]

1233
01:04:45,316 --> 01:04:48,232
[Yvette] But as hard
as all this was to see

1234
01:04:48,275 --> 01:04:51,757
people kept on coming
to support the horses

1235
01:04:51,800 --> 01:04:56,196
and to hold the Bureau
of Land Management accountable.

1236
01:04:56,240 --> 01:04:59,721
We found it
exceedingly bizarre...

1237
01:04:59,765 --> 01:05:03,595
that Dave and Sue Cattoor
showed up to watch

1238
01:05:03,638 --> 01:05:08,121
as the horses of
Sand Wash Basin
lost their freedom.

1239
01:05:08,165 --> 01:05:10,036
I'm Steve Leonard,

1240
01:05:10,080 --> 01:05:12,212
I'm the Wild Horse and Burro
Lead for the state of Colorado.

1241
01:05:12,256 --> 01:05:15,172
Roughly we're at 896 horses

1242
01:05:15,215 --> 01:05:18,697
between inside the HMA
and outside the HMA.

1243
01:05:18,740 --> 01:05:21,178
And we're trying to reduce
that population down

1244
01:05:21,221 --> 01:05:23,876
to the low AML of 163.

1245
01:05:23,920 --> 01:05:25,530
So, this is an emergency gather.

1246
01:05:25,573 --> 01:05:27,401
Um, we're conducting this

1247
01:05:27,445 --> 01:05:29,229
because of the lack of forage
and water for these horses.

1248
01:05:29,273 --> 01:05:32,929
Um, and so our objective here
is to reduce the herd to,

1249
01:05:32,972 --> 01:05:34,539
um, the appropriate
national levels.

1250
01:05:34,582 --> 01:05:36,236
[Yvette] The reasoning
seems to have changed

1251
01:05:36,280 --> 01:05:38,151
from an emergency roundup
due to drought,

1252
01:05:38,195 --> 01:05:40,110
and because
they were in poor body condition

1253
01:05:40,153 --> 01:05:41,807
to identifying that

1254
01:05:41,850 --> 01:05:43,765
they're not going to have
enough winter forage,

1255
01:05:43,809 --> 01:05:45,898
and there's something to do
with sage-grouse now,

1256
01:05:45,942 --> 01:05:48,031
that was-- didn't seem like
it was part of the conversation

1257
01:05:48,074 --> 01:05:49,684
until recently.

1258
01:05:49,728 --> 01:05:51,556
Well, um, so we always
take into consideration

1259
01:05:51,599 --> 01:05:53,732
the needs of all the users
on public lands when we're--

1260
01:05:53,775 --> 01:05:55,168
when we're managing
wild horses and burros,

1261
01:05:55,212 --> 01:05:56,735
so that includes wildlife.

1262
01:05:56,778 --> 01:05:58,389
Um, so the sage-grouse
were always gonna be

1263
01:05:58,432 --> 01:06:02,045
part of this decision
to manage this herd.

1264
01:06:02,088 --> 01:06:05,439
[Yvette] Didn't the range land
specialist just state

1265
01:06:05,483 --> 01:06:07,180
that the Bureau
of Land Management

1266
01:06:07,224 --> 01:06:09,487
only manages wild horses?

1267
01:06:09,530 --> 01:06:13,839
That every other critter
falls outside of their purview?

1268
01:06:13,882 --> 01:06:16,798
Why were they suddenly
trying to scapegoat wild horses

1269
01:06:16,842 --> 01:06:19,323
for negative effects
to sage-grouse?

1270
01:06:19,366 --> 01:06:21,716
I'm Megan Crawford,
I'm part of the SWAT team

1271
01:06:21,760 --> 01:06:23,457
here in the Sand Wash,

1272
01:06:23,501 --> 01:06:27,984
and I worked for the BLM
the season of 2016

1273
01:06:28,027 --> 01:06:30,508
doing, uh, sage-grouse surveys

1274
01:06:30,551 --> 01:06:34,294
and with the emergency gather,
it's honestly kind of a cop-out.

1275
01:06:34,338 --> 01:06:36,383
They don't have to do
an environmental assessment,

1276
01:06:36,427 --> 01:06:38,559
they don't have to, uh,

1277
01:06:38,603 --> 01:06:40,518
have a public scoping
comment period,

1278
01:06:40,561 --> 01:06:44,043
they-- they basically
can say we are doing this,

1279
01:06:44,087 --> 01:06:45,653
these are the numbers
we're gonna take,

1280
01:06:45,697 --> 01:06:48,047
this is the amount of horses
we're gonna leave,

1281
01:06:48,091 --> 01:06:50,354
and it kind of takes

1282
01:06:50,397 --> 01:06:53,966
all of the accountability
out of the system

1283
01:06:54,010 --> 01:06:57,404
because it's sort of
just a standing order,

1284
01:06:57,448 --> 01:06:59,885
and we're all just
supposed to bend to it.

1285
01:06:59,928 --> 01:07:03,062
And how they can say
it's solely the wild horses

1286
01:07:03,106 --> 01:07:04,498
that are the reason

1287
01:07:04,542 --> 01:07:08,285
that the sage-grouse
are not rebounding

1288
01:07:08,328 --> 01:07:10,156
seems a little bit absurd to me.

1289
01:07:10,200 --> 01:07:12,941
I'm not sure the exact number
of sheep that are out here,

1290
01:07:12,985 --> 01:07:15,727
but having
that many sheep compared

1291
01:07:15,770 --> 01:07:19,078
to the amount of horses, I--
I think it's a cop-out to say

1292
01:07:19,122 --> 01:07:21,472
that it's the wild horses
that are degrading the land.

1293
01:07:21,515 --> 01:07:23,909
[Yvette]
Did any of your beliefs change

1294
01:07:23,952 --> 01:07:26,520
in how things were conducted?

1295
01:07:26,564 --> 01:07:28,609
Honestly,
I was a little surprised

1296
01:07:28,653 --> 01:07:32,918
about the brashness
of the BLM side.

1297
01:07:32,961 --> 01:07:34,528
I don't think
that they really care

1298
01:07:34,572 --> 01:07:36,095
for the horses out here.

1299
01:07:36,139 --> 01:07:38,184
You know,
even what they would say,

1300
01:07:38,228 --> 01:07:39,968
the advocates were,

1301
01:07:40,012 --> 01:07:42,536
which they kind of used
as a bad word around there.

1302
01:07:42,580 --> 01:07:45,104
[Yvette] One of the advocates
on the ground pointed out

1303
01:07:45,148 --> 01:07:47,759
that there were babies
only a day old

1304
01:07:47,802 --> 01:07:50,675
being chased
by the low flying helicopters.

1305
01:07:50,718 --> 01:07:53,286
Though the BLM
continues to define

1306
01:07:53,330 --> 01:07:55,506
helicopter roundups as humane.

1307
01:07:57,551 --> 01:07:59,814
Something else
we found suspicious that day

1308
01:07:59,858 --> 01:08:02,252
was the Cattoor helicopter.

1309
01:08:02,295 --> 01:08:05,603
Our camera operator,
Jerry, was also a pilot

1310
01:08:05,646 --> 01:08:08,606
and he pointed out that
while there was
a United Flight,

1311
01:08:08,649 --> 01:08:10,434
30,000 feet above us,

1312
01:08:10,477 --> 01:08:13,350
we could not track
the Cattoor helicopter.

1313
01:08:13,393 --> 01:08:15,003
The potential accusation

1314
01:08:15,047 --> 01:08:17,267
was that they had blocked
their ADS-B,

1315
01:08:17,309 --> 01:08:21,401
which the FAA said a contractor
can do upon request

1316
01:08:21,444 --> 01:08:24,883
but can be dangerous given
other aircrafts in the area.

1317
01:08:24,925 --> 01:08:27,799
That, or the signal
simply wasn't
being picked up on

1318
01:08:27,842 --> 01:08:29,366
because of the terrain.

1319
01:08:29,408 --> 01:08:30,932
What we found suspicious

1320
01:08:30,976 --> 01:08:33,892
was that the BLM
repeatedly refused

1321
01:08:33,934 --> 01:08:35,894
to answer any of our questions

1322
01:08:35,937 --> 01:08:39,419
about why the helicopter
had vanished.

1323
01:08:39,462 --> 01:08:42,205
So, there was ultimately
no way for us to track

1324
01:08:42,247 --> 01:08:46,644
how many grueling miles
they were running these horses.

1325
01:08:46,687 --> 01:08:49,473
Uh, the total contract cost
for this

1326
01:08:49,515 --> 01:08:51,127
is just under 300,000.

1327
01:08:55,478 --> 01:08:57,175
That doesn't include
holding, no.

1328
01:09:02,486 --> 01:09:06,359
[Yvette] With the target
of 733 horses to capture

1329
01:09:06,403 --> 01:09:08,969
the approximate cost
to taxpayers

1330
01:09:09,014 --> 01:09:13,060
to warehouse
all of those horses
for the rest of their lives

1331
01:09:13,104 --> 01:09:16,804
was over $36 million.

1332
01:09:16,848 --> 01:09:19,198
Thankfully,
due to an intervention

1333
01:09:19,242 --> 01:09:22,853
by Governor Jared Polis
and Congressman Joe Neguse,

1334
01:09:22,897 --> 01:09:24,682
the roundup ended early

1335
01:09:24,725 --> 01:09:27,859
and the total captured was 479.

1336
01:09:29,556 --> 01:09:31,166
[Yvette] This is how narrow
this stuff is.

1337
01:09:31,210 --> 01:09:35,214
[melancholic music]

1338
01:09:37,346 --> 01:09:39,435
These horses are in this.

1339
01:09:41,524 --> 01:09:43,440
[Yvette] They were sent
to a holding facility

1340
01:09:43,483 --> 01:09:47,399
at Canyon City Federal Prison
where only months later,

1341
01:09:47,443 --> 01:09:51,056
when 145 horses
mysteriously died.

1342
01:09:53,710 --> 01:09:56,235
Only two months
after the wild horses

1343
01:09:56,279 --> 01:09:57,844
of Sand Wash Basin

1344
01:09:57,889 --> 01:10:00,544
were almost
completely eradicated,

1345
01:10:00,587 --> 01:10:04,939
thousands of sheep
were spotted in the basin.

1346
01:10:04,983 --> 01:10:07,028
[protestors] [chanting]
Stop the choppers.

1347
01:10:07,072 --> 01:10:10,728
Stop the choppers.
Stop the choppers.

1348
01:10:10,771 --> 01:10:14,384
Stop the choppers.
Stop the choppers.

1349
01:10:14,427 --> 01:10:17,735
Stop the choppers,
stop the cho--

1350
01:10:17,778 --> 01:10:19,780
Yesterday,
the Bureau of Land Management

1351
01:10:19,824 --> 01:10:22,130
issued a media statement

1352
01:10:22,174 --> 01:10:24,611
that said
this roundup is gonna happen.

1353
01:10:24,655 --> 01:10:26,264
It was a--

1354
01:10:26,309 --> 01:10:30,269
an absolute disregard
of the thousands of people

1355
01:10:30,313 --> 01:10:33,490
across the country
and across the world

1356
01:10:33,532 --> 01:10:36,362
who have called the BLM
and said,

1357
01:10:36,406 --> 01:10:39,322
"Please,
please stop this roundup."

1358
01:10:39,365 --> 01:10:41,628
My name is Erik Molvar,

1359
01:10:41,672 --> 01:10:44,718
and I'm the Executive Director
of Western Watersheds Project.

1360
01:10:44,762 --> 01:10:46,546
My name is Deniz Bolbol,

1361
01:10:46,590 --> 01:10:49,201
I'm with the Cloud Foundation,
I'm the Advocacy Director.

1362
01:10:49,245 --> 01:10:50,768
Hello, everyone,
I'm Marty Irby here,

1363
01:10:50,811 --> 01:10:52,770
Executive Director
of Animal Wellness Action

1364
01:10:52,813 --> 01:10:54,989
and chief lobbyist
in Washington DC.

1365
01:10:55,032 --> 01:10:56,904
I really appreciate
everyone turning out today

1366
01:10:56,948 --> 01:10:58,384
to support the Onaqui horses,

1367
01:10:58,428 --> 01:11:00,212
my name is Ashley Avis,
I'm a filmmaker.

1368
01:11:00,255 --> 01:11:03,215
-[protestors cheering]
-Now I've been out to Onaqui.

1369
01:11:03,259 --> 01:11:07,611
And the BLM says
that 474 wild horses

1370
01:11:07,654 --> 01:11:10,570
are too many for the range.

1371
01:11:10,614 --> 01:11:13,312
Livestock industry
coined a term for that.

1372
01:11:13,356 --> 01:11:17,403
-Bullshit.
-[protestors cheering]

1373
01:11:17,447 --> 01:11:19,666
Now,
the Bureau of Land Management

1374
01:11:19,710 --> 01:11:23,235
has authorized almost
20,000 animal unit months

1375
01:11:23,279 --> 01:11:25,324
of cattle and sheep
grazing on Onaqui.

1376
01:11:25,368 --> 01:11:29,067
On a wild horse
Herd Management Area

1377
01:11:29,110 --> 01:11:31,939
where they have
a congressional responsibility

1378
01:11:31,983 --> 01:11:34,072
-to conserve the wild horses.
-[protestor] Exactly. Exactly.

1379
01:11:35,202 --> 01:11:37,989
This kind of injustice

1380
01:11:38,032 --> 01:11:40,513
is happening
all around the country.

1381
01:11:40,557 --> 01:11:45,300
It's not about a thriving,
natural ecological balance.

1382
01:11:45,344 --> 01:11:48,041
The BLM is creating a problem

1383
01:11:48,085 --> 01:11:52,003
with cattle and sheep
degrading the range.

1384
01:11:52,046 --> 01:11:54,919
And then, instead of addressing
the cause of the problem,

1385
01:11:54,962 --> 01:11:56,921
they're blaming
the convenient scapegoat,

1386
01:11:56,964 --> 01:11:58,270
the wild horse.

1387
01:11:58,314 --> 01:12:00,098
So they can keep on overgrazing

1388
01:12:00,141 --> 01:12:02,840
with as many cattle
and sheep as they always have

1389
01:12:02,883 --> 01:12:05,451
without
the American public noticing.

1390
01:12:05,495 --> 01:12:07,496
Well, guess what, the public
is starting to notice.

1391
01:12:07,540 --> 01:12:10,326
-[protestor] Yes!
-[protestors cheering]

1392
01:12:10,369 --> 01:12:12,371
Earlier this year,
we sent a letter,

1393
01:12:12,415 --> 01:12:16,027
I think it was 70 or so groups,
to Secretary Deb Haaland

1394
01:12:16,070 --> 01:12:19,291
asking her to put a moratorium
on the grazing permits

1395
01:12:19,335 --> 01:12:21,380
for these cattle and sheep
that they're bringing in.

1396
01:12:21,424 --> 01:12:22,990
We didn't get a response.

1397
01:12:23,034 --> 01:12:24,644
We're asking you,
Mr. President,

1398
01:12:24,688 --> 01:12:27,255
please stop the roundups.

1399
01:12:27,299 --> 01:12:29,344
Everyone here
has an opportunity

1400
01:12:29,388 --> 01:12:31,389
to let the president know
how you feel.

1401
01:12:31,434 --> 01:12:35,742
Call 202-456-1111,

1402
01:12:35,786 --> 01:12:38,745
202-456-1111.

1403
01:12:38,789 --> 01:12:41,443
And let's light up
the White House switchboard.

1404
01:12:41,487 --> 01:12:43,141
-[protestors cheering]
-Let's light it up.

1405
01:12:43,184 --> 01:12:45,796
It's time to call the President.
This has to stop.

1406
01:12:45,839 --> 01:12:48,581
This is a government agency
that is broken.

1407
01:12:48,625 --> 01:12:51,715
It's not just sickened,
in need of reform,

1408
01:12:51,758 --> 01:12:54,370
it is broken,
in need of a complete overhaul.

1409
01:12:54,413 --> 01:12:56,719
We do need
leadership from above.

1410
01:12:56,763 --> 01:12:58,460
We need adult supervision

1411
01:12:58,504 --> 01:12:59,940
for the agency bureaucrats

1412
01:12:59,984 --> 01:13:01,638
who have been making
the same mistakes,

1413
01:13:01,681 --> 01:13:03,770
-year after year after year.
-[protestors cheering]

1414
01:13:03,814 --> 01:13:05,772
I think it's so important

1415
01:13:05,816 --> 01:13:08,079
that not only
the people standing here

1416
01:13:08,121 --> 01:13:10,168
but the children
in our country

1417
01:13:10,210 --> 01:13:11,865
stand up
and raise their voices

1418
01:13:11,909 --> 01:13:13,867
because they too
can make a change.

1419
01:13:13,911 --> 01:13:17,088
I'd like to read two letters
from two ten-year-olds,

1420
01:13:17,130 --> 01:13:19,482
part of a Girl Scout troop.

1421
01:13:19,525 --> 01:13:20,918
Dear President Biden.

1422
01:13:20,960 --> 01:13:23,616
Dear Interior Secretary
Deb Haaland.

1423
01:13:23,660 --> 01:13:25,879
And dear honorable members
of Congress.

1424
01:13:25,923 --> 01:13:27,794
"I'm writing
to ask you to make laws

1425
01:13:27,838 --> 01:13:29,927
to help protect
the wild Mustang herds."

1426
01:13:29,969 --> 01:13:32,016
"If you were a horse
and you were rounded up

1427
01:13:32,059 --> 01:13:35,323
in a tiny pen and slaughtered,
how would that make you feel?

1428
01:13:35,367 --> 01:13:37,195
Scared.

1429
01:13:37,237 --> 01:13:39,371
That is how these horses feel,
and that is sad and wrong."

1430
01:13:39,415 --> 01:13:42,330
"Roundups of herds
like the Onaqui must be stopped.

1431
01:13:42,374 --> 01:13:43,853
The facts have shown

1432
01:13:43,897 --> 01:13:45,725
that these horses just end up
in kill pens

1433
01:13:45,769 --> 01:13:48,032
bound for a life of pain
and suffering."

1434
01:13:48,075 --> 01:13:49,686
"These majestic creatures

1435
01:13:49,728 --> 01:13:51,862
are caught in the system
of ranching monopolies,

1436
01:13:51,905 --> 01:13:54,299
encouraged
by government enablement

1437
01:13:54,342 --> 01:13:55,952
and distortion of the truth."

1438
01:13:55,996 --> 01:13:57,433
"President Biden,

1439
01:13:57,476 --> 01:13:59,478
please stop
the wild Onaqui roundups.

1440
01:13:59,522 --> 01:14:01,480
There are babies
and elderly horses

1441
01:14:01,523 --> 01:14:04,614
out on the range who will
not survive the helicopters.

1442
01:14:04,657 --> 01:14:06,746
You are the voice
that can stop this."

1443
01:14:06,790 --> 01:14:08,879
"Please help the Onaqui
stay where they belong."

1444
01:14:08,922 --> 01:14:11,838
"These horses
represent the story of America."

1445
01:14:11,882 --> 01:14:13,884
"What will you do
for the generations to come?"

1446
01:14:13,927 --> 01:14:16,755
"Have the courage
to see beyond profit,

1447
01:14:16,800 --> 01:14:21,195
and take a serious look
at America's long term values."

1448
01:14:21,239 --> 01:14:24,982
I'm Jocelyn, I'm ten years old,
and I stand with wild horses.

1449
01:14:25,025 --> 01:14:26,592
I stand with wild horses.

1450
01:14:26,636 --> 01:14:28,159
I stand with wild horses.

1451
01:14:28,202 --> 01:14:30,596
Hopeful and determined,
Jocelyn.

1452
01:14:37,473 --> 01:14:41,477
[emotional music]

1453
01:14:44,218 --> 01:14:47,526
[Yvette] After the rally
to save the Onaqui...

1454
01:14:47,570 --> 01:14:49,789
going out to the range
was cleansing.

1455
01:14:53,663 --> 01:14:55,795
All of our favorite families
were there.

1456
01:14:57,536 --> 01:14:59,582
The chestnut foal
Sun Catcher.

1457
01:15:01,496 --> 01:15:03,150
The powerful Stargazer.

1458
01:15:05,588 --> 01:15:06,893
The bay roan.

1459
01:15:08,852 --> 01:15:11,245
Norman and the three amigos.

1460
01:15:11,289 --> 01:15:16,512
♪

1461
01:15:24,955 --> 01:15:27,740
[horse neighs]

1462
01:15:27,784 --> 01:15:30,568
It was as if they were
putting on a show for us.

1463
01:15:31,918 --> 01:15:34,094
[horse neighs]

1464
01:15:36,139 --> 01:15:38,490
Never had we been so close.

1465
01:15:39,621 --> 01:15:41,537
[horse neighs]

1466
01:15:44,061 --> 01:15:46,585
Stargazer was in full form,

1467
01:15:46,629 --> 01:15:48,326
battling
several of the stallions

1468
01:15:48,369 --> 01:15:50,502
right before our eyes.

1469
01:15:50,546 --> 01:15:54,462
[horses neigh]

1470
01:15:59,990 --> 01:16:04,907
A young stallion
sailed before us...

1471
01:16:04,951 --> 01:16:09,477
as he courted the affections
of his very first mare.

1472
01:16:17,616 --> 01:16:20,271
It was a harmony
only nature could know.

1473
01:16:23,491 --> 01:16:27,539
And we were given this
quiet glimpse into all of it.

1474
01:16:29,976 --> 01:16:32,675
And then...

1475
01:16:32,718 --> 01:16:35,939
the one horse
we'd hoped to see for years...

1476
01:16:37,767 --> 01:16:40,943
the legendary Old Man...

1477
01:16:40,987 --> 01:16:44,556
seemed to materialize
out of the mountains.

1478
01:16:44,600 --> 01:16:49,605
♪

1479
01:17:16,675 --> 01:17:19,199
He walked beside us...

1480
01:17:19,243 --> 01:17:22,202
and stayed with us
until sunset...

1481
01:17:24,204 --> 01:17:25,510
when he was called home.

1482
01:17:25,553 --> 01:17:30,602
♪

1483
01:17:48,751 --> 01:17:53,886
And that night, we were given
the spectacular gift...

1484
01:17:53,930 --> 01:17:59,022
of hundreds of Onaqui horses
galloping to water...

1485
01:17:59,065 --> 01:18:01,067
like ghosts of the desert.

1486
01:18:05,985 --> 01:18:08,248
Well, uh, thank you everybody
for being here,

1487
01:18:08,291 --> 01:18:11,338
my name is Gus Warr,
I'm the BLM Wild Horse and Burro

1488
01:18:11,382 --> 01:18:13,340
Program Manager for Utah,

1489
01:18:13,384 --> 01:18:16,474
and I'll be the incident
commander on this gather.

1490
01:18:16,517 --> 01:18:19,651
Um, been a lot of publicity,

1491
01:18:19,695 --> 01:18:22,480
a lot of things associated
with-- with this gather.

1492
01:18:22,523 --> 01:18:25,135
Uh, we did have a litigation
case we were working through,

1493
01:18:25,178 --> 01:18:27,833
and we wanted
to allow Judge Moss

1494
01:18:27,877 --> 01:18:30,967
to make his ruling
without overstepping our bounds

1495
01:18:31,010 --> 01:18:32,446
and not doing something
we shouldn't,

1496
01:18:32,490 --> 01:18:34,187
and we did get a ruling

1497
01:18:34,231 --> 01:18:36,014
which gave us the green light
to be out here today.

1498
01:18:36,059 --> 01:18:37,755
This is Lisa Reid,

1499
01:18:37,800 --> 01:18:40,628
she's our lead
public affairs person out here

1500
01:18:40,672 --> 01:18:42,978
on this gather and, uh,

1501
01:18:43,022 --> 01:18:45,938
you're gonna hear her, uh,
what I call barking orders.

1502
01:18:45,982 --> 01:18:48,549
She's in charge of all of you.

1503
01:18:48,593 --> 01:18:51,509
I'm in charge
of everything out here,

1504
01:18:51,552 --> 01:18:55,077
meaning we got
an operations person over here,

1505
01:18:55,121 --> 01:18:56,557
we've got
a law enforcement branch,

1506
01:18:56,601 --> 01:18:58,081
we've got a public affairs

1507
01:18:58,124 --> 01:18:59,865
and so I'm trying
to keep it all in check,

1508
01:18:59,909 --> 01:19:02,999
but she's-- she's kind of trying
to corral the people.

1509
01:19:03,041 --> 01:19:04,740
[officer] You'll see us around,

1510
01:19:04,782 --> 01:19:06,654
we're gonna be scattered
throughout the operation,

1511
01:19:06,698 --> 01:19:09,135
and, uh, we're here for safety,
and we're gonna hope to prevent

1512
01:19:09,179 --> 01:19:10,963
any interference
with the operation.

1513
01:19:11,007 --> 01:19:14,053
Because if we start interfering
with gather operations,

1514
01:19:14,097 --> 01:19:16,795
then unfortunately,
we have to move further back,

1515
01:19:16,839 --> 01:19:20,799
further away or-- or, you know,
if worse comes to worse,

1516
01:19:20,843 --> 01:19:23,280
we may have to ask somebody
that's not cooperating

1517
01:19:23,323 --> 01:19:25,630
for law enforcement
to escort them out of the site.

1518
01:19:25,673 --> 01:19:28,327
It's a hike
but it's-- it's the best--

1519
01:19:28,371 --> 01:19:29,895
It's the best viewing
you're gonna get.

1520
01:19:31,027 --> 01:19:33,507
[emotional music]

1521
01:19:33,550 --> 01:19:35,466
[Yvette panting]

1522
01:19:39,252 --> 01:19:40,993
[Yvette]
We were no longer shocked

1523
01:19:41,037 --> 01:19:43,474
that the Onaqui roundup
was justified

1524
01:19:43,517 --> 01:19:46,216
much like the rest.

1525
01:19:46,259 --> 01:19:49,219
When an organization
called "Friends of Animals"

1526
01:19:49,262 --> 01:19:51,221
filed a lawsuit to stop it,

1527
01:19:51,264 --> 01:19:55,616
the BLM field manager
for Utah testified under oath

1528
01:19:55,660 --> 01:19:58,358
that the horses
were in poor body condition

1529
01:19:58,402 --> 01:20:00,404
due to being overpopulated

1530
01:20:00,447 --> 01:20:02,928
and needed to be rounded up
for their own good

1531
01:20:02,972 --> 01:20:05,931
to prevent future starvation.

1532
01:20:05,975 --> 01:20:10,675
This ended up being false,
even by the BLM's
own admission.

1533
01:20:10,718 --> 01:20:12,503
And three days
into the roundup,

1534
01:20:12,546 --> 01:20:15,505
the agency announced
that most of the horses

1535
01:20:15,549 --> 01:20:18,030
were in good shape after all.

1536
01:20:18,074 --> 01:20:19,858
But instead of pulling back

1537
01:20:19,902 --> 01:20:23,209
or releasing
the healthy horses...

1538
01:20:23,253 --> 01:20:25,298
they simply changed
the justification

1539
01:20:25,342 --> 01:20:27,387
for the roundup to drought.

1540
01:20:33,002 --> 01:20:36,440
We, along with
tens of thousands of people

1541
01:20:36,483 --> 01:20:40,052
and advocacy groups
across the world...

1542
01:20:40,096 --> 01:20:44,013
tried everything we could
to stop the roundup of Onaqui.

1543
01:20:44,056 --> 01:20:49,105
♪

1544
01:20:53,370 --> 01:20:57,548
The night before it happened,
as they walked away...

1545
01:20:57,591 --> 01:20:59,376
it was like a funeral march.

1546
01:21:00,550 --> 01:21:02,466
It was as if they knew.

1547
01:21:10,691 --> 01:21:14,478
On the first day,
the helicopter kept a distance,

1548
01:21:14,521 --> 01:21:16,827
and only 14 horses
were captured.

1549
01:21:18,656 --> 01:21:20,440
None of the families
that we knew

1550
01:21:20,484 --> 01:21:22,921
lived in this remote area.

1551
01:21:22,965 --> 01:21:26,664
So, we were shocked
to see Old Man there

1552
01:21:26,707 --> 01:21:28,361
as if he were bearing witness.

1553
01:21:30,842 --> 01:21:33,192
The Associated Press showed up

1554
01:21:33,236 --> 01:21:37,109
along with advocates
and other media.

1555
01:21:37,153 --> 01:21:40,852
But we were surprised
at how few people turned out.

1556
01:21:40,896 --> 01:21:42,809
I think the BLM was too,

1557
01:21:42,853 --> 01:21:44,638
because in the days
that followed,

1558
01:21:44,682 --> 01:21:48,164
the roundup became
significantly more aggressive.

1559
01:21:53,559 --> 01:21:57,303
[Yvette] Sweetheart, run.

1560
01:21:57,347 --> 01:21:59,130
So, the question was,
"Why can't we see the traps?"

1561
01:21:59,175 --> 01:22:01,177
They're over here,
we looked at the viewing area,

1562
01:22:01,219 --> 01:22:02,960
and all you could see
is the corrals.

1563
01:22:03,005 --> 01:22:05,572
You couldn't see
the gather area out here.

1564
01:22:05,616 --> 01:22:06,922
[Yvette] Can we go up
on that ridge,

1565
01:22:06,965 --> 01:22:08,619
like we did yesterday?

1566
01:22:08,662 --> 01:22:10,142
We were able to climb
the mountain to look down--

1567
01:22:10,186 --> 01:22:11,361
No, we-- we've
selected a viewing site,

1568
01:22:11,404 --> 01:22:12,840
we've alerted the contractor,

1569
01:22:12,884 --> 01:22:14,190
we've alerted
the helicopter pilot,

1570
01:22:14,233 --> 01:22:15,755
it's going to be
right out here.

1571
01:22:15,800 --> 01:22:17,367
That's where
we're going to be viewing from.

1572
01:22:17,410 --> 01:22:19,237
Unfortunately, we cannot
see the trap site today,

1573
01:22:19,282 --> 01:22:20,630
and there's plenty of space

1574
01:22:20,674 --> 01:22:22,502
to allow us
a clear line of sight,

1575
01:22:22,546 --> 01:22:24,548
but there are a lot more horses
that are being rounded up,

1576
01:22:24,591 --> 01:22:28,204
so that can lead to a lot more
injury in that area.

1577
01:22:28,246 --> 01:22:29,857
It's just--
it's really disappointing

1578
01:22:29,901 --> 01:22:32,948
that our observation rights
are being denied.

1579
01:22:32,991 --> 01:22:35,994
But I'm not surprised.

1580
01:22:36,038 --> 01:22:38,605
[Yvette] What was heartbreaking
about that morning

1581
01:22:38,648 --> 01:22:40,172
was when we arrived,

1582
01:22:40,216 --> 01:22:43,436
dozens of Onaqui horses
were grazing

1583
01:22:43,480 --> 01:22:45,134
right near the trap site.

1584
01:22:48,789 --> 01:22:51,487
Stargazer sounded the alarm

1585
01:22:51,531 --> 01:22:53,359
before it even happened

1586
01:22:53,403 --> 01:22:56,275
and tried to move his family
over the mountain

1587
01:22:56,318 --> 01:22:59,713
before taking the lead
to try to guide them to safety.

1588
01:23:00,844 --> 01:23:02,107
But he was too late.

1589
01:23:11,464 --> 01:23:14,337
The horses were driven
back and forth

1590
01:23:14,380 --> 01:23:15,773
as the helicopter looped.

1591
01:23:19,864 --> 01:23:22,171
It was horrifying to see.

1592
01:23:22,214 --> 01:23:27,002
♪

1593
01:23:29,743 --> 01:23:31,702
[Yvette] Oh, my gosh.

1594
01:23:31,745 --> 01:23:33,182
It's going in really fast.

1595
01:23:37,228 --> 01:23:40,362
[Yvette] The helicopter flew
so low to the horses

1596
01:23:40,406 --> 01:23:43,452
we were terrified
there would be a collision.

1597
01:23:43,496 --> 01:23:44,802
[Yvette] Oh, my God.

1598
01:23:46,847 --> 01:23:48,458
Guys,
you've got to be kidding me.

1599
01:23:51,983 --> 01:23:55,073
[Yvette] This was the worst
roundup we had ever been to.

1600
01:23:55,117 --> 01:23:57,335
And it was personal...

1601
01:23:57,380 --> 01:23:59,338
as we watched
our families stampeded.

1602
01:24:02,385 --> 01:24:05,823
The young foal
we called Sun Catcher...

1603
01:24:05,866 --> 01:24:08,826
The bay roans, perlino mares

1604
01:24:08,869 --> 01:24:12,003
and even Stargazer
and his family...

1605
01:24:12,047 --> 01:24:14,223
were among those
caught in the melee.

1606
01:24:18,575 --> 01:24:20,925
We felt like
we were being held captive,

1607
01:24:20,968 --> 01:24:22,666
stuck on top of the mountain...

1608
01:24:24,146 --> 01:24:26,539
unable to help them...

1609
01:24:26,583 --> 01:24:29,760
as the Onaqui disappeared
into a cloud of dust.

1610
01:24:31,892 --> 01:24:33,807
We felt like
we had failed them.

1611
01:24:37,594 --> 01:24:39,857
The bay roan
managed to escape.

1612
01:24:41,511 --> 01:24:43,948
But he didn't run away.

1613
01:24:43,991 --> 01:24:46,124
He went back for his family

1614
01:24:46,168 --> 01:24:49,388
and circled the trap site
crying for them.

1615
01:24:52,217 --> 01:24:53,740
No,
he's going in, he's going in.

1616
01:24:55,568 --> 01:24:57,222
[Yvette] As journalists,

1617
01:24:57,266 --> 01:25:00,050
it is our constitutional right
to observe.

1618
01:25:00,094 --> 01:25:03,141
But the BLM did not allow us
to see what they were doing

1619
01:25:03,184 --> 01:25:04,969
behind the mountain.

1620
01:25:05,012 --> 01:25:08,146
Unlike Sand Wash Basin,
we had no vantage point

1621
01:25:08,190 --> 01:25:10,496
to document
any of the injuries

1622
01:25:10,540 --> 01:25:13,237
or potential deaths
of these horses.

1623
01:25:13,282 --> 01:25:14,805
Were any horses
injured yesterday?

1624
01:25:14,848 --> 01:25:16,198
[woman] None.

1625
01:25:16,241 --> 01:25:17,851
[Yvette]
And who is the organization

1626
01:25:17,895 --> 01:25:19,505
-down there right now?
-Wild Horses of America.

1627
01:25:19,549 --> 01:25:21,116
And so why would you give
preferential treatment

1628
01:25:21,159 --> 01:25:22,552
-to an organization?
-[woman] There is no

1629
01:25:22,594 --> 01:25:24,162
preferential treatment,
only the fact

1630
01:25:24,206 --> 01:25:26,773
that they are part
of our dart team program.

1631
01:25:26,817 --> 01:25:28,514
That's clearly
preferential treatment,

1632
01:25:28,558 --> 01:25:31,561
when we want to document
what is going on down there,

1633
01:25:31,603 --> 01:25:33,389
and you're denying us
our right to observe.

1634
01:25:33,432 --> 01:25:36,130
There is nothing--
there is nothing obstructive

1635
01:25:36,174 --> 01:25:40,091
about us putting our camera
on a ridge just like yesterday

1636
01:25:40,135 --> 01:25:42,963
when there were
far fewer horses.

1637
01:25:43,007 --> 01:25:44,400
We're not--
we're not obstructing anything.

1638
01:25:44,443 --> 01:25:45,879
And we had looked
at other locations,

1639
01:25:45,923 --> 01:25:47,490
in fact, we were over
a mile and a half

1640
01:25:47,532 --> 01:25:49,231
to where we can get
straight on,

1641
01:25:49,273 --> 01:25:51,798
but we felt like this was closer
and you could see more

1642
01:25:51,842 --> 01:25:53,800
and get better identification
of the horses.

1643
01:25:53,844 --> 01:25:56,107
[Yvette] Can we go see
the holding facility

1644
01:25:56,151 --> 01:25:57,630
or the, uh, the corrals now?

1645
01:25:57,674 --> 01:25:59,284
We'd like to go
up on that ridge,

1646
01:25:59,327 --> 01:26:01,199
it's a similar distance
that we hiked yesterday.

1647
01:26:01,243 --> 01:26:03,114
So, we already talked about
you could go over here and look,

1648
01:26:03,157 --> 01:26:04,594
you can't see
the holding facility,

1649
01:26:04,637 --> 01:26:06,073
and no, you can't go
down there because--

1650
01:26:06,117 --> 01:26:08,075
[Yvette]
We don't need to go down there,

1651
01:26:08,119 --> 01:26:09,816
we've got 1000 millimeter lens,
we could go over to that ridge,

1652
01:26:09,860 --> 01:26:11,469
which is actually
kind of shorter

1653
01:26:11,514 --> 01:26:12,818
than we hiked yesterday
and we're allowed to do.

1654
01:26:12,862 --> 01:26:14,473
We'd like to get a clear shot.

1655
01:26:14,517 --> 01:26:16,127
I think you should go over here
and look and--

1656
01:26:16,171 --> 01:26:17,476
because you don't believe us,
go over here--

1657
01:26:17,520 --> 01:26:18,477
I don't know
where the individual

1658
01:26:18,521 --> 01:26:20,044
that went over there.

1659
01:26:20,087 --> 01:26:21,219
[Yvette] I mean,
you've scouted this area,

1660
01:26:21,263 --> 01:26:22,829
you mentioned that this morning.

1661
01:26:22,873 --> 01:26:24,353
Can we get a clear shot
of the trap-- from--

1662
01:26:24,396 --> 01:26:25,789
-of the trap site from there?
-You can't,

1663
01:26:25,832 --> 01:26:27,398
you can't,
that's why I'm saying--

1664
01:26:27,443 --> 01:26:28,879
[Yvette] So, why would you
send us over there?

1665
01:26:28,922 --> 01:26:30,272
Because
that's where you asked to go.

1666
01:26:30,315 --> 01:26:31,403
[Yvette] I asked to go
on this ridge

1667
01:26:31,447 --> 01:26:33,275
to go see the trap site.

1668
01:26:33,318 --> 01:26:35,014
Yeah, you're not going to
be able to see that down there,

1669
01:26:35,059 --> 01:26:36,407
and, you know, we have to keep
people controlled.

1670
01:26:36,452 --> 01:26:37,888
[Yvette]
We can see it down there.

1671
01:26:37,931 --> 01:26:39,585
What if I get you
part way down there

1672
01:26:39,629 --> 01:26:41,239
and all of a sudden
the helicopter takes off and--

1673
01:26:41,282 --> 01:26:42,675
[Yvette] I assume
that you're in communication

1674
01:26:42,719 --> 01:26:44,329
-with the helicopter.
-We are.

1675
01:26:44,373 --> 01:26:46,026
[Yvette] You're denying
our right to observe,

1676
01:26:46,070 --> 01:26:47,941
you're denying
our constitutional rights.

1677
01:26:47,985 --> 01:26:49,769
[Brian] What did you mean by
you need to control the people?

1678
01:26:49,813 --> 01:26:52,642
We need to-- we need to
make sure people are safe.

1679
01:26:52,684 --> 01:26:54,252
-That's what I mean--
-[Yvette] There's no safety

1680
01:26:54,296 --> 01:26:55,993
unless you've got
some rogue helicopter pilot

1681
01:26:56,036 --> 01:26:57,559
who's going to take off,

1682
01:26:57,603 --> 01:26:59,300
and then you really hired
the wrong person,

1683
01:26:59,344 --> 01:27:00,998
it is perfectly safe for us.

1684
01:27:01,041 --> 01:27:02,608
We got the best helicopter pilot
in the business.

1685
01:27:02,652 --> 01:27:04,436
[Yvette] Wonderful. Great.
I thought he did--

1686
01:27:04,480 --> 01:27:05,959
I thought he kept a very
reasonable distance yesterday.

1687
01:27:06,003 --> 01:27:07,396
-What about today?
-[Yvette] I thought,

1688
01:27:07,439 --> 01:27:09,049
well, he got pretty
darn close today.

1689
01:27:09,093 --> 01:27:10,746
I would like to go over there,
so if you've got

1690
01:27:10,790 --> 01:27:12,139
the best helicopter pilot
in the distance,

1691
01:27:12,183 --> 01:27:13,880
he's not going to
take off on me.

1692
01:27:13,924 --> 01:27:16,056
...people are getting
a little bit, uh, emotional,

1693
01:27:16,100 --> 01:27:17,928
and, you know, we're going to
keep people here--

1694
01:27:17,971 --> 01:27:19,582
A minute ago,
it was for our safety,

1695
01:27:19,625 --> 01:27:21,410
now you're saying
it's because we're emotional.

1696
01:27:21,452 --> 01:27:23,412
[Gus]
Well, emotion runs into that.

1697
01:27:23,455 --> 01:27:25,978
If people are getting emotional,
how do you control people?

1698
01:27:26,023 --> 01:27:27,329
[Brian] We weren't
emotional a minute ago.

1699
01:27:27,371 --> 01:27:29,026
[Yvette]
No, we very calmly asked,

1700
01:27:29,068 --> 01:27:31,115
and we said it is our right
as journalists,

1701
01:27:31,157 --> 01:27:33,596
as public observers
to go over there

1702
01:27:33,639 --> 01:27:35,293
and point our camera
at the trap site.

1703
01:27:35,337 --> 01:27:36,686
...of everybody

1704
01:27:36,728 --> 01:27:38,035
and the coordination
of this group,

1705
01:27:38,077 --> 01:27:39,341
we want to keep you here.

1706
01:27:39,384 --> 01:27:40,864
So, that's what we're gonna do.

1707
01:27:40,907 --> 01:27:42,300
[journalist] Can I go?
I'm not emotional.

1708
01:27:42,344 --> 01:27:43,867
We're gonna keep you here.

1709
01:27:43,910 --> 01:27:45,389
Yeah, no.

1710
01:27:45,434 --> 01:27:49,089
So, um, we made such a stink

1711
01:27:49,133 --> 01:27:51,701
and made some-- made some
pretty damn good points,

1712
01:27:51,744 --> 01:27:54,660
and they are now allowing us,
after a fight,

1713
01:27:54,704 --> 01:27:58,621
to go over
to a certain point

1714
01:27:58,664 --> 01:28:00,710
where we're allowed
to observe.

1715
01:28:00,753 --> 01:28:02,059
-Are you filming this?
-[helicopter whirling]

1716
01:28:03,321 --> 01:28:04,975
So, holy cow.

1717
01:28:09,762 --> 01:28:11,068
Wow.

1718
01:28:21,948 --> 01:28:23,254
This is nuts.

1719
01:28:26,518 --> 01:28:27,824
This is nuts.

1720
01:28:37,921 --> 01:28:43,709
[piano music]

1721
01:28:43,753 --> 01:28:46,886
There is a child that just
got out of the helicopter.

1722
01:28:46,930 --> 01:28:50,281
Why is a--
why is a kid riding around?

1723
01:28:50,325 --> 01:28:52,805
How is that
not a liability issue?

1724
01:28:52,849 --> 01:28:54,851
[Kai] Well, that's because
it's daddy's helicopter.

1725
01:28:54,894 --> 01:28:56,418
[Yvette] Yeah,
but for a government roundup

1726
01:28:56,460 --> 01:28:57,984
of wild horses,
you've got a chi--

1727
01:28:58,028 --> 01:28:59,682
-you've got a child?
-[Kai] Yeah.

1728
01:28:59,725 --> 01:29:02,598
That's not even a teenager.
That's a little girl.

1729
01:29:02,641 --> 01:29:04,208
[Kai] No reason
that we couldn't--

1730
01:29:04,251 --> 01:29:07,254
Yeah, there's no--
this is absurd, yeah.

1731
01:29:07,298 --> 01:29:09,518
We can go low,
we can have the camera low,

1732
01:29:09,561 --> 01:29:12,695
we can have-- we could crouch
below those rocks.

1733
01:29:12,737 --> 01:29:14,697
-[Yvette] Absolutely.
-[Kai] Zero issue.

1734
01:29:14,740 --> 01:29:16,394
[Yvette]
We could sit right up here.

1735
01:29:16,438 --> 01:29:19,223
We could see the helicopter
operations from there.

1736
01:29:19,266 --> 01:29:20,964
All the way
around the mountain,

1737
01:29:21,007 --> 01:29:22,966
and then we could see
the trap site.

1738
01:29:23,009 --> 01:29:26,448
We could actually see the horses
running in, like this.

1739
01:29:28,710 --> 01:29:30,016
So, they run them
in from there.

1740
01:29:38,547 --> 01:29:39,939
And then
they're forced through here.

1741
01:29:39,983 --> 01:29:41,941
Can you imagine
if you were a horse

1742
01:29:41,985 --> 01:29:44,030
and you run?

1743
01:29:44,074 --> 01:29:45,423
Can you tell me
about the child

1744
01:29:45,467 --> 01:29:47,164
that was in the chopper
yesterday?

1745
01:29:47,207 --> 01:29:49,035
I have no idea
what you're talking about.

1746
01:29:49,079 --> 01:29:50,820
[Yvette] There was a little girl
that got out of the chopper,

1747
01:29:50,862 --> 01:29:52,430
we've got it on film.

1748
01:29:52,474 --> 01:29:54,127
Why is a child riding around?

1749
01:29:54,171 --> 01:29:55,433
-Is that legal?
-Couldn't tell you.

1750
01:29:57,522 --> 01:29:59,219
[Yvette] But after
the roundup is done

1751
01:29:59,263 --> 01:30:01,047
and the chopper is grounded,

1752
01:30:01,091 --> 01:30:03,049
why can't we go over to
the other side of the mountain

1753
01:30:03,093 --> 01:30:05,878
if we're half a mile away
on 1000 millimeter lens?

1754
01:30:09,273 --> 01:30:11,144
We discussed this yesterday.

1755
01:30:11,188 --> 01:30:13,712
Yeah, and I'd like to know why
what you said is changing again.

1756
01:30:16,672 --> 01:30:18,108
So, you're not gonna let

1757
01:30:18,151 --> 01:30:19,849
the Associated Press
over there either?

1758
01:30:19,892 --> 01:30:22,547
Yeah, come in.

1759
01:30:22,591 --> 01:30:24,462
[Yvette]
We were told we couldn't go

1760
01:30:24,505 --> 01:30:27,378
near the trap site
because it was a safety issue.

1761
01:30:27,422 --> 01:30:31,295
But a little girl not only rode
around in the helicopter,

1762
01:30:31,338 --> 01:30:33,689
but sat on the back
of a water truck

1763
01:30:33,732 --> 01:30:35,517
as the horses
were hosed down.

1764
01:30:35,559 --> 01:30:38,476
[horses neigh]

1765
01:30:38,520 --> 01:30:43,089
♪

1766
01:30:47,311 --> 01:30:48,573
[Yvette]
This is just so unfair.

1767
01:30:50,532 --> 01:30:53,796
-I can hear them crying.
-[horses neigh]

1768
01:30:53,839 --> 01:30:55,145
This is just
really heartbreaking.

1769
01:31:02,848 --> 01:31:05,851
We're not allowed
to view the holding facility,

1770
01:31:05,895 --> 01:31:08,375
even though
it's a BLM holding facility.

1771
01:31:08,419 --> 01:31:10,508
There's Kai,
we've got officers.

1772
01:31:10,552 --> 01:31:12,118
I'm not sure
what we're about to encounter.

1773
01:31:17,166 --> 01:31:21,214
[melancholic music]

1774
01:31:23,869 --> 01:31:26,959
[horses neigh]

1775
01:31:31,660 --> 01:31:32,965
[horse blusters]

1776
01:31:34,097 --> 01:31:36,403
[horses neigh]

1777
01:31:43,541 --> 01:31:47,502
[horses neigh]

1778
01:31:47,545 --> 01:31:49,025
[horses neigh]

1779
01:31:51,157 --> 01:31:52,463
[horses neigh]

1780
01:31:59,077 --> 01:32:01,080
-[Yvette] That sound is--
-[Kai] I know, it's terrible.

1781
01:32:01,124 --> 01:32:03,169
We've been listening to it
for hours now,

1782
01:32:03,213 --> 01:32:04,693
for two hours, it's horrible.

1783
01:32:04,736 --> 01:32:06,041
[horse neighs]

1784
01:32:06,085 --> 01:32:11,134
♪

1785
01:32:13,049 --> 01:32:14,877
[horse neighs]

1786
01:32:16,618 --> 01:32:17,880
[Yvette] I'm so sorry.

1787
01:32:27,411 --> 01:32:30,719
[Yvette] Three months later,
we went back to Delta.

1788
01:32:34,809 --> 01:32:38,422
Almost all of the families
we've gotten to know...

1789
01:32:38,465 --> 01:32:40,728
had been captured
and separated.

1790
01:32:43,253 --> 01:32:46,255
The beautiful perlino sisters

1791
01:32:46,299 --> 01:32:49,564
strode through
pools of water and mud.

1792
01:32:51,696 --> 01:32:54,786
And their brave stallion
who escaped

1793
01:32:54,830 --> 01:32:57,267
but gallantly
went back for them

1794
01:32:57,309 --> 01:32:58,573
was captured too.

1795
01:33:00,357 --> 01:33:02,141
The father
of the chestnut foal.

1796
01:33:04,056 --> 01:33:06,058
Even the powerful Stargazer...

1797
01:33:07,973 --> 01:33:10,628
who had been so resplendent
in the wild...

1798
01:33:12,151 --> 01:33:14,110
had been reduced to this.

1799
01:33:14,153 --> 01:33:19,202
♪

1800
01:34:19,392 --> 01:34:20,829
[birds chirping]

1801
01:34:21,873 --> 01:34:25,921
[flute music]

1802
01:34:32,275 --> 01:34:35,407
A number of the horses
from roundups...

1803
01:34:35,452 --> 01:34:38,107
found safe landings
at sanctuaries.

1804
01:34:40,109 --> 01:34:42,415
The cremello
and the black from Onaqui

1805
01:34:42,459 --> 01:34:47,333
landed at Great Escape
Mustang Sanctuary in Colorado.

1806
01:34:47,377 --> 01:34:49,596
The Black
has joined the herd.

1807
01:34:49,639 --> 01:34:52,034
Though the cremello
wanders alone.

1808
01:34:54,818 --> 01:34:57,866
Norman remained
free on the range.

1809
01:34:57,909 --> 01:35:00,564
Though
one of the three amigos, Rowan,

1810
01:35:00,607 --> 01:35:03,262
was reported to be killed
by the BLM

1811
01:35:03,306 --> 01:35:05,438
only days before the roundup

1812
01:35:05,482 --> 01:35:09,225
for supposedly
having a pre-existing injury.

1813
01:35:11,487 --> 01:35:15,492
We never did find
the chestnut foal.

1814
01:35:15,535 --> 01:35:18,713
Although Stargazer's story
ended in a different way.

1815
01:35:21,237 --> 01:35:25,154
After the BLM auctioned off
the surviving Onaqui horses,

1816
01:35:25,197 --> 01:35:28,897
he and his favorite mare
were adopted together.

1817
01:35:28,940 --> 01:35:31,508
Although
they will never again be free.

1818
01:35:33,684 --> 01:35:35,730
Old Man was left wild...

1819
01:35:37,383 --> 01:35:38,733
though we never saw him again.

1820
01:35:42,648 --> 01:35:45,609
The fate of nearly 60,000

1821
01:35:45,652 --> 01:35:47,611
wild horses and burros

1822
01:35:47,654 --> 01:35:51,789
stuck in holding facilities
across the United States...

1823
01:35:51,833 --> 01:35:53,225
will never fully be known.

1824
01:35:58,013 --> 01:36:00,014
This film
is in honor of them...

1825
01:36:02,321 --> 01:36:04,062
and for all of their
mysterious...

1826
01:36:05,324 --> 01:36:09,327
unfathomable wild beauty

1827
01:36:09,371 --> 01:36:10,982
that they've brought
to the world.

1828
01:36:11,026 --> 01:36:15,073
♪

1829
01:36:54,939 --> 01:36:56,549
Unbridled and unbroken,

1830
01:36:56,593 --> 01:36:58,116
these symbols
of our nation's merits

1831
01:36:58,160 --> 01:37:00,031
embody the tonic of wildness

1832
01:37:00,075 --> 01:37:03,121
that Henry David Thoreau
so eloquently phrased

1833
01:37:03,165 --> 01:37:04,862
in his reflective piece,
Walden.

1834
01:37:04,906 --> 01:37:07,996
Wild horses and burros
have a place on these lands,

1835
01:37:08,039 --> 01:37:10,215
epitomizing
the tenacity and grit

1836
01:37:10,259 --> 01:37:11,651
this nation strives for.

1837
01:37:11,695 --> 01:37:16,047
♪

1838
01:38:15,367 --> 01:38:20,416
♪

1839
01:39:15,688 --> 01:39:20,737
♪