Federal investigators are heading to Elm Creek, Neb., this week to try and figure out why dozens of captured wild horses and burros awaiting adoption are dying.

“It’s just unacceptable to me that we have stewardship of these horses, and then we’re letting them die,” said Pat Shea, who was sworn in as director of the Interiors Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Oct. 2.

Two weeks ago, during a severe snowstorm, 17 burros and a horse suffocated under a snowdrift. Another 14 horses have died during the past month from strangles, a bacterial respiratory infection with coldlike symptoms.

The BLM operates a hold facility in Elm Creek as a rest stop for about 5,000 wild horses and burros captured in the West each year and trucked to states in the East and South for adoption.

The deaths come just four months after a team of veterinarians reported that 70 percent of the horses at the facility showed some signs of strangles.

The team made a series of recommendations: Haul manure away more often; build sick pens and segregate horses with contagious illness; spread hay out on the ground so horses don’t cluster at a feeder while they eat; call veterinarians when animals are sick; examine animals that die; and keep health records on all animals.

“If those recommendations had been taken, it looks as if this would not have happened,” Shea said.

An internal BLM report shows there are 793 horses and burros at the facility, 193 more than it was designed to hold. Of those, more than 60 animals are sick, 32 have died, according to this report.

Shea said his special assistant, Henri Bisson, and a veterinarian were flying to Nebraska on Tuesday and will evaluate management of the facility.

“If what they find is not to our liking, we will make major changes,” said Shea.

Staff at the facility did not return calls Tuesday. A local veterinarian, Dr. Barry Littell, said: “They’re doing the best they can.”

Unfortunately, Ms. Mendoza has a history of not researching her reports to obtain the facts regarding the BLM Wild Horse & Burro program. It would appear that Ms. Mendoza is attempting to report misinformation and half truths regarding the WH&B program for the purpose of personal aggrandizement, self fulfillment or financial gain.

The Elm Creek, Neb., corrals have shelters available to protect the horses and burros from weather conditions. Unfortunately, most feral equines will not use these shelters despite weather conditions. These horses and burros will not naturally seek cover that prevents sight of possible enemies and easy escape routes. Since the corrals were built in 1994, these are the first animals which have died because of weather conditions. This surprise storm caused the death of privately owned livestock throughout the area. It was a tragic event which no one could have predicted or prevented. According to various news articles, media reports and government reports as many as 40,000 animals died in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska during this storm.

In the F1 pen where over 100 horses and burros were housed, 17 burros and 1 horse colt sought refuge in the low side of the pen and apparently laid down during the killing snow storm and were covered by snow as it drifted through the pen. The remainder of the horses survived without injury.

In point of fact, 36 horses and burros have died since October. The 18 animals which were killed by the snow storm, 11 others which died of disease, 3 which died from pneumonia, and 4 which were euthanized for other reasons.

According to death records from the last three years the death loss at the Elm Creek facility is between 1%-2%. This is an impressive record that indicates a high level of diligent care and devotion to the welfare of the animals. The facility has handled over 15,000 wild horses and burros.

It is important for the public to understand that when an equine travels from a warm desert climate to a cold wet climate, the chances of developing symptoms of upper respiratory problems is highly probable. Transportation over a long distance is stressful for any equine under the best of circumstances, and even high dollar show and performance horses are constantly watched for what is called shipping fever which has symptoms similar to strangles. In point of fact, runny noses and fever are symptoms of a variety of equine upper respiratory problems associated with climate change, shipping, and exposure to large numbers of animals. Many of these symptoms pass in just a few days without ever endangering the animal or requiring medical intervention.

The problem of strangles and other upper respiratory disease in any facility handling large numbers of equines is of great concern. One of the problems seems to be there are three specific strains of strangles that are showing up. While the BLM, like most horse owners, vaccinate for the most common strain, the horses are not protected from the other strains. The BLM is currently working on a method of protecting the horses and burros from all three strains of strangles.

The Elm Creek Holding Facility contracts to have the corrals cleaned but the facility was never budgeted for a tractor. If the facility had its own equipment it would have the ability to haul manure away on a more frequent basis.

It is interesting that this team of veterinarians recommends that the horses and burros be fed on the ground. It has long been a complaint of the humane and wild horse and burro advocacy groups that feeding should be done in feeders and not on the ground. It would appear that whether feeding on the ground or in feeders the BLM is going to face criticism.

The Elm Creek facility was designed by a government engineer and it is unclear if adequate sick pens or any isolation pens were included in the original design. It is also unclear if the designer consulted with any of the ground personnel who would be handling the wild horses and burros for recommendations based on actual experience in handling wild horses and burros. One of the most serious areas to look at is why was the facility built in Nebraska with known weather problems? Who designed the facility? Why was the facility designed in a pie shape that allows animals to pack up in the corners?

It appears that any problems which have developed at the Elm Creek facility are not caused by lack of diligent care or effort from the ground personnel but problems which are inherent in handling large numbers of wild horses and burros, as well as lack of funding or proper support and planning from upper level management.

On June 10, at the request of the BLM, a Team consisting of the following individuals: Bob Mitchell, BLM, Dr. Barry Littell, DVM, Dr. Katie Blunk, DVM, Dr. Tim Cordes, DVM, Dr. Gary Stevens, DVM, and Dr. Del Wilmont examined the facility and made recommendations.

According to the report, “Overall, the Team was impressed by the manner in which the BLM staff processed the animals. In addition, the Team thought the routine vaccination and worming schedule was satisfactory and met normal recommendations of the equine industry.”

According to the report “Dr. Barry Littell estimated that up to 70% of the horses that come into the facility show some clinical signs of strangles during their stay at the holding facility.” It would appear that many of these animals arrive at the facility with upper respiratory problems. The highest incidence is in weanlings and yearlings, with the burros showing a very low incidence of strangles.

On June 11, the Team formulated the following recommendations for the short-term task of addressing strangles at the facility:

A. Pen Management

1. The Team recommends that animals be segregated into three sex/age groups, by point of origin, and held in these segregated groups during their entire stay at the Elm Creek holding facility. The three groups are stallions, mares, and weanlings / yearlings.

2. The Team recommends there be six sick pens, three pens on each side divided by an alleyway. On each side of the alleyway would be one pen for stallions, one pen for mares, and one pen for weanlings / yearlings. Any animals showing signs of sickness should be removed from their permanent pens into a sick pen. Records should be kept on the date the animals were removed, date examined by the contract veterinarian, medical findings on the course of the disease, and the dates they are moved back into the permanent pens. Every 30 days, animals would be moved across the alleyway into the corresponding sick pen. This would allow for a 30-day down time for each set of pens. The pens would be cleaned and disinfected with a phenolic compound during the 30-day down time.

3. The Team recommends a 30-day down time for each pen at the facility once during the year to try to break the strangles cycle. During that time, the pens would be cleaned with a high pressure sprayer and disinfected with a phenolic compound. In addition, the Team recommends the working alley and chute be cleaned weekly (or more often if needed) with a high-pressure sprayer and disinfected with a phenolic compound.

B. Manure removal

1. The Team recommends that the manure removal be done on an ongoing basis. The Team recommends that the facility obtain a tractor, other equipment, and the necessary personnel to remove the manure from the pens as often as possible. This manure could be composted out of the pen area for removal at a later time.

C. Feeding

1. The Team recommends the hay be spread out on the ground so the horses are spaced out at a maximum while feeding. Although this may result in some increased waste of hay, soiled hay should be picked up as part of the ongoing manure cleanup recommended in item B above.

D. Veterinary care

1. The Team recommends the contract veterinarian come to the facility on a regular predetermined basis for examination, treatment, and removal of animals showing signs of strangles or other illnesses to sick pens.

2. The Team recommends the contract veterinarian examine all incoming animals within 48 hours of arrival at the BLM facility. All animals should be held in a receiving pen until they are examined. Any sick animals could be treated if necessary and moved to the sick pens. The remainder could then be moved to their permanent pen.

3. Animals that die at the BLM facility are not routinely examined by a veterinarian. The Team recommends the contract veterinarian perform a postmortem examination of all horses and burros that die at the facility. Postmortem results should be recorded and specimens submitted for further diagnostic evaluation on an “as-needed” basis. Records of all gross findings and laboratory findings should be entered into the database.

E. Health Records

1. The Team recommends a pilot program be established to develop a record keeping system (worksheets and a computer database program). The computer program would be developed by Dr. Stevens with input from Dr. Littell and the BLM Elm Creek personnel. The records should include the arrival data and status of animals as well as treatments and necropsy findings. This information would then be available for review and analysis for an epidemiological investigation of the strangles condition of the BLM animals

F. Status of Animals Arriving at the Elm Creek Holding Facility

1. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture Animal Importation Regulations state that:

No animal that is infected with, exposed to, or suspected of having been exposed to any infectious, contagious, or otherwise transmissible disease...will be imported into state...Neb. Rev. Stat. 54-787

Any horses or burros showing signs of infectious or contagious diseases such as strangles are not eligible for importation into Nebraska. All animals must closely examined before they are shipped into this state.

The Team recommends the contract veterinarian examine all animals arriving at the facility (see item D2 above) and keep a log of the health status of all animals. This information should be entered into a database. This information would help to determine if a trend can be established for the incidence of strangles in animals from different preparation sites.

2. Develop a serological study in cooperation with Dr. John Timoney to try and determine when horses and burros are first being exposed to strangles.

The BLM received the recommendations on July 28, 1997. Why were the recommended changes not approved by upper level management?

Rather than condemn the BLM, it is clear than the BLM is taking a responsible position in correcting problems. Many of the BLM corrals are understaffed and underfunded. One of the major problems facing the BLM will be addressing the budget to provide additional staff to carry out the recommendations of the Team. The Elm Creek facility currently has only three corral staff to handle as many as 5,000 horses per year. If the problems are recognized and not corrected in a reasonable period of time, then is the time to whip up the mass hysteria that Ms. Mendoza appears to thrive on.

Barbara Eustis-Cross

    by Vernell L. Schutte

I live in southeast NE and that's the closest facility, so I hope they keep it open!! When I was there in Feb. 97, it looked good. The staff was very helpful and the animals all looked good. My uncle has adopted 5 animals there and my cousin 2. They all had a small bout with "shipping fever", but nothing serious. (The last two they adopted were gotten about a month ago.) I got my "quota" of 4 in Feb. but look forward to going back this coming spring.

I love the wild ones!

    letter from Carlton H. Noyes

Nov. 26, 1997

Dear Barbara,

    I have been following the criticism of the BLM operation at Elm Creek and I think it is very unfair.
    We feed around 8,000 head of cattle and are very much aware of the stress shipping puts on cattle and the sickness that results. The management at Elm Creek has the same problem with the new horses and I would say they are doing an excellent job in keeping the death losses to a minimum.
    As far as the 18 animals that were lost in the storm, that was a very severe storm and we need to be thankful the loss wasn’t more. For a comparison, a farmer 5 miles southwest of the BLM facility lost 70 head of calves. We lost 9 big cattle at our yard and J&D Cattle Company 10 miles south of us lost 37 head. Southwest of here in Kansas the losses were even more severe with some yards losing over 1,000 head. The estimate for the whole state was 37,000.
    Put those kinds of figures against the 18 head at Elm Creek and I feel this whole incident was completely blown out of proportion and merely became another reader grabbing headline for the press to get some mileage out of.
    The crew at Elm Creek is doing an excellent job and I think it is very unfortunate that they have to be drawn away from their regular duties to answer this type of unfair criticism.

Sincerely,
Carlton H. Noyes