THE CLOUD FOUNDATION PRESS RELEASE
Wild Horse Advocates will bear witness at court.
Reno, NV (April 20, 2010)—The Cloud Foundation and other wild horse advocates are coming to Reno on April 27, 2010 at 3 p.m. to witness Todd Davis and Joshua Keathly make their first court appearance for allegedly harassing and killing five federally protected American wild mustangs—shot on or about November 28, 2009 in Washoe county, Nevada. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. McQuaid, Jr. will preside in Federal District Court, 400 S. Virginia Street, Reno.
Wild horse advocates find it unsettling to learn that Davis & Keathley are only charged with one count of causing the death of five wild horses for each man. Advocates are calling for charges of five counts, one for each horse as is standard with murder cases. If convicted of one count, each man will face a maximum of one year in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine.
“If convicted, the maximum penalties need to be applied to send a clear message—you kill America’s federally protected mustangs and you will pay the price,” states Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and Director of The Cloud Foundation, Ginger Kathrens.
The public is encouraged to attend the trial on behalf of the murdered horses. The Cloud Foundation joins the public in calling for increased charges in the violent deaths of five American mustangs on public land who are protected by the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971.
Media Contacts:
Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187
Anne Novak
Anne@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454
Links of interest:
US Department of Justice Press Release
http://bit.ly/a6yTjh
Free Roaming Wild Horses and Burros Act of 1971
http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Wild Horses: Management or Stampede to Extinction? Reno Gazette Sunday Special by Frank X. Mullen. http://bit.ly/9rGFwV
News Story on Calico, rising death toll & skewed numbers from George Knapp (KLAS- Las Vegas): http://bit.ly/9f1DYb
BLM Daily Reports from Calico Roundup/Fallon Holding: http://bit.ly/aSaeVc
Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses – A History
http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/wild.html
Frequently Asked Questions on Wild Horses
(http://www.wildmustangcoalition.org/id44.html)
Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now (http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11285225)
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
news@thecloudfoundation.org
719-633-3842
The Cloud Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
Tuesday's Horse 
I as a Horse advocate am relentless in my pursuit to end the Slaughter of these Beautiful Animals, through the years I have found every experience with them to be totally enlightening, life enriching, joyful , heart warming and shear delight, to be with anyone of them is true life enhancing, they have taught me patience, trust , love and the true meaning of Freedom, and they cannot even speak a word… They speak to us through there eyes , actions, body language(at this they are experts) with their ears… They belong to us totally, in spirit mind and , body, they look to us for their existence, what they give back is priceless…….
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I’d like to bring to mind the Christmas Massacre, about 10 years ago, in which dozens of Wild Horses were shot by three men, two of whom were Marines on leave in Northern Nevada.
I bring this up because, although during the media frenzy, it appeared these men would be punished to the full extent of Federal and Military law, the case was appealed down until it virtually disappeared.
I bring this up in memory of Bugz, a very young filly & survivor of the Massacre, found in the protection of a bachelor band, who cared for her but could not feed her, making it necessary for human intervention.
I bring this up because I’d like very much for there to be some actual & real punitive measures brought against these ‘men’, not just for show.
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Lisa, I know the murder case you speak of, but do not remember how well the trial was attended. This time around it seems like the Judge is taking this very seriously, and of course it will be heavily attended, not to intimidate but to let everyone see how seriously wild horse lovers care and want to see justice done.
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I’m not sure, either. I trusted the law to take care of it; it was only a few years after, while doing some research, I came upon an archive of the situation. The final story was out of San Diego, I think. All charges had been dropped, and the case dismissed. And it took a few years for the case to reach THAT point.
So my stash of Trust is a little small at this juncture. It’s a culmination of the past six months, where everything Equine seems to have reached a nasty, two-sided pinnacle, with little grey in between.
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What is happening to the wild horse murders? It has been documentated that men who abuse animals are more likely to be spouse and child batterers,(check out battered women’s shelters across the country. These men also probably have anger management problems too. This is an area the prosecuting attorneys need to stress.
They have guns, they have issues and they are dangerous to 2 legged as well as 4 legged beings.
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They plead not guilty. Trial is set for June 22nd. http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_14970964
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I just called the BLM , I said I was calling to report violations of injury, harassment, death and or removal, of wild horses I told that i was reporting the BLM for all of these violations in Nevada, Calico Mts. I said I wanted to report that 69 foaling mares were chased down the Calico Mts. all aborted their foals, that is to me death, harassment , injury, removal. She told me she was sick and tired of people calling that watch youtube, and know nothing about what is going on, she also called me rude…….and she said she doesnt have to listen to this nonsense… and hung up on me…… This is what we are dealing with….. These people believe that they are doing the right thing???????? Can they really believe that???
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Arlene, I don’t know anyone who gets after the BLM like you do. What you say has been documented by humane observers. The BLM doesn’t even count the aborted foals or foals who die before they are “processed”, as related deaths or casualties these unnecessary and deadly roundups. It is a crime, plain and clear. Keep at ’em girl.
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To me to murder a defenseless animal is the worst crime a person can commit, animals are innocent they only know to trust us and believe in us as there keepers, they cant speak, nor can they determine what is right or wrong.. Therefore they are entrusted to our keeping, From what i have observed some of us, cannot be entrusted with anything…. Each and every animal is a gift, they entertain us , they serve us, they delight us with their beauty, each and everyone of them has a reason for being……. just as we do…… And that reason is not to be unmercifully murdered……… These crimes to me are huge and should be treated as what they are…. murder by a coward… of the worst kind……. Horses have delighted us for many years , they have served us without question, there beauty is unsurpassed by any other being…. They have feelings and souls, and only know to trust and love unconditionally…. What kind of a vicious deceitful , betraying, coward would ever hurt them……. And would i want to have them walk among us…. Lessons learned from any horse are all of trust , love courage and most of all pride……
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So true, Arlene. We are responsible for our behavior toward them, and have no right to take their lives. It is great to see your comments here on Tuesday’s Horse. We appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts, and standing up for the horses. We know how hard you work for them.
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More of the same. Look up sentences for those who have killed federally-protected bald eagles and other birds, sometimes by tens and even hundreds, and for those who have killed wolves, especially the critically endangered NM/AZ lobos. The overwhelming majority are charged with single count felonies pled down to misdemeanors and/or fines and community service. If the killers do go to jail, they get time off for good behavior and minimal probation.
Defense attorneys often argue felony convictions will follow their clients for the rest of their lives, damage their reputations and standing in the community, cause them to lose their jobs and make it difficult to find employment, and endanger their ability to support their families. These attorneys and criminals know the punishments are so weak that they will never fit the crimes.
Federal and state protection for animals is effectively nonexistant. The protection is for the criminals. If we could get a few righteous convictions and sentences, they’d serve as precedents for future cases. Then we’d be getting somewhere.
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Very insightful and useful comments Linda. Perhaps the presence of the advocates will have an impact in the sentencing (presuming conviction), because they are not going to refile the charges from single to multiple.
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