“[Chorus]
Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie
Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie, la la lie la lie”

~ Simon & Garfunkel “The Boxer”

As I was looking up those lyrics, to make sure I had all the “lies” correct, the following interpretation of this portion of the song popped up on https://genius.com/ :

“Composer Paul Simon uses deliberate instrumentation in the percussion of the chorus to produce a more vivid image of a “Boxer” in the listener’s mind. Beneath the “Lie la lie” chorus, on the second beat of the bar, a loud bang comes from the percussion section. This sound is a metaphor for the punch of a glove, from boxer to boxer. Moreover, as this note comes on the second beat of the bar, it comes as a surprise; the listener feels unprepared, which is symbolic of “The Boxer” being unprepared for the punch.”

Unlike me today, please consider this me preparing all of you for the punch that is coming as you read the words in today’s blog.  

This morning, I was given a gift!

DID YOU KNOW…

There was one of those “scientific papers” we have talked about written in March of 2024 about the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

Yeah…we didn’t either!

Population genomics provide insight into ancestral relationships and diversity of the feral horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park – is the title of this paper.

The authors?

Yeah….

One Blake McCann along with Melissa Thompson (again) and let’s not forget to credit Turk Rhen and Rebecca Simmons. 

Sooooooo

What is this paper about?

Well, again, I am NOT a scientist or a “reader of scientific papers” but it would appear to me that the park has taken ALL THAT DNA they have on the horses and put it into a paper that analyzes that DNA.

How wonderful!

Only…isn’t that the reason they claimed for the recent rounded up our wild horses?  To get MUCH NEEDED DNA so that they could make management decisions about this herd?

Hmmmmmm

Well then, if they just took the DNA October 13-16, AND Deputy Superintendent Maureen McGee-Ballinger said that it would take about 12 months for them to analyze the data, then how did this report get published March 12, 2024?

That is a great question, because it seems like a lot of DNA data was already analyzed 7 months BEFORE the roundup earlier this month.

Confused?

Maybe this will offer some clarity:

“Sample collection Hair samples were collected during a regularly- scheduled roundup in 2013. From these, we selected samples of 87 horses which had been re- released into the park, including almost all adult mares and reproductive band stallions. In 2017, additional tissue samples were collected as part of management activities via biopsy dart from 12 individuals that had evaded the 2013 capture. With the addition of these individuals our sample set represented an approximate census of the herd as it was at the end of 2013 (99/107 = 92.5%). In 2020 we collected an additional 18 tissue samples from young mares born post- roundup by biopsy dart. Our full dataset had 118 samples (91 mares, 27 stallions), including a sample from one more young mare. This includes 85% (94/111) of the adult individuals in the herd as of spring 2022 and represents 98% (177/181) of the herd when including offspring of sampled individuals.”

Let’s read that last line again:
This includes 85% (94/111) of the adult individuals in the herd as of spring 2022 and represents 98% (177/181) of the herd when including offspring of sampled individuals.

ONE MORE TIME FOR THOSE IN THE BACK!!:

THIS INCLUDES 85% (94/111) OF THE ADULT INDIVIDUALS IN THE HERD AS OF SPRING 2022 AND REPRESENTS 98% (177/181) OF THE HERD WHEN INCLUDING OFFSPRING OF SAMPLED INDIVIDUALS.

Yes – in 2022, they had 98% of the DNA on the Theodore Roosevelt National Park wild horses.

Again, isn’t that why they told us they had to roundup the horses?

The first paragraph in their “Horse Management Plan Data” post from October 25, 2024 states:

“The National Park Service (NPS) has a responsibility to manage park resources for the benefit of the entire ecosystem present, including many different species. Because Theodore Roosevelt National Park is fenced, the population of horses, bison, pronghorn, and elk must be managed for the health of all species that share the space. Periodic roundups and other studies help to collect data using a science-based process to determine how best to balance these resources. The park is committed to maintaining a healthy, genetically viable horse population. The administration of GonaCon, an immunocontraceptive, is one method that the park uses to control reproduction and manage the population. We will continue to evaluate other approaches to management as we assess the newly collected data, develop a population viability analysis, and draft an updated horse management strategy.”

What NEWLY COLLECTED DATA could they possibly have obtained from this roundup?

MAYBE DNA from the 13 remaining horses born in 2023 and the 7 remaining horses born in 2024.  Other than that, it appears by this “scientific paper” that they ALREADY had all the data they needed on this herd 

The National Park Service just spent almost $40,000 of your taxpayer dollars for a helicopter to chase down our wild horses, presumed to be needed to get DNA on 20 horses? (bear in mind, that $40,000 is ONLY the cost of the helicopter, NOT the full cost of this roundup to the taxpaying public!)

We also know from this report that it seems that it would have been a lot less stressful on this herd and a better use of the park’s limited resources to simply use that “biopsy dart” on the 20 horses they needed DNA from. 

This also calls into question WHY with ALL of this “data” ALREADY at their fingertips – has the park STILL FAILED to have a proper management plan in place for this historic wild horse herd. 

We have said it before, and we will say it again:

THE ONLY REASON FOR THE WILD HORSE ROUNDUP AT THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK THAT TOOK PLACE OCTOBER 13-16, 2024,  WAS TO HAND INJECT ALL OF THE MARES WITH GONACON!

Next…

Let’s talk about those collars!

The park has continually stated:

“A subset of 15 horses were fitted with GPS collars to better understand their range and use of the park environment.”

We are NOT the only ones who have argued that there are other MORE HUMANE ways to get the data they need.

Well….

When you read this report, you will also see that THEY ALREADY HAVE THE LAND USE DATA TOO!!!!

There are several references like this throughout this report:

“We assigned samples to geographic regions based on observational data of spatial use by each family band of horses. The South Unit of the park was partitioned into two geographic regions by an intermittent stream: the categories were “North of Paddock Creek (NoPC)”, “South of Paddock Creek (SoPC)”, or individuals of mixed parentage resulting from observed dispersal.”

As always, please read the report for yourself and come to your own conclusions.  Warning: Don’t let the “selective science” sandwiched in the middle throw you off. You can read the entire 19 pages of this report here:

Ooooo

And if you are wondering if there is ANY conflict of interest in Blake McCann leading the research in this report, you will see in this reports CYA statement – I mean the “Conflict of Interest Statement” that “the authors of the paper declare no conflict of interest.”

There is soooooo much DECEPTION in this report – this blog would easily be the longest blog in the history of our organization if I took the time to point them all out.  One thing is clear:

THIS PARK CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO PROPERLY MANAGE OUR WILD HORSES!!!!

Please take a moment to DEMAND that our elected officials hold this park accountable for the repeated LIE-LA-LIE-LA-LIE-LA – LIES they keep trying to spoon feed to us, THE TAXPAYING PUBLIC!  You can use our one-click email form here: https://secure.everyaction.com/brPfquNQ2EqN-6XVh-16Rg2

After you send your email AGAIN – please take a moment to sign our petition DEMANDING that these collars come off our wild horses.  ESPECIALLY since we know they will not be providing the park with any NEW “data”. You only need to sign this petition once, if you have already – THANK YOU!: https://secure.everyaction.com/x-5WrjPo20Cb4LGbj5PD-A2

For those of you who, like me, have that catchy little tune from the beginning of this post in your head, you can listen to it in its entirety here: https://youtu.be/l3LFML_pxlY?si=JG2AMhqvQ-4ucKm_

Thank you for your support just doesn’t seem like enough.  I was talking to a friend today and he said we are all bearing witness to repeated crimes against this herd.  FOR THAT, and the action you take in being their voices, I cannot say thank you enough!

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On another note, with regards to the reports the park released last week, we sent the following email to Superintendent Finley.  We will let you know when she responds:

Superintendent Finley:

Good afternoon!

Thank you to you and your staff for the reports you gave the public on Friday. 

I know you and your staff are working hard to be open and transparent with the public.  In light of this newfound transparency, I am requesting that some additional documents be released to the public:

1. The list of names that correlate to the “Birth Order ID” on your reports.  This will help make sure that we are not giving any misinformation or misinterpreting who each horse is.  This will be especially helpful for the older horses and even the younger ones, so we can ensure that we have the same birth order.  The park’s birth order for the 2021 births seems different than the advocates who document them, which is another reason that this clarity from you is so important.
2. We would minimally like the month and year that each mare has received an injection of GonaCon from 2009-2024.  We are also asking that you include in the report the dosage that was given at each interval.

Since “The park is committed to maintaining a healthy, genetically viable horse population.”, we know that these records should be readily available as part of your day-to-day management operations.

Lastly, I am making a formal request to you to remove the collars placed on 15 of our mares.  I have attached a report that was brought to my attention today that shows that the park already has all the data they need on the land usage of the wild horses that call the park home.  These collars are not necessary, not safe and over all just add to the inhumane treatment of our wild horses.  We have a petition with over 2,000 signatures and growing that will be sent to Senator Hoeven’s office this week, along with this highly informative and extremely important research being done with taxpayer dollars that was funded by the National Park Service.  Since you just arrived at TRNP in August, I wasn’t sure if you had been privy to this report. 

Please let me know when we can expect these requested reports and when the collars will be removed.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.  Please let me know if you would like to discuss this in an in-person meeting at your earliest convenience.

Christine Kman
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates
www.chwha.org

Thank you for your continued support!  Please consider making a tax deductible donation to help support our critical advocacy work: https://secure.everyaction.com/cBmDbRA6cUuzERpShcQOCg2 

You can also support us by checking out our Online Silent Auction! http://chwha.betterworld.org/auctions/2024-fall-silent-auction?_gl=1%2A1ea93z%2A_gcl_au%2AODIwOTE4MzI0LjE3MjU2NDc1NDguMTM4MTIzNTg2My4xNzMwMDU3OTQ4LjE3MzAwNTg4OTI.

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