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TODAY, WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING A WILD HORSE ROUNDUP, A GATHER.
SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM GATHERS, SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM ROUNDUPS.
BUT IT'S A WILD HORSE ROUNDUP.
WE HAVE WILD HORSES AND BURROS IN NINE OF THE TEN WESTERN STATES,
EXCLUDING, SAY, WASHINGTON.
BUT WILD HORSES AND BURROS ARE MANAGED IN EACH OF THESE STATES.
IT'S NOT A HUGE PROGRAM,
BUT IT'S A PROGRAM THAT DRAWS A LOT OF ATTENTION
EMOTIONALLY AND PUBLIC-WISE.
THE CONTRACTORS SET UP GATHER SITES LIKE HERE BEHIND ME,
AND THESE GATHER SITES
ARE PORTABLE PANELS THAT ARE BROUGHT IN.
WE HAVE WINGS MADE OUT OF A BURLAP MATERIAL,
AND THEY USE HELICOPTERS TO DO THIS.
SO THE HELICOPTERS WILL BRING THE ANIMALS
INTO THESE TEMPORARY CAPTURE SITES,
AND IT'S VERY HUMANELY DONE IN THE FACT THAT THE ANIMALS
AREN'T ALL ROPED, THEY'RE NOT CHOKED DOWN,
AND THE WAY THAT IT'S DONE
IS WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A PRODDER HORSE OR A JUDAS HORSE,
AND THAT'S A DOMESTIC HORSE
THAT IS OUT ON THE OUTSIDE OR THE END OF THE WING,
AND THIS DOMESTIC HORSE IS RELEASED AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME
THE WILD HORSES ARE BROUGHT INTO THE TRAP.
SO WHAT YOU HAVE IS A DOMESTIC HORSE THAT RUNS INTO THE TRAP SITE
AND LEADS THE WILD HORSES INTO THE TRAP OR THE CAPTURE SITE,
THE GATES ARE CLOSED, AND THE ANIMALS ARE CAPTURED.
ONCE THEY'RE CAPTURED,
THEN WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM, OR THE CONTRACTORS TAKE THEM,
TO A HOLDING OR CORRAL FACILITY
WHERE THEY'RE SORTED, THEY'RE AGED, THEY'RE VACCINATED
AND PREPARED FOR OUR ADOPTION PROGRAM.
THIS ADOPTION PROGRAM
IS A PROGRAM WHERE ANIMALS ARE LITERALLY ADOPTED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
WE SHIP ANIMALS TO FLORIDA, TO NEW YORK, TO OHIO, TO TEXAS...
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
THE ANIMALS ARE MANAGED IN THE WEST, BUT THEY'RE LITERALLY ADOPTED IN 50 STATES.
FOLLOWING THIS PLACEMENT, WE ALSO GO THROUGH A YEAR'S COMPLIANCE
WHERE THE ANIMALS ARE LOOKED AFTER TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEING TAKEN CARE.
MAINLY IT'S AN EDUCATION PERIOD
THAT WE EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES
TO TAKE CARE OF A WILD HORSE OR A BURRO.
SAY AN ANIMAL GOES TO SEVERAL ADOPTIONS, THOUGH, AND IT'S NOT ADOPTED...
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THEM?
WELL, WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED LONG-TERM HOLDING FACILITIES,
AND THESE LONG-TERM HOLDING FACILITIES,
SOME PEOPLE REFER TO THEM AS SANCTUARIES,
BUT THEY'RE A PERMANENT HOME FOR THE ANIMALS.
WE DON'T EUTHANIZE THE HORSES JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE UNADOPTABLE.
THE ANIMALS GO TO THESE LONG-TERM FACILITIES TO LIVE OUT THEIR LIVES.
WE'RE A MULTIPLE-USE AGENCY,
SO WE NOT ONLY MANAGE WILD HORSES OUT HERE,
BUT WE HAVE WILDERNESS VALUES, WE HAVE LIVESTOCK GRAZING,
WE HAVE WILDLIFE HABITAT, WE HAVE MINING INTERESTS.
WE'VE GOT ALL THESE OTHER PROGRAMS,
TRYING TO BALANCE THEM WITH THE FORAGE AND WATER ON THE LAND,
AND SO WE'RE REMOVING WILD HORSES
TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE REMAINING POPULATION
SO THEY CAN LIVE HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE LIVES HERE ON THE GROUND.
WHAT PART OF THE JOB DO I LIKE THE MOST?
YOU KNOW, ANY TIME I GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT AND SEE THE HORSES RUNNING,
THE ANIMALS OUT IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT RUNNING,
WHETHER IT BE IN A CAPTURE LOCATION
OR WHETHER IT BE OUT JUST RUNNING FREE ON THE RANGE,
THAT'S WHAT I ENJOY ABOUT THE PROGRAM...
TO SEE THE ANIMALS,
GOOD HEALTHY WILD HORSES ON HEALTHY RANGELAND.
CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT.