On August 31, Reno Nevada Federal Judge Howard McKibben granted a temporary restraining order against the continuation of documented helicopter pilot conduct at the Bureau of Land Management’s Triple B wild horse roundup in Eastern Nevada.
Citing his authority to enjoin an agency’s conduct where their actions have been demonstrated to be “in violation of an Act” Judge Mckibben,stated,
“I am deeply concerned that declarations presented to the Court by the agency do not address the issue, but simply deny wrong doing.”
A video taken by Plaintiff Laura Leigh of Wild Horse Education (WHE) and the Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) shows a BLM contract pilot coming dangerously close to an exhausted horse apparently making contact with the animal was in direct contrast to what was recorded.
Judge McKibben stated that the declaration by “defendant was not what he observed in the video as he could see an exhausted animal and the pilot apparently making contact. He said he did not appreciate the ‘blame the horse’ direction of the defendant’s statements.
Although McKibben did not rule in plaintiff’s favor on other alleged violations, he did verbally address the defendants. For example in the insufficient water assertion made against BLM personnel, McKIbben said that if the horses drain the water they should simply be given more.