ANIMAL MOVIE WORTH SEEING
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Wild Horses (& a few burros/donkeys) (for adoption) (unbroken) (video) (near Reno NV)
near Pyramid Lake NV (greater Reno area) the National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley (PVC).
Operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Palomino Valley is the largest wild horse and burro preparation and adoption facility in the country. Conveniently, it sits right along the corridor connecting the Reno/Sparks area to the Pyramid Lake region...
General Requirements to Adopt
To adopt a wild horse or burro through the BLM program, applicants generally must meet the following criteria:
Age: Must be at least 18 years old.
Record: No prior convictions for animal abuse or inhumane treatment.
Facilities: Must have adequate corral space per animal (typically a minimum of 400 square feet) with proper fencing heights:
Adult horses: At least 6 feet high.
Yearlings: At least 5 feet high.
Burros: At least 4.5 feet high.
Resources: Access to adequate food, water, and thermal shelter.
Transportation:
Where Do the Horses Come From?
The horses at the Palomino Valley Center come directly from public rangelands across Nevada and other Western states.
Gather Operations: They are gathered from public lands by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) during periodic population control "gathers" (roundups). These gathers are conducted to manage herd sizes, protect fragile desert ecosystems, and prevent overpopulation where resources like water and forage are scarce.
Ancestry: Most of these mustangs are descendants of early ranch stock, mining horses, cavalry mounts, and homestays/settler horses that were turned loose or escaped over the last century.
How Long Have They Been in the Pens?
There is no single fixed timeline for how long a horse stays in the pens at Palomino Valley; it varies significantly depending on the animal:
Short-term (Weeks to Months): Newly arrived horses typically spend a few weeks to a few months at the facility. During this time, they are branded, health-checked, vaccinated, gelded (if stallions), fed up to a healthy weight, and sorted by age and sex to prepare them for public adoption.
Medium-term (Adoption Process): Many are adopted out relatively quickly through BLM adoption events, online auctions, or incentive programs.
Long-term / Off-Range Pastures: If a horse is older, passes through multiple unsuccessful adoption attempts, or is never chosen, they are eventually moved to large "off-range pastures" (government-contracted ranches in the Midwest) where they can live out the rest of their lives naturally.
Yes, virtually all horses directly at the Palomino Valley Center are completely unbroken and wild.
What to Expect at the Facility
Untrained / Wild Status: The horses at Palomino Valley have had zero training. They are not haltered, gentled, or broken to ride or lead.
Basic Handling Received: While wild, they are not entirely untouched by humans. They have been run through hydraulic chutes at the facility for basic health processing:
Freeze-branded on the neck for identification.
Vaccinated, dewormed, and Coggins tested.
Gelded (if male).
If You Want a Trained Mustang Instead
Because handling an completely unbroken wild horse requires experienced equine handling skills, specific fencing (minimum 6 ft high), and significant time, many adopters prefer a gentled or partially trained wild horse.
Options available through partner programs include:
BLM Trainer Incentive Program (TIP):
The BLM partners with certified private trainers through the Mustang Heritage Foundation.
TIP trainers take wild mustangs from facilities like Palomino Valley and gentle them (teaching them to lead, load into a trailer, and pick up all four feet) before adoption.
Inmate Training Programs:
Nevada (and several neighboring states) operates prison horse training programs (such as the one at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City).
Inmates train gathered wild horses to saddle or halter, and these gentled/broken horses are periodically auctioned to the public throughout the year.
No, a mule and a burro are not the same thing, although both belong to the Equidae (horse/donkey) family. The simplest distinction comes down to species and genetics:
A Burro is a donkey. ("Burro" is simply the Spanish word for donkey, commonly used in the Western United States.)
A Mule is a hybrid cross between a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare).
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Monday, October 26, 2026
"‘Chunkiest’ belemnite fossil ever found in Wyoming |'' Fox Weather
"Their unusually thick, barrel-shaped internal skeletons measured about 60 millimeters across, making them the "fattest" belemnite ever identified, ScienceDaily reported.
Belemnites are extinct marine animals related to modern squid and octopuses..."
Thursday, October 22, 2026
🐕 An avalanche left dog LouLou missing in the Alaska mountains. A team of volunteers, helped bring her home.
LouLou, a 4-year-old huskydoodle (poodle-husky mix), was found alive after surviving nearly 50 hours alone in the snowy wilderness of Alaska’s Chugach State Park.
- The Incident: On October 10, 2026, an avalanche near Eklutna Lake / Pepper Peak swept two mountaineers roughly 500 feet down a mountain ridge. Both men survived with serious injuries and were evacuated to a hospital, while LouLou vanished into the snow.
- The Rescue Effort: From overseas, LouLou’s owner, Lauren Padawer, coordinated a massive volunteer response involving over 20 people, drones, a scent-detection dog, and aerial searches.
- The Breakthrough: An Apple AirTag attached to LouLou’s collar provided a crucial tracking signal. After roughly 50 hours, volunteer helicopter pilots Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett picked up a ping, flew to the area, hiked the final 20 minutes on foot, and spotted LouLou barking in the snow.
- The Outcome: LouLou was safely flown off the mountain suffering only minor injuries (a broken toenail and a chipped tooth) and reunited with her family.
Full report: https://accuweather.com
The dog's owner did not have to pay for the search, and neither did standard taxpayer-funded Search and Rescue (SAR) agencies. Instead, the search for LouLou was entirely funded and executed by private citizens, volunteers, and non-profit resources.
Because government-funded SAR agencies do not typically deploy official resources (like military or state trooper helicopters) to look exclusively for missing pets, the operation was handled through a community-driven effort:
- Private Helicopters: The helicopter pilots who found LouLou, Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett, are private individuals who volunteered their own aircraft, time, and fuel to fly the mission.
- Volunteer Workforce: Over 20 people—including drone operators, local hikers, and a specialized scent-detection dog team—donated their time and equipment entirely free of charge.
- The Initial Rescue: The only part of the incident covered by standard taxpayers was the initial evacuation of the two injured human mountaineers. In Alaska, the Alaska State Troopers and National Guard handle wilderness rescues for humans, and under state law, these official life-saving operations are funded as a public service via the state treasury without charging the victims.
Ultimately, LouLou's rescue came down to a community of Alaskans willing to pitch in out-of-pocket rather than a costly government operation.
Full report: https://accuweather.com
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Squirrel ! (video)
Squirrels chew on wood primarily for two main reasons: dental maintenance and gathering nest material.
1. Wearing Down Their Teeth
Squirrels are rodents, which means their front teeth (incisors) continuously grow throughout their entire lives—at a rate of several inches per year. If they don't constantly grind them down, their teeth can grow too long, making it impossible for them to eat. Chewing on dense materials like hard woods, tree bark, and branches provides the friction necessary to file their teeth down and keep them sharp.
2. Nest Building and Insulation
In addition to filing their teeth, squirrels often chew away strips of wood, bark, or wood fiber to harvest soft materials for building their nests (drey). They shred the fibers to line the inside of their nests for warmth and cushioning.
Other Reasons
Minerals and Salt: Sometimes wood (especially processed timber, outdoor decks, or furniture) contains absorbed salts, minerals, or chemical treatments that squirrels are attracted to.
Scent Marking: Squirrels have scent glands near their cheeks and mouths. Chewing or rubbing their faces on wood helps mark their territory to inform other squirrels in the area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)