“The BLM must not wait to act to protect the desert tortoise,” the groups urged in their letter, which also contained a study proving that livestock grazing causes tortoise populations to decline. “The cattle should be rounded up and removed from these public lands no later than summer 2016.”
Meanwhile, Bundy, who remains imprisoned in Oregon after attempting to visit his son’s failed occupation of a wildlife reserve in the state, is planning to file a complaint against the US President, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, his son, former Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, and District Court Judge Gloria Navarro. The prisoner alleges that his constitutional rights were violated and seeks to be released from solitary confinement.
For many years, Bundy has put his cattle to graze on federal land in Nevada, refusing to recognize BLM authority of the territory. The pugnacious rancher has accumulated over $1 million in grazing fees, which remain unpaid.
Despite Bundy’s illegal actions, BLM has no plan to remove his cattle.
“Mr Bundy’s cattle continue to be in trespass. There are no plans for a gather at this time as we continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice on the ongoing legal matter,” agency spokesman Jeff Krauss told the Guardian.
In 2014, BLM officials arrived at Bundy’s ranch with the intention of seizing the animals, but were met with a large militia group in support of the rancher. The government chose to retire rather than risk unnecessary bloodshed, an act of compassion which emboldened anti-government groups across the nation.
