The following is portion of an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
BUNKERVILLE — More than 100 head of Cliven Bundy’s confiscated cattle were released from a corral outside of Mesquite after a 20-minute standoff between angry and armed ranchers and law enforcement officers Saturday.
With rifles pointing toward each side and tensions reaching a critical level, federal land officials backed off and agreed to give up the cattle to Bundy’s family and supporters.
The mid-afternoon release by the Bureau of Land Management was hailed as a victory among supporters who had forced the closure of Interstate 15 after marching to the holding pen on the sides of the highway, although environmentalists condemned the agency’s decision.
The BLM, upset that Bundy has refused to pay about $1 million in grazing fees to the federal government for two decades, had seized at least one-third of his cattle earlier this past week in a raging debate that captured national attention and whose purpose also was to protect a critical habitat of the threatened desert tortoise.
But on Saturday the BLM decided to halt the roundup, fearing for the safety of its agents and the public.
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Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Posted by Haylie Shipp
