Source: The Cloud Foundation
Team effort prevents 103 wild horses from going to slaughter
WISHEK, ND (Oct 2, 2013) – Thanks to an enormous effort on the part of horse lovers across the country not one of the 103 Badlands wild horses removed from the Teddy Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) were purchased by kill buyers. This appears to be the first time in the history of the Park in which no Park horses went to slaughter. The Cloud Foundation (TCF) and affiliate organization Legacy Mustang Preservation (LMP) purchased 36 mustangs and worked together with North Dakota Badlands Horses (NDBH) to successfully publicize the Sept. 28 auction.
The public’s love of the mustang was evidenced by the outpouring of donations in from 7 countries; donations came from children, retirees, and even a homeless person. Generous equine advocate, Victoria McCullough stepped in just days before the auction and donated funds to purchase and transport an additional 12 horses.
“The cost to purchase the horses was far higher than we had anticipated as I had to bid high to deter slaughter buyers,” said Lisa Friday, TCF and LMP board Member. “The auctioneer started bids at 42 cents per pound instead of the normal 20 cents per pound in hopes of discouraging kill buyers from participating in the auction, but that meant the price was higher on nearly every animal we bought.”
“More must be done to ensure that private citizens and sanctuaries do not have to outbid kill buyers,” stated Ginger Kathrens, director of TCF. “We continue to recommend to the Park that bidders pre-register, revealing their intentions before they are allowed to bid. If the Park Service truly wants to provide a safe future for the historic Badlands horses, they need to provide this safety net for them.”
Other recommendations to the NPS include constructing a safe and secure, temporary holding facility at the National Park, where the horses would be held after capture. This location would also provide an auction site, avoiding the necessity of long distance transport of captured horses.
“We will continue to communicate with Teddy Roosevelt staff who seem receptive to protecting wild horses in the Park and conducting removals and sales in a less stressful manner,” stated Kathrens. “We believe the trucking of these young animals over 200 miles within days of capture to an auction yard contributed to injuries.”
There were no deaths as a result of the roundup and auction but one filly did receive life-threatening injuries. Emerado, a one year old grey filly, suffered a puncture wound sometime between roundup and offloading at Wishek, ND over 200 miles away from the Park. The wound was severely infected and the filly’s entire leg was swollen and non-weight bearing. She is now being treated in North Dakota, and her condition is improving. Other injuries were numerous superficial lacerations.
Overall, those who attended the roundup and auction felt the Park Service did an excellent job working with the livestock auction facility. Calm, gentle, and caring wranglers used domestic horses to move the horses through the auction, two to three at a time.
Unlike wild horses on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service (NPS) is not charged with protecting wild horses on Park Service lands in accordance with provisions in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. The Park Service and National Wildlife Refuges can dispose of wild horses to anyone for any reason.
“We applaud TRNP for choosing to manage wild horses in the Park,” said Ginger Kathrens. “When I visited last month I watched the tourists’ excited reactions to seeing these beautiful mustangs roaming free with the bison and other native wildlife in the Park. TCF plans to continue our involvement so that none of these stunning animals ever end their lives on a slaughter house floor.”
Categories: Equine Rescue, Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Thank You to all in this awesome effort !!!!!!! Absolutely stunning !!!! Beautiful people !!!!!
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Thanks RT and Terry for spreading the word. You guys are great.
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If all these sales were overpopulated mustangs And they assert welfare issues for reasons to round up, then state they dont deliberately sell to kill buyers why.dont they just Give the horses to rescues? Just skipping over the auction and plainly giving to rescuers and cutting out the crap in between.
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Have you stopped to think that perhaps the sale proceeds go back to the park to provide for the wild horses and other wildlife that are still there?
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I agree with giving to the horse rescues. The wild horses would have good homes for now and then the horses could be adopted out to there furever homes after they were stable. As well, I think the government should be giving these rescues some money instead of giving those ass**** ranches a 1000.00 a head. Rescues would ask for that much and make that money work for the horses.
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oops sorry…would not ask for that much money to home a wild horse….less money means less use of tax payers dollars.
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Well, pretty sad a horse has to be saved from a place named by a President known for loving American wildlife (yes, I know he was a hunter too, but this is not the point…)
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Reblogged this on Rancho Comancho and commented:
These horses have been saved, how many are still at risk? Maybe we could try to syndacate in Italy to find a way to import them here… Let’s write us about this idea!
Questa foto mostra un gruppo dei 108 cavalli selvaggi salvati da un gruppo di volontari. Vengono dalle Badlands americane, dal parco intitolato a Teddy Roosevelt, il presidente americano noto per il suo amore per la natura selvaggia del suo paese (sì, era anche un cacciatore, ma questo non è il punto…). Peccato costi così tanto portarli in Italia (anche se potremmo pensare di metterci insieme per farlo, che ne dite? Aspettiamo commenti in merito).
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i am from eastern mt and went to trnp every summer as a kid. this picture took my breath away. i have pics of the horse in the middle that i took a few years ago while visiting the park with my own child. to see this horse’s pic and to know its gone from the park makes me sad. hopefully its going to have a healthy happy life elsewhere. as a kid, we use to go to the top of black butte and with binaculors look for the wild horse herds and buffalo. 1st one to spot anything got a cheap lil prize at one of the stores in town. i still love going to medora and through the park. such fond memories.
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Thanks Charla for sharing such a fond memory. So many images in people’s minds that have witnessed the wild horses are now tarnished because the horse’s and burro’s have been decimated. It’s wonderful that your mind’s eye recognized the horse. Keep that in the forefront of your mind as you help us advocate for these beautiful animals to remain free.
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Linda Horn
October 3, 2013 @ 10:14 AM [Edit]
“National Parks Closed While House Votes To Sell Off 3.3 Million Acres of Public Land”
While 401 national parks across the U.S. are closed during the government shutdown, the House Natural Resources Committee is still meeting Thursday to vote on a bill that would force the fire sale of 3.3 million acres of public land.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, mandates selling off public land in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming to the highest bidder, ThinkProgress reported. The Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2013 (HR 2657) is supposed to provide funs to reduce the deficit.
Chaffetz’s home state of Utah loses $4.4 million every day because its five national parks are under government closure.
More …
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/national-parks-closed-while-house-votes-sell-33-million-acres-public-land#
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This post needs to be seen:
Linda Horn
October 3, 2013 @ 10:14 AM [Edit]
“National Parks Closed While House Votes To Sell Off 3.3 Million Acres of Public Land”
While 401 national parks across the U.S. are closed during the government shutdown, the House Natural Resources Committee is still meeting Thursday to vote on a bill that would force the fire sale of 3.3 million acres of public land.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, mandates selling off public land in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming to the highest bidder, ThinkProgress reported. The Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2013 (HR 2657) is supposed to provide funs to reduce the deficit.
Chaffetz’s home state of Utah loses $4.4 million every day because its five national parks are under government closure.
More …
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/national-parks-closed-while-house-votes-sell-33-million-acres-public-land#
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Louie –
“The parks, however, are still open to oil and gas drilling. According to a 2011 contingency plan, federal land management agencies are required to leave the parks open to oil, gas, and mining operations.”
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http://ppjg.me/2013/07/02/blms-oil-gas-lease-corruption-exposed/
By Debbie Coffey
“The REAL criminals, the BLM, who are sale/leasing our public lands for as little as $2 an acre, who allow “volunteers” paid for by oil companies to process the permits, and do NOT abide by the law, continue to go unchecked. ”
On December 19, 2008 Tim DeChristopher disrupted a highly disputed Utah BLM Oil and Gas lease auction, effectively safeguarding thousands of acres of pristine Utah land that were slated for oil and gas leases. Not content to merely protest outside, Tim entered the auction hall and registered as bidder #70. He outbid industry giants on land parcels (which, starting at $2 an acre, were adjacent to national treasures like Canyonlands National Park), winning 22,000 acres of land worth $1.7 million before the auction was halted.
Public attention was suddenly focused on the land that the BLM was going to lease for oil exploration, and “Two months later, incoming Interior Secretary Ken Salazar invalidated the auction.”
David Letterman had environmental activist Tim DeChristopher as a guest on his show recently to talk about this BLM oil and gas lease sale, and this (approximately) 12 minute segment is a MUST SEE, not only for wild horse advocates, but for anyone who cares about clean drinking water, uncontaminated aquifers, the safety of food and the health of American families.
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Bidder 70 Official Trailer #1 (2013) – Documentary Movie HD
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Grandma Gregg, as always, you are right on target.
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I hope everyone watched the Bill Moyer interview with Tim – it was really uplifting.
Only wish the whole wild horse & burro issue could be a part of it – because our wild horses & burros are so much a part of the environment that’s being destroyed.
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OUR National Parks OUR Wildlife
The Badlands – Theodore Roosevelt National Park
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Thank you Louie for the beautiful video. We are truly blessed to have these magnificent creatures in the wild and their protection is imperative for all future generations.
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Every politician out there that pushes oil drilling,fracking or any other industry on public lands are paid well and quietly under the table. This government feels that they own the land that’s called public, the way they see it since they maintain it they own it and can do whatever they want with it. It makes no difference that all of it is paid for with the public’s tax dollars. Like the comments the BLM will ask for when they plan something that involves any part of public land and then ignore any comment that refuses to agree with them. The fact is they ignore all of the comments they only ask for them because the law says they have to.
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A huge thank you to everyone (and there were many) for rescuing all 103 Badlands wild horses! It’s amazing what was accompolished and I’m so grateful to those who made it happen. It was amazing the amount of support you all received from people all over, even out of the country! Your love, dedication and appreciation for our iconic wild horses, goes without saying and we appaud your actions. (-:
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