Imperiled Mustangs find a new home in California
Imperiled Mustangs find a new home in California
Temecula, CA,
November 3, 2014 - Wild For Life Foundation (WFLF) welcomes the last family bands of the a small band of historic wild horses to its Temecula facility. These Mustangs once roamed freely across America's public range-lands, but had sadly become in grave danger of going to slaughter.
It's been a long hard road for this herd of imperiled Mustangs that had already been through so much. Many of them first lost their freedom and their families when they were chased down by government helicopters and ATV's - the trauma and physical suffering caused by these brutal roundups is virtually unspeakable. These survivors were provided sanctuary by a 501c3 charity in New Mexico.
The last members of this formerly imperiled herd are now safely reunited with their family members in California, including the last group of six mares and their 3-4 month old foals that most recently arrived after a three-month stop over at Equine Voices in Arizona. These mares and foals needed additional time to build strength before completing their full journey to California (CA) under WFLF's wild horse sanctuary program.
All of these Mustangs are now part of WFLF's program in CA where its new transitional recovery center features large multi-acre open space natural habitat and rehab facilities. It's a transitional facility for incoming Mustangs under Wild For Life Foundation's Wild Horse sanctuary expansion project.
This herd of Mustangs had lived peacefully on a 5,000 acre ranch in New Mexico where they group held tours of their conservation program before losing their gratis lease.
There were approximately 130 - 150 Mustangs that had recently lost their freedom and their home and were in grave danger of going to slaughter, for the second time in their lives. The group's founder states that these horses a variety of mixed breed wild horses that are now under extreme threat of extinction due to an ongoing conflict with commercial livestock interests for land use.
The Wild For Life Foundation has saved the lives of these majestic horses, and is helping to assure that their legacy lives on. The founder of the group has now also arrived to CA where she has joined WFLF's Equine Program as the new on site Wild Horse Manager.
The other charity had lost their sanctuary lease and within a few months the entire herd was in grave danger of going to slaughter. Claypool says, "We hit rock bottom and there was no hope in site. If it wasn't for Katia and the Wild for Life Foundation, our entire herd would have been brutally butchered alive for their meat."
Katia is an expert on both the issue of horse slaughter and the plight of America's wild horses. "When I heard that these horses' lives were at stake, and knowing the untold horrors of their would-be fate, I knew we had to take immediate action," Ms Louise said. Being a grassroots charity emerged in equine rescue and preservation, Wild For Life Foundation (WFLF) works around the clock in the trenches to meet these kinds of challenges on an everyday basis. "Going in, I knew this would be one of the biggest most challenging rescue missions WFLF would take on."
And that's how the special WFLF Mustang Rescue Mission was born. It was a matter of life and death urgency and an effort to prevent the most egregious cruelty inflicted upon animals by mankind. "It's a leap of faith for humanity and the future of the world we share together with these animals," Katia added. "Thank heavens for our supporters and their steadfast dedication in support of our work. We couldn't do it without you."
"Thanks to the many kind and generous donations from caring horse lovers who have come together in support of this WFLF mission, we have been able to provide emergency rescue services in effort to save the entire herd of majestic wild horses, including provision of their needed hay, veterinary care, housing and transport,” says Katia. "It has taken several months to save and restore these majestic herd members to new safe haven natural habitat homes, including pregnant mares and new born foals, the last of which have just recently arrived to our California sanctuary facilities."
"WFLF resources have been stretched to the limits by the many emergency rescue costs including transportation costs to get them safely out of Mew Mexico," said Ms Louise. Water and hay had to be trucked in daily to keep them fed and healthy during while funds were raised to save them. "Transporting large numbers of horses across state lines is complicated and costly. Stops must be made so the horses can rest, be watered and fed. Safely transporting horses across the country is limited during inclement weather and these factors have all played into this major rescue mission."
At WFLF rescue is just the beginning of a long, dedicated endeavor to provide the best quality of life for these vulnerable and displaced victims. Partnerships are crucial to helping the Wild For Life Foundation serve community enrichment through its multi-layered mission of preserving wildlife, preventing animal cruelty, and nature and educational initiatives. WFLF saves the lives of homeless, mistreated and slaughter bound horses whose healing hearts enhance the lives of people.
Since fall of 2013, WFLF has rescued and placed approx 180 wild Mustangs, including approximately 216 orphaned foals (ages 1-6 months old), and several pregnant mares who all had lost their freedom and their homes in New Mexico. The baby horses had been orphaned as a result of the roundups and slaughter, which the vast majority of American people oppose.
As the remaining number of Wild Horses in the U.S. nears extinction, education and appreciation through the protection and observation of Wild Horses in sanctuary becomes tantamount to their survival as a species. America's Wild Horses cannot be reproduced once they are gone.
"With wild mustang herds across the west vanishing, the importance of protecting and preserving them, and providing the public the opportunity to view and experience wild mustangs in their natural environment is essential to the history and the future of our Nation," adds Ms. Louise. "Wild horses are scientifically recognized for restoring range-lands, boosting biodiversity and helping the return of a wider variety of plants and invertebrates to the lands where they roam. Scientists and conservationists have indeed found that the re-introduction of wild equines to open lands provides a meaningful way to restore and sustain the natural environment and wildlife."
"The Wild For Life Foundation (WFLF), a U.S, registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charity dedicated to saving, protecting and preserving wild and domestic horses through rescue, sanctuary, and education. WFLF relies 100% on tax deductible donations to do this lifesaving work. Federal ID No. 26-3052458
Media Contacts:
Wild For Life Foundation
Phone: 310.439.9817
www.wildforlifefoundation.org
“The ASPCA is grateful to rescue groups like the Wild For Life Foundation who step in to care for and rehabilitate horses who have been abused or neglected,” said Jacque Schultz, senior director of the ASPCA Equine Fund. “We are pleased to award them this grant to assist their efforts to protect horses in need, and we applaud their commitment to equine training.” The ASPCA Equine Fund grants program awards equine organizations which strive to achieve best practices, including excellent animal care, and whose focus and expertise is concentrated on reducing the suffering of equines who have lost their homes or been cruelly treated. For more information, please visit www.wildforlifefoundation.org
