Imagine being a wild mustang confined in a tiny metal pen packed with hundreds of other terrified horses. This is the story of our two mustangs Valor and Callie.
Valor’s pregnant mother was rounded up by helicopter in the mountains of Oregon. She gave birth to Valor in a holding pen, where he had to fight for food and survival amongst hundreds of other horses. He became depressed and fearful. But he was lucky as many of the foals do not survive the cruel round-ups. They cannot keep pace with the frightened older horses as they are chased by low flying helicopters into small, overcrowd metal pens. Many foals are trampled. Others are separated from their mothers and die.
Valor was hauled to auctions all over the country. He became a “third striker.” If he did not find a home at this third auction, he could be released for purchase to a” kill” buyer. Today captured mustangs do not get three chances.
Kill buyers purchase horses cheaply at auction and transport them, under the most horrific conditions, to Mexican and Canadian slaughtering plants where the animals are killed and their bodies processed into meat. We choose this despondent horse who needed to develop self-confidence and the courage to trust humans and named him Valor.
Callie too was frightened at the auction, crammed into a small pen full of larger, hungry horses. Being observant and clever, Callie would wait for the bigger horses to become distracted, then she would sneak and grab a few bites of hay before they noticed and chased her away.
Callie had been captured with hundreds of other free roaming mustangs. She once roamed freely with her family near Mount Callaghan in the majestic mountains of Nevada and was named after her wild mountain home. If left in the wild, Callie may have become a “lead “ mare making decisions about where the herd would travel and eat.
Callie and Valor now reside at the Kaeli Kramer Humane Education Center located at the Holtsville Ecology Site. They serve as ambassadors for the America’s wild horses and raise public awareness about the plight and persecution of the mustangs. Callie and Valor are an integral part of our humane education programs educating young people about the importance of preserving the untamed beauty of America’s last wild horses and our rapidly disappearing public lands.
Today there are now more wild horses in captivity than there are on the range. Over 50,000 wild horses who have been violently rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are living in government holding facilities. All these horses are being held needlessly at the taxpayers’ expense. The round- ups are both cruel and unnecessary. There are humane ways to manage them on the ranges at half the cost to the American taxpayers.
Wild horses are being managed into extinction by the Bureau of Land Management. Over 4.2 million cattle graze on our public lands, but sadly only an estimated 25,000 wild horses are left. The BLM claims not to sell wild horses for slaughter but has acknowledged that it has repeatedly sold horses to known killer-buyers.
You can help, please contact:
President Obama: whitehouse.gov 202-456-1111
Vice President Biden: whitehouse.gov 202-456-1111
Secretary of Interior, Sally Jewell: exsec_exsec@ios.doi.gov 202-208-3100
Director of BLM, Neil Kornze: director@blm.gov 202-208-3801
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack: 202 720-2791.
POINTS TO MAKE:
Manage Wild Horses and Burros “on the range,” at much lower costs to American Taxpayer
Responsible and thoughtful use of the fertility vaccine PZP
Protect predators in Herd Management Areas and Herd Areas..
Reduce livestock grazing on lands managed for wild horses.
Understand the Real Costs of Livestock Grazing. Read BLM and USFS livestock grazing stats: Examining key data in the debate over wild horses on western public lands
Restore lost wild horse rangeland
Enlist volunteers to monitor, document and help administer fertility control to herds on the range.
Provide adequate shelter for all horses in holding facilities
Return wild horses in BLM Short Term Holding to repatriated Herd Management Areas and Herd Areas.
Stop helicopter roundups. Use Bait trapping or darting for application of PZP
Wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people
Please support the Petition to list North American Wild Horses as an Endangered Species
Thank you for helping America’s last wild horses.
