Alpine, Texas, October 23, 2012 – It’s a new day and a brand new place to call home for the orphan
Navajo foals recently rescued by Wild for Life Foundation, Lifetime Equine Refuge.
"We are proud to partner with our sisters and brothers at the
Firelight South Ranch as an official
WFLF Wild Horse Rescue and Sanctuary facility. Firelight South is an American Indian owned ranch and home to over 40 wild and domestic horses saved from slaughter,” says
Katia Louise, filmmaker, founder and president of the Wild For Life Foundation (WFLF). “We look forward to a long lasting partnership for the benefit of at risk wild and domestic horses."
“In making a public statement opposed to wild horse roundups and horse slaughter; we at the Firelight South Ranch support the
Wild for Life Foundation’s Navajo Rescue and Recovery Mission and are proud to offer safe harbor and plenty of TLC for these sacred and majestic foals whose mother’s were sent slaughter. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Wild for Life Foundation’s Navajo Rescue and Recovery Mission as part of our continued goal to provide rehabilitation and freedom for at risk wild and domestic horses. We hope this partnership will continue into the future by helping other at risk wild foals and horses,” says,
Rachael Waller-Rondeaux, owner Firelight South Ranch.
“This is just the beginning for these orphaned Navajo foals, it's going
to take months for these little ones to heal, build their strength up
and overcome the physical and emotional injuries they sustained during
the roundups." The majority of the orphaned foals are being cared for
under Wild for Life Foundation and will be considered for placement over
time. Once ready, some of the foals will be placed through specially approved WFLF rescue partners. A few of the strongest foals were just recently placed in forever sanctuary at the
Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota.
"We are thrilled that several of the orphan Navajo foals will have an opportunity to grow and thrive under the Texas skies at Firelight South,” adds Katia Louise.
WFLF’s Sacred Hearts – Firelight South was established for the purpose of providing safe harbor to wild horses in need and is a certified best practices facility under the WFLF
Safe Haven Rescue Partnership Program.
Donations in support of the orphaned Navajo foals at WFLF’s Sacred Hearts – Firelight South can be made on line at www.lifetimeequinerefuge.org or by mail to WFLF at the address below.
17 surviving Navajo foals were recently rescued under Wild for Life Foundation’s Navajo Horses Rescue and Recovery Mission (NHRRM). They had been discovered in a life threatening situation after being rounded up from their Native home land on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico. The foals, ages 2 - 4 months were orphaned during the roundups after losing their mothers to slaughter. Approximately 1600 wild equines lost their lives during the US government funded Navajo roundups which the majority of Navajo people oppose.
Volunteer rescue members from the WFLF’s Navajo Rescue and Recovery Mission have put their lives on hold to rescue, recover, evacuate and provide care for these survivors; to assure they will never be subject to roundup or slaughter again. We are especially grateful to
Deanna Tierney of the
Northeastern Nevada Equine Rescue who has partnered with WFLF as an official Safe Haven Rescue and Sanctuary facility. Deanna’s assistance has been instrumental through the early stages of this rescue mission, including the safe emergency transport of these orphaned Navajo foals.
In a recent turn of events the widely contested Navajo roundups have been temporarily suspended by Navajo President Ben Shelly under pressure from his own people including the Nahooka’ Dine’ (Navajo Elders and Medicine People), together with the Wild for Life Foundation, and the Foundation to Protect New Mexico Wildlife, an organization founded by Gov. Richardson and actor, director and conservationist Robert Redford. The foundation is working to stop the slaughter of horses, including actively fighting efforts to reopen horse slaughterhouses in the United States.
“These sacred and majestic horses heal our hearts and they can heal the lands,” adds Katia Louise. “As Ambassadors for the horse nation, these 17 surviving foals through WFLF
will be helping to educate and show the world that the re-introduction
of horses to rangelands, in truth can rejuvenate the environment.”
Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist, Wild for Life Foundation Board Member, and author of “The Wild Horse Conspiracy” points out that wild horses are a big benefit to the ecosystem. They help to create that very important soil substance known as Humus...which makes the soils more nutrient-rich, adhesive and more retentive to water. This aids greatly in increasing the moisture of soils and elevating the water tables. The manure of wild horses builds the soils and disperses the intact seeds of many species to a much greater degree than cattle and sheep. Wild free-roaming horses also greatly reduce the possibility of catastrophic fires which can sterilize the soils and destroy its seed banks.
About The Wild For Life Foundation: Wild for Life Foundation (WFLF) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charity dedicated to saving, protecting and preserving equines through rescue, sanctuary and education. WFLF and its wild horse preservation initiative serves as an educational platform for the protection of wildlife through the provision of long term sanctuary of wild horses and burros removed from America's rangelands. WFLF and its Saving America’s Horses Initiative is an international consortium of scientists, equine welfare experts, researchers, and horse advocates collaborating efforts to promote wild horse conservation and preservation initiatives with a focus on the prevention of equine cruelty. On the Web –
www.wildforlifefoundation.org ,
www.LifetimeEquineRefuge.org,
www.SavingAmericasHorses.org Federal ID No. 26-3052458
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Media Contact:
Kate Dudley
kate@katedudley.com
Ph. 310.439.9817
Wild for Life Foundation
19510 Van Buren Blvd, Ste F3236
Riverside, CA 92508
