Not Your average coffee chat…

Thanks for stopping by. Hold onto your hats, I’ve got a lot to say…

I know that all of us are road weary. The pandemic, the political climate, the challenging news that we hear day in and day out… It’s exhausting. I get it.

But I’m hoping that I can encourage you to dig deep and use your voice for one more thing… One more bit of good that you could put into the world… I want you to consider making a few phone calls… And here’s why…

There is ugliness happening in our western states. And those of us with a voice need to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has done and will continue to do many wild horse round ups in the most despicable way. Instead of doing bait and trap round ups… Where food and water get left out and then the gates are closed as the horses come in, they are doing helicopter round ups. This means that bands of wild horses are chased for miles by helicopter in hundred degree temperatures. Families get separated. Nursing foals get cut off from their moms. They are rounded up and put in holding pens until they can be loaded onto trucks and driven to horse lots where they will be separated out… some will be put up for adoption. Most will be held in these permanent holding sites for the rest of their lives with less than 750 square feet per horse.

The reason for this… Yes, it’s true that we have drought conditions out west. And it might be prudent to reduce the population. But this could be done slowly and effectively by darting the mares with birth control. The BLM will not allow for a slow, natural herd reduction because the horses are competition for the ranchers. The ranchers want to use public lands to graze their cattle and sheep. And let’s face it, money talks! The ranchers can pay to have their voices heard. The wild horses can’t! So of course… The wild horses lose and lose big!

We now have thousands and thousands… Literally… In holding pens…Wild horses that will remain in these lots, never to run free again. They will be fed and watered and warehoused until they die or are euthanized. And of course, keeping that many horses that confined, will result in eventual illness and physical and mental break down.

This is not new, although I am just learning about these atrocities. The round ups have been going on for quite some time… And we need to raise our voices and stop them.

Ranchers do not belong on our public lands. The law is supposed to protect our wild horses!

If I were more politically savvy, I would try to organize a nationwide boycott of beef because again… money talks. But I will readily admit to not having the political chops to make that happen. Instead… I can and will write about it. I will talk about it. I will post about it on Facebook. And I will call my political representatives and demand their attention to this matter. And I can ask you to do the same…

Just this week I read a story about a well-known wild stallion called Merlin from Sand Wash Basin, Colorado (there is a link to Scott Wilson‘s Facebook page below so that you can read the story right from Scott) that was able to evade the helicopters. But, in all of the chaos there was a foal that got separated from its mom. This wild mustang took care of the foal all night long. But the next morning, knowing that it needed to nurse, the mustang led the foal to the holding pens. Of course, in trying to reunite the baby with his mom, he was captured. This, in and of itself, should be a testament to the fact that animals are so much more than we give them credit for! This was a selfless, altruistic act by a noble creature! The good news is that… Once Merlin was inside of the holding pen… he was able to get enough clearance to run and jump the gate and get free! Something to celebrate!

Just last week, 479 wild horses were rounded up, never to see freedom again. This was only last week. Hundreds more were gathered in Onaqui, Utah in July. More round ups are coming…

I will post some links below so that you can educate yourself about the situation. Please….At least make the calls… Tell your representatives that you are aware of the situation and that you expect our public lands to be managed appropriately and for the protected wild horses to remain protected and free!

These calls matter! Because of public outrage, the Colorado- Sand Wash Basin round up was cut short. We need all hands on deck and all voices heard! Your call will matter. Call your representatives. Call the secretary of the interior… Deb Holland… it doesn’t feel like it, but it does make a difference!

Please browse the links below…

Please watch this video:https://youtu.be/2uG8GWWFvJ4

This is the American wild horse campaign website… You can learn a ton on this site alone:https://www.americanwildhorsecampaign.org/

This is the story of Merlin complements of Scott Wilson’s Facebook page at #WilsonAxpePhotography :https://www.facebook.com/100045297013191/posts/405540440965853/?d=n

This is the story of Darryl Glover and the progress that he has been able to make on behalf of the wild horses of Alberta Canada:https://horse-canada.com/magazine/equine-welfare/where-wildies-society-that-helping-them/amp/?fbclid=IwAR3FVjR7uCrKv0QkhADndMc7d0xejfuw9KCbRjCS5T8uELXgJ192cXb8MAs

This is the link to Sandi Sharkey Photography‘s Facebook page. She talks about the people in the helicopters and the amount of money the government pays them…https://www.facebook.com/141203232738410/posts/1746084435583607/?d=n

I would be immensely grateful if you would share this post on your blog or Facebook page or on Instagram… Do whatever you can to get this information out there… Where there’s a will, there’s away. We can make this better!

Thank you so much for your kind attention to this matter. As always, I’m so glad you’re here!💜

The weekend coffee chat is brought to you by Natalie the explorer
http://natalietheexplorer.home.blog/2021/09/17/recent-reads-and-golden-finds/

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