Hello again!
I have been getting a lot of questions lately:
What about Boomer?
Will they REALLY take Dolly out of the park?
I know we all want to know who is safe and who is not. The truth is: NONE of these horses are safe. Every one of them can be removed.
Here is a conversation that I had with Superintendent Finley and Blake McCann on Friday.
We KNOW they are targeting mares that are NOT responding to GonaCon AND their offspring. Then there was this little snippet of a story:
Superintendent Finley said that Blake was telling her about a young stallion that is closely related to the rest of his band. She added that they had discussed the possibility of removing him as part of this round up – but again, that list is not finalized.
Who are they talking about?
We believe Stallion Chance (Bella x Sidekick).
For those of you who do not know, Stallion Sidekick died at the age of 20 in the middle of August this year. We are coming up on 2 short months since he passed away.
As the band grieves the loss of their stallion, they have accepted Sidekick’s son, Chance, as their stallion.
Now – the park is considering taking Chance out of the park. Can you imagine what that will do to an already grieving family?!
Let’s be clear, CHWHA has asked for YEARS that Bella be put on birth control while she remained in her son’s band. No, it is not “normal” for a stallion to breed his mother, but there has not been a lot of offspring coming out of that band. Sidekick would have had to breed with anyone able to foal – River, Maiden and Bella are the only ones who were foaling regularly. Mist foaled once since we have been here and then never again.
The park SHOULD HAVE properly managed this herd YEARS ago and did what they could to stop the inbreeding that was happening.
NOW they want to upset this already grieving family and have them lose a 2nd stallion in just a few short months?
Then what happens when Chance’s brother Knight (same age) steps up and takes over the band? Will he be removed later too, or will he just be removed in this round up now, “just in case”?
There is no logic to the insanity of what is happening at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Hand injecting mares with GonaCon will be the end of this herd as a reproducing herd. Please make sure you watch our Horse Talk with Dan Baker; he discusses hand injecting with GonaCon in detail: https://youtu.be/kdLHvgVmIuw?si=Y7uq4VYnIdT1DZbz
The park seems to think that as long as there are horses in the park that they are complying with what they are mandated to do. They are not taking any of the history, genetics or the fact that these horses have evolved to survive and thrive in the rugged and very harsh badlands of North Dakota into consideration.
The park offered to have us there for the roundup. We are still not sure if we will be there. It is a mixed bag. It doesn’t matter if CHWHA is there or not. There are other organizations that have been waiting for this moment to get close to the park again and “tolerate” what they are doing – even if they do not agree with it. They are all too willing to help. And the park will have their help and the round up will go on, mares will be sterilized, horses will be removed and probably injured/euthanized – UNLESS we are able to stop this roundup and the actions associated with it!
We gave a couple of Calls to Action in our blog yesterday and today we added a petition. I cannot talk about everything that is happening at the moment for obvious reasons, but please know, getting those emails and signatures is EXTREMELY CRITICAL! We need as many emails and signatures as possible within a few days!
You can find the email Call to Action here: https://secure.everyaction.com/4dmUjJg8pk2-feWZLe8-pg2
You can sign our petition here: https://secure.everyaction.com/yd5efKrSlkawCMSXp97IvA2
We also keep updating the Fact Sheet that can be found on the homepage of our website. This can also be downloaded and printed out for you to share or have handy for talking points about what is happening. You can also download the Fact Sheet here:
The bison round up is set to start in the NORTH UNIT of the park on October 5, 2024. For those of you who do not know, this is over 2 hours from the SOUTH UNIT where the horses are. The helicopters will remain with the park through October 18th so the round ups can honestly start any time, as soon as they have rounded up the 400 bison in the North Unit.
Please help by using our one click form to send your emails and sign our petition. BOTH of these really do matter!
We are hoping to hear from our lawyers early this week as well. IF they are able to do anything, this will cost us a TON. If you are able to make a donation to help us, we would sincerely appreciate it! You can make your tax-deductible donation here: https://secure.everyaction.com/cBmDbRA6cUuzERpShcQOCg2
We will have more to share as the week progresses. Be sure to check back for updates!
Please keep sharing our posts, keep educating yourselves and keep being LOUD! Remember: Silence = acceptance!
Thank you for your support and have a great night!
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