- Six weeks ago Randy Bird stood on a government ranch
in Rock Springs, Wyo., watching as a herd of endangered wild mustangs galloped
around the paddock, terrorized by his human scent.
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- Today he feeds his own small herd by hand on his ranch
near Harwood, Ont., east of Toronto.
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- "They'd never seen a tree or a barn or even eaten
grain when they arrived," he said proudly. "Now they come straight
up to the fence when I call them."
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- If it hadn't been for Mr. Bird and the efforts of a little-known
Canadian group called the Save the Mustangs Foundation, nine mustangs would
likely be dead -- sold by the Bureau of Land Management to so-called kill-buyers
under a controversial new U.S. law that allows mustangs over the age of
10 to be sold "without limitations."
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- It was a close call for these Canadian equine refugees,
who have become poster ponies for a drive to raise awareness of the plight
of these historic horses in the United States.
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- Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of the Interior
stopped delivery of mustangs to buyers while it investigates the recent
slaughter of 41 wild horses.
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- The horses were killed after being sold to the Rosebud
Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. There are 8,400 wild horses and burros eligible
to be sold for slaughter under the act.
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- Cattle ranchers complain the wild horses compete with
their herds for food, and every year, the Bureau of Land Management rounds
up thousands of them to be placed into captivity.
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- In December, Congress amended a 34-year-old ban on slaughtering
mustangs to permit older and unwanted horses to be sold "without limitation."
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- Critics haved warned that the legislation would allow
for mustangs to be killed and sold for dog food or human consumption in
Europe. But Senator Conrad Burns of Montana -- who spearheaded the amendment
-- defends the legislation.
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- He says tribal officials violated a specific federal
contract in selling the horses for slaughter. "I am dismayed that
another group has lied to get horses, then sold them for slaughter,"
Mr. Burns said in an interview from Washington.
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- "The BLM is working to tighten the program to avoid
situations like this in the future, and I support them in their ongoing
efforts, and will continue my discussions with them to make sure the sale
of these animals runs as smoothly as possible."
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- Still, a lot of people, including animal-rights activists,
are incensed that the mustangs are being killed at all. The cause has even
caught the interest of big business.
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- Spurred on by an irresistible combination of corporate
self-interest and social responsibility, Ford Motor Co. signed on this
week to help save the lives of 100 more horses.
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- The company recently relaunched its famous sports car,
which is named in honour of the breed. But the Canadians of Save the Mustangs
were there first.
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- The group travelled to Wyoming last month to meet with
officials and the Bureau of Land Management in Rock Springs, where they
selected and purchased nine horses for $50 each.
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- The mustangs were then trucked to Ontario.
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- While there are other wild horses in the Maritimes and
Western Canada, the Wyoming horses are believed to be the first true Spanish
mustangs ever to graze on Canadian soil.
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- Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez brought the first
mustangs to North America in 1519, and the Canadian horses are their direct
descendants.
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- They remain powerful and rare living symbols of the American
Wild West.
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- Back at the ranch in Harwood, the five geldings (which
are all around 12 years old) are being slowly trained by Mr. Bird to wear
harnesses and, eventually, to pull a carriage in a team.
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- The idea behind breaking the horses is to show that older
mustangs can, in fact, be domesticated and adopted as pets.
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- "You have to remember they're wild animals -- they
can't be trained like regular horses," says Mr. Bird, an internationally
known trainer who is, to his chagrin, often referred to in equestrian circles
as "the Canadian horse whisperer."
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- "They are incredibly smart. "
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- "They never play and they savour every mouthful
of food."
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- Local curiosity about the mustangs has been growing since
they came to the area, he says.
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- "I've had so many people out to look at them. People
are fascinated."
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- When the herd came over, it consisted of five geldings
and three pregnant mares, one of which just gave birth to a chestnut foal.
The mares are being kept separately from the males on the grounds of the
Haldimand Hills spa, a 15-minute drive away.
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- The Canadian group is relieved they managed to get the
horses out when it did and encountered no problems at the border. "We've
said from Day 1 that this amendment is going to lead to slaughter,"
says Grafton, Ont.-based filmmaker Albert Botha, one of the main forces
behind the rescue mission. "Once it happened, everyone realized we
were right and now they're scrambling to find an alternative."
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- Mr. Botha is currently looking into adopting more mustangs
and setting up a wild horse sanctuary somewhere in Canada.
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