I meant to start on this blog yesterday, but i was so caught up in the petition efforts as i had learned that the wild horses that live along the Salt River just outside of Phoenix, Arizona are to be "dispatched" from their ecosystem. They have been living in the area for something between 80-100 years and are a wonderful thing to see if you ever get the chance. They are really comfortable with humans and wont even care that you're just a few feet away.
In my last outing, kayaking down the salt, i pulled off on the left bank so i could get my camera out of my dry bag and set up my tripod to get some shots of two juveniles playing in the water across from me, they put on a good show and all of a sudden i hear the rumble of a group of horses running up behind me, they ran right passed me and my kayak and started splashing around and geeting a nice cold drink from the rivers edge. They had a few babies with them and one large white horse trotted up about 10-15 feet away and stood guard while his family and friends (no doubt) all took their turns drinking. It was simply remarkable to be able to witness such an event, the bonds they have with each other and the mutual respect we shared as i sat there quietly getting some great shots, me watching them, and them watching me. After about 10 minutes i think they could sense that i wanted to give them their space and get my boat back in the water to continue downstream. The large white horse who was the lookout, i believe his name is Whisper, neighed a few times and turned himself around a took a quick drink and motioned in a way that made the rest of his group get to shore so i could leave them in peace. I can truly say that it was an unforgettable moment for me.
Now to the sad part, the NFS wants to get rid of them partially due to cattle ranchers calling them "unclaimed livestock" and the fear of one of them injuring a bystander. Which to me is ridiculous, because they have been here longer than any of us, or even most of the paved roads in the phoenix area. They plan on rounding them up starting as early as Friday (07 Aug 15) via mounted cowboys or helicopters. Which to me basically means (especially when they refer to them as a "nuisance" or use words like "unclaimed" and "dispatch" that all the ones they cant catch they are going to shoot on site. This is the time of the year when the babies are being born, its just a scumbag LOW move by the NFS. They could have protected them but chose not to.
If you are interested at all help me and be the voice of these amazingly beautiful creatures, there is a link below to sign a petition, if enough voices are heard we might be able to let these Arizona icons keep their home. Thanks for your time!
https://www.change.org/p/u-s-national-park-services-tonto-national-forest-stop-the-annihilation-of-the-salt-river-wild-horses-savewildhorses?recruiter=355530596&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_page&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-custom_msg&fb_ref=Default
It would be rad to get this out to as many people as you can.
