Wild Horses Captured By Government Refuse To Leave Each Other's Sides

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"The two are so bonded ... and never leave each other for one second."

BY SARAH V SCHWEIG

Not long ago, it seemed luck had run out for a wild horse named Hawk.

Hawk was just one of 850 wild horses who were rounded up in Oregon last October by a federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). A consequence of these frequent roundups is that wild horse families end up getting split apart.



Not only did Hawk have the heartbreaking misfortune of losing his herd in the chaos, he was also seen limping. Such injuries can mean an untimely end for horses like Hawk.

Hawk was probably disoriented and in pain — but then something beautiful happened.



Hawk met Chief, another wild horse with a less severe injury, who had been rounded up at the same time, in one of the corrals for injured horses.

Hawk and Chief instantly bonded.

While loneliness was replaced by love, the struggles continued.

With so many wild horses needing care under the BLM, resources for treating Hawk's leg injury were limited.



Even outside of injury, the fate of the two best friends remained very uncertain. All 850 horses from the roundup were put up for adoption — and in seeking a home, Hawk and his only friend could be split apart.

As the weeks passed, Hawk's leg wasn't getting any better. The BLM considered euthanizing him, but fortunately, the agency tried one last option: They contacted someone who might be able to help Hawk's leg heal, allowing him to go on to live a full life at a sanctuary.

Obviously, Chief would have to come along, too.

"[Hawk] was about to be euthanized," Clare Staples, founder of Skydog Sanctuary, told The Dodo. "And the other we took ... They were so bonded we didn’t want to separate them."

As soon as Hawk arrived at Skydog Sanctuary in Oregon, he clearly started to relax. When the pair was let out of the trailer into their sun-filled barn, Chief couldn't help himself — he started running and jumping with joy.

As for Hawk, he seems utterly relieved to be at a safe place with his best friend. "He is much calmer and more settled and not limping as badly," Staples said.

Hawk will get an X-ray and have a treatment plan formulated to get him up and running again. And Chief will be by him through the whole process.

"Chief never leaves his side," Staples said, "and touches him with his nose every five seconds to make sure he is OK."

Hawk and Chief saw their lives change in an instant last year — and now it's changed again, but this time they've been given a beautiful new start.

"They went through being rounded up and losing their families," Staples said. "Now they have each other."

https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/bonded-wild-horses-go-together-to-sanctuary

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These roundups are despicable. All because of greed. Goddamned ranchers.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Both are magnificent animals.

[in2herbs]

2. I second your "Goddamned ranchers" comment 1,000,000 times. Nobody mistreats my horses and if I see

someone mistreating a horse or any animal by the time I'm done with them they know never to abuse again. The bond between two horses is greater than a human's love.

[Duppers]

7. 👍👍

Thank you!

[UpInArms]

3. There is something in my eye

Thanks for posting

[Kali]

4. bullshit

stupid people and their shitty comprehension of how nature and the world works are as much to blame as any "goddamned ranchers"

nature isn't a fucking disney movie

[2naSalit]

5. Mganificent beings...

we shouldn't do what we are doing to them. I have heard some tales of encounters with them in the wild, not an experience to relish if they see you as a threat. But I have seen many out on the range and they are magnificent to see.

[Bayard]

6. It used to be a lot worse

They used to be herded up and sent to slaughter houses. We finally closed the slaughter houses thru public outcry, although there has been some talk among rethugs about reopening them.

Most people don't realize that these horses belong to us--the American public. They are being captured on OUR land by the BLM (not the best history on so many issues). I know a few people who have adopted a mustang. They say it takes a lot of work and compassion to tame them, but well worth it.