Flopsy & Fufu
Flopsy, like so many federally-protected wild burros, was betrayed by the Bureau of Land Management and plunged into a life of abuse before being discarded in a killpen with her baby, FuFu, .
Marlene Dodge is the amazing hauler, who brought the very first horses to Skydog years ago - and many since. She has tremendous knowledge and experience. When I noticed that Flopsy’s mane was shaved, Marlene explained that it means she was used as a roping dummy. Cowboys abuse donkeys to practice their heading and heeling to rope calves. They cut their manes to prevent the rope from getting tangled. This probably also explains her broken ear. Anytime I think I have heard it all about the insane things cowboys do to torture animals, I learn something new and awful.
It was easy to understand why this gorgeous, gentle jenny was very head shy, BUT she loves having her soft neck scratched with love and kindness.
FuFu was an adorable baby, so fluffy, he looked like a llama. The kill pen was selling him as a girl, but you can’t believe anything they tell you. They started out in Malibu, where his favorite thing was going out to play on the slopes. When he was big enough, we moved him and is mother up to Oregon. They made some friends with other burros and donkeys - the Peanuts Gang, Bluebell, Bibi, and Bitsy.
In April of 2024, we released them all onto a large piece of land. This is the 1200 acres that Blue Zeus and his family share harmoniously with a very wild herd of burros. For Flopsy, we know this is a homecoming, the way her life was meant to be. For Fufu, we’ll see how he feels about going wild. With his mother and so many wild friends, including a youngster his age, we expect that it will come naturally to him. If he’d rather come in for more interactions with humans, the way things were in Malibu, then he shall have it. We’ll give them whatever makes them happy.
#skydogflopsy #skydogfufu
Mustangs and Burros Need Your Help
In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon, or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support these bills:
Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2023 (H.R. 3475 in the House / S.2307 in the Senate). This bill will shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.
The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.
Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.
You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io
See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.