Forest

Forest’s little life began somewhere in the slaughter pipeline. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM)  adopted out his mother, Fiona, in their corrupted Adoption Incentive Program (AIP). Like so many other wild horses and burros betrayed by this initiative, she landed in a kill pen with her few-months-old baby by her side.

We have learned from experience that the horrible respiratory diseases in the slaughter pipeline are often fatal to vulnerable baby donkeys. Even those born after their pregnant mothers have been rescued can succumb to the illnesses she was exposed to in the filthy, stressful conditions of the kill pens. Another danger is that someone will buy the cute baby for a pet, while leaving the parents to ship to slaughter. We couldn’t let that happen. Almost as soon as they arrived at the facility, we moved fast to get them out of there and into quarantine.

A month later, Fiona and Forest arrived at Skydog with a clean bill of health. She was wild and protective, but Forest possessed a grounded calm, like the trees he was named for. Innocent and curious, he approached humans for love and scratches his first day. We’ve never seen one before with a fringe of facial hair that looks like bangs and a beard. He couldn’t be more adorable.

I can already tell that Forest will be popular with followers. Who better than Marcie Marshmallow to give him tips on how to be a Skydog superstar? When the trailer pulled up to the donkey pen, the herd crowded around to see the new arrivals. Marcie couldn’t wait and jumped into the trailer before they had time to jump out. When they finally exited, Fiona and Forest hit the ground running - "Run, Forest! Run!” - with most of the herd behind for the ritual welcome lap.

By night, Forest will rest with his mother in a comfortable stall inside the “donkey palace”. We built this in the long ear pen as a safety precaution for the little ones. They grow all too fast - Marcie Marshmallow has already outgrown it. By day,  Forest  will have Woodstock, Marcie, and Ziggy to run like the wind with, as Fiona looks on in the company of other doting mothers and aunties.

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.