SAVE THE MUSTANGS
Ford
Motor Company announced that it will provide aid to help save
about
2,000 wild mustangs that currently face an uncertain future. In
addition, the company is offering a means for the public to help
“Save the Mustangs” — working with the United
States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Take Pride in America
to establish a fund to serve as a means for the public to
contribute financial support to help maintain the wild horses.
“The wild mustang embodies the passion, spirit and heritage that are an integral part of the American experience,” said Ford Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Ford. “We felt compelled to do what we could to help preserve these beautiful, legendary animals.”
The unique initiative brings together the government, Ford Motor Company and the public to help save the wild horses.
“This new partnership is an example of how the public sector and private industry can work together to help provide for long-term care of these animals, while sustaining the health and productivity of America’s public lands,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton.
Wild Horse and Burro Sales Resumed
The BLM is resuming its sales of wild horses and burros affected by a new Federal law after revising its bill of sale and pre-sale negotiation procedures to strengthen the agency’s efforts in finding good homes for the animals that must be sold, said BLM Director Kathleen Clarke. In addition, Clarke said the Bureau is working to persuade all three U.S. horse-processing plants to refuse to buy any BLM freeze-branded horses sold under the new law. Today’s action ends the BLM’s temporary suspension of sales, which took effect April 25 in response to two incidents involving the commercial processing of horses that had been re-sold or traded after being bought from the BLM.
“Our agency is committed to the well-being
of wild horses and burros, both on and off the range,” Clarke
said. “With this support from Ford & Take Pride
in America, the BLM will be able to carry out the will of
Congress while finding good homes for wild horses and burros,
which are a treasured symbol of Western spirit & icon of American
freedom.”
Save the Mustangs Fund
To help provide a means for the public to contribute
to the ongoing care of wild mustangs in their new habitats, Ford
established the Save the Mustangs fund. Wild horse lovers can
learn more and help support the cause by visiting www.savethemustangs.org.
Contributions to the Save the Mustangs fund will be managed by
Take Pride in America and are tax-deductible.
Preserving a Legend
After learning that thousands of wild mustangs
were in jeopardy, Ford Motor Company approached the BLM to explore
potential ways to provide support for the animal that has served
as an inspiration for the company for decades. While working with
BLM on a broader plan to provide safeguards for the wild mustangs’
continued protection, Ford interceded at the agency’s urgent
request on April 25 to prevent the slaughter of dozens of wild
mustangs. The horses were no longer in the control of the BLM
as they had been re-sold and sent to a processing facility for
slaughter. Ford purchased the 52 horses and donated
them to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary outside Hot Springs,
South Dakota.
The initiatives announced will help ensure that
larger numbers of wild Mustangs are relocated to good homes, primarily
at non-profit sanctuaries and Native American reservations.
“The Humane Society of the United States applauds Ford
Motor Company for being part of the solution, working for humane
and sensible treatment of America’s majestic wild horses,”
said Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO of the Humane Society
of the United States. “These symbols of the American west
deserve America’s ingenuity and drive, and it seems in Ford,
they’re getting just that. We can do better, as a country,
than to allow their destruction and demise.”
An American Icon in Jeopardy
Nearly 32,000 wild horses and burros roam public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in 10 Western states. These wild animals have virtually no natural predators, and their herd sizes can double about every five years. To maintain populations in balance with their habitat, the BLM removes excess animals from the rangelands every year. The BLM places thousands of wild horses and burros into private ownership through adoption each year. Approximately 22,500 Mustangs that have been removed from the rangelands are currently in federal holding facilities.
The BLM was directed to sell more than 8,000 wild mustangs as a result of a bill passed by Congress in December 2004. This legislation requires the BLM to sell gathered wild horses and burros that are more than 10 years old or have been offered unsuccessfully for adoption at least three times.
The wild mustang, symbol of the legendary Ford
Mustang sports car, has had a unique place in Ford Motor Company
lore. Although the original Mustang concept car was named for
the American P-51 Mustang fighter plane, the production Mustang
was introduced with great fanfare in April 1964 proudly wearing
the wild horse insignia.
“The Ford Mustang is America’s iconic sports car and takes its inspiration from the wild mustang, a true icon of American freedom,” said Ford.
The Save the Mustangs fund will feature a new but familiar
symbol – the Mustang’s wild horse insignia with a
ribbon draped around its neck.
Bureau
of Land Management
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 261 million acres of land – more than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface minerals throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission, as set forth by Congress in Federal law, is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural resources on the public lands.
“Take Pride In America”
Take
Pride In America was created in 1985 to preserve and maintain American public lands and historical sites and has evolved to
protect places and things that symbolize the American spirit.
Through its Wild Horse and Burro Sponsorship Program, which offers
a variety of sponsorship levels to assist wild horses that have
been placed in holding facilities, Take Pride In America is heavily involved in the effort to preserve wild, free-roaming
mustangs and burros.
“Take Pride in America has been tasked with the
mission of working cooperatively with all citizens in the maintenance
of our public lands and historic resources,” explained Take
Pride in America Executive Director Marti Allbright. “The
Save the Mustangs program is a great way to enlist the American
public in a hands-on approach to solving the issues of the American
west.”
Ford
Motor Company
Ford
Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn,
Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets
across six continents. The company's core and affiliated automotive
brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln,
Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include
Ford Motor Credit Company and Hertz. For more information regarding
Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com
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