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Spotlight
Rescue of the Month!
Return to Freedom
In 1997, Return to Freedom was founded with the goal of preserving the genetic diversity, and insuring the survival,
of America’s free ranging wild horses. Long considered an American icon, wild horses are rapidly disappearing from the
western landscape. In fact, an ongoing and aggressive removal policy has resulted in more wild horses living in captivity
to date than that which remain in the wild. With their numbers rapidly dwindling, Return to Freedom strives to protect and
preserve our remaining wild horses through sanctuary, education, and conservation.
Sanctuary
Return to Freedom provides a safe haven to nearly 200 wild horses and burros .With new legislative initiatives leaving thousands of
wild horses threatened by slaughter, and some 20,000 in federal holding facilities, Return to Freedom is filling a dire need to provide
a place where wild horses can still roam free, without threat of removal, harassment, or slaughter.
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Education
Return to Freedom also offers a wide spectrum of experiential education programs wherein young and old alike learn through sensitive
observation of the natural world. Return to Freedom firmly believes that education is the most potent catalyst for positive change.
Through Living History Tours and a variety of hands- on clinics, Return to Freedom offers the public an opportunity to learn directly
from “nature’s classroom”. |
Conservation
Committed to conserving the rare and diverse bloodlines that define the American wild horse of today, Return to Freedom maintains a rare
breeds preservation program. Some of the herds represent horses with DNA similar to the primitive Iberian horses (the Sorrias), some are
direct and undiluted descendents of the Spanish Mission, while others represent descendents of cavalry and ranch horses that have
interbred on our public lands reverting to a natural state over the past few hundred years. Whatever their historical, genetic or
biological significance, the wild horses of today represent their evolution in their respective habitats.
A Model Program
Return to Freedom was designed to be a model program, exploring alternative and minimally intrusive management philosophies.
Recognizing that wild horses live in tightly bonded herd groups, but faced with the reality of limited resources and space,
Return to Freedom utilizes non-hormonal, reversible contraception to keep population down and conserve habitat while allowing
the mares and stallions to coexist as they do in nature. Government reports from the 1990s found that millions of tax dollars could
be saved annually by using contraception (as opposed to round up and removal) to manage wild horse populations on federal lands.
“Return to Freedom’s pioneering model represents a breakthrough in the humane and effective management of wild horses, allowing
them to express the social organization and behaviors common to the species, without fear of uncontrolled reproduction.”
–Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, Director of the Science & Conservation Center, Billings, MT
The Next Step . . .
The American Wild Horse Conservancy
From inner-city youth to senior citizens, from Hollywood celebrities to livestock ranchers, from activists to scientists,
the American public is embracing our mission to protect and preserve the wild horse. This widespread support, coupled with management
policies that threaten the survival of the American wild horse as a viable species, signals a clear need to take the next step.
Return to Freedom is poised to take that step and establish The American Wild Horse Conservancy. This historical land trust will be a
large scale wildlife and habitat conservancy that integrates the American Wild Horse as a wildlife species. To learn more about The
American Wild Horse Conservancy, visit www.returntofreedom.org.
Return to Freedom
P.O. Box 926
Lompoc, CA 93438
Phone: 805-737-9246
Fax: 805-800-0868
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