Feel Good News
Orphans Get Adopted!
From rescued orphans to being cared for by Chilly Pepper Miracle Mustang, to ADOPTION! Virginia Range orphan foals Roy and BC were adopted by the most wonderful family, and they BOTH are sharing their new mom! Their new family’s mare had just had her young one weaned and was still producing milk. She took on these babies and is now nursing them both!
Little Roy didn't have a clue how to nurse or what to do because he was so young when found but his new family and Mama were patient. He copied BC and now they both get to nurse. Such heartwarming news!
Storey Country Gives Grant for Mustangs
Storey County authorized a grant of up to $12,500 on behalf of the Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Association (VRWPA) to install solar-powered wild horse crossing signs at or near the intersection of Cartwright and SR 341. This is great news for an area that sees a lot of wild horse crossings and a great example of government and nonprofits partnering to protect the Virginia Range Mustangs, who are an integral part of the history and culture of our area.
Media Spotlight: VRPA Talks PZP Program with the Reno Gazette Journal
Nancy Killian and Elena Sullivan for taking the Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ) out on the range for an up close look at the fertility control darting program that aims to keep our Virginia Range horses wild by humanely reducing population growth rates in the historic herd. The resulting video feature is a great tool for educating the public about the benefits and importance of this community based program. Thanks RGJ and VRWPA!
Watch the piece from RGJ here.
Fertility Control Darting Program Hits New Milestone
As of June 29, the 14-member fertility control darting team had vaccinated over 400 Virginia Range mares with the PZP vaccine… 412 horses to be exact… in less than 3 months. This is an incredible record that has involved thousands of volunteer hours in the field. This is the only program of its scale in the world and we are proud of all the people who work tirelessly together to pull this off! It’s been a race against the clock to vaccinate the mares before they give birth (since horses get “bred back” within 2-4 weeks of delivering their foals), but thanks to this intensive effort, we should be seeing some measurable reductions in the 2020 foal crop!