Happy Tails Rescue
Ngozi to the Rescue - Her Own!
The second week of October Wild Horse Connection was alerted to a horse with a rope around its neck and made the call to LRTC’s rescue team.
The team has had these calls before. Sometimes it’s a long wind knot in the mane that at first glance appears to be a rope. In another case, a horse was dragging around a piece of clothesline someone had discarded, usually by illegal dumping. But this time, pretty buckskin mare Ngozi was most definitely roped. Rescue team member Debbi Engelke was able to get the rope loosened and off of the mare.
But that got WHC and the rescue team thinking - three horses were missing from Silver Ghost’s band - where were the other two? Had Ngozi escaped but the other two hadn’t?
Virginia Range volunteers are a dedicated bunch and they are as protective as they can be of these horses so they started scouring the area. Bingo. The two still missing horses were spotted trapped inside a small enclosure. This band freely crosses the highway and they were outside the “boundary” they know nothing about so jurisdiction was a gray area. The next day Animal Services made the resident release the horses and they made their way back to their family band.
Ngozi’s escape not only saved her but her band mates, too!
It is ILLEGAL to “take up” (keep, or steal) free roaming horses or other livestock in Nevada. NRS 569.040
Photo by Deb Sutherland
Use Caution Around Livestock Trailers
A transport accident occurred recently when a livestock trailer was struck from behind sending them into a spin into the median and overturning their trailer with three precious four-legged family members onboard. LRTC was contacted to help find an emergency vet and to provide emergency transport for the surviving animals, as the truck and trailer were totaled. The accident occurred just over the border but LRTC has an interagency working relationship with many agencies. Unfortunately, the family lost their beloved horse when he suffered catastrophic injures in the accident and had to be euthanized by CHP while still in the trailer. Their two minis were traumatized but physically okay and were loaded into LRTC’s transport and taken to their new home north of Reno, where they were headed when the accident occurred.
LRTC’s Rescue Team uses brightly colored transport trailers for high visibility. They are also marked on all sides with reflective tape to make them easier to see at night. That said, you can be as visible as possible but if drivers are not paying attention, tragedy can strike at any time. Friendly reminder to watch the road and give them space!