Help Care for the Rescued Gila Herd

The rescued Gila herd continues to do well at their current home on 1000 acres of leased pasture in Alturas, CA. Changes are coming, as RTF now has an opportunity to move more than half of the herd to a private Ranch in Shasta County, CA, mirroring our other satellite in San Luis Obispo and expanding our Mustang Conservator program to facilitate ranch owners to provide private life long sanctuary for rescued wild horses and burros.  

These satellites are the beginning of what we hope to be an eventually more common practice of private landholders willing to take in family bands and herds who have been removed from public lands, allowing them, as RTF has, to keep their social structure intact even though they have lost their homes on the range.

In preparation for this move, we have had 100 tons of meadow grass hay harvested from the ranch and stored in the barn there at the new location in preparation for the coming winter.  Also, in the next couple of weeks, we will be tearing down old fencing at the new ranch and building new ones.

While this relocation reduces lease costs, we still carry the cost of on-going operational needs for daily oversight and care.  It’s only knowing that our supporters—like you—are with us, that we can have the faith to proceed with this exciting opportunity.

We have also been caring for several Gilas at our headquarters in Lompoc, CA, and 2 more geldings have recently been adopted together and will go to their new home in September.

Thank you for getting the herd to CA, and for helping them find interim pasture as they make their way down the trail to lasting sanctuary and new homes and friends. We—and they—still need you by our side as we undertake this new chapter in the story of the Gila Herd.

All of Us at RTF