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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
A story that is both very sad and inspiring from the Edmonton Journal
Horse rescuers race against weather: Volunteers dig out animals stranded by city hunter in snowbound valley [img]http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.edmontonjournal.com/horse+rescuers+race+against+weather/1107651/1105744.bin?size=620x400[/img] With a snowstorm bearing down on them and an almost impossible task ahead, a handful of volunteers in B.C. continued their frantic efforts Monday to dig out two starving horses left behind by an Edmonton hunter. The horses were first spotted by snowmobilers about a week ago in the mountains of Renshaw near the village of McBride, a popular area for winter enthusiasts 220 kilometres east of Prince George on Highway 16. Trapped in a valley of snow more than two metres deep, the horses were skinny, frostbitten and missing large patches of hair because of rain scald, a bacterial skin infection often caused by lack of shelter, said Lisa Levasseur, who is helping with the rescue. The snowmobilers called the McBride RCMP, who contacted the local SPCA. A veterinarian travelled to the site, along with SPCA officials, who brought along hay, water and blankets to help keep the animals warm. News of the horses' desperate plight spread quickly throughout the towns of McBride and Valemount. A rescue effort began to take shape, spearheaded by local snowmobilers who are among the few able to get into the area. Using heavy equipment to clear a trail was ruled out because of the remote location. The horses' poor health precluded any efforts to airlift them using a helicopter. In the end, the only hope was to dig the animals out by hand with shovels. With the volunteers who were not able to get to the site digging from the bottom up, and others digging from the top down, a nearly impossible task is underway to meet in the middle and create a 2,300-metre trail to bring the animals to safety. "We really still only have a handful of volunteers and they've only made it a couple of hundred metres so far," Levasseur said Monday. "They have a lot of work ahead of them, and it doesn't help that there's a big storm heading their way." Levasseur, who runs Terracana Ranch Resort near Valemount, was initially contacted because of her expertise with horses and soon became one of the volunteers' links to the outside world. With no cellphone coverage in the area, they have to rely on Levasseur and others like her to get the word out about the rescue effort, as well as help in recruiting more volunteers. Birgit Stutz, whose partner Matt Elliot is co-ordinating rescue efforts of what's become known as "the shovel brigade" at the site, said in an e-mail update that the horses are "happily eating, and we have been able to increase their feed according to the vet's feeding schedule." Levasseur said it's believed there were initially three horses, left behind sometime in October by an Edmonton hunter. The circumstances of why they were left behind isn't clear, but it's believed when the hunter returned later to try to retrieve them, he felt they were already too ill and decided against it. "It's appalling to me that these horses were left to slowly suffer to death, no matter the circumstances," Levasseur said. Ron Willert operates a local snowmobile and ATV website, http://www.snowandmud.com, which has about 7,500 members. So far, he said, the group has managed to raise more than $1,300 to pay for expenses related to the rescue. Any money left over it will be donated to the SPCA.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
I saw that on the news last night and was absolutely amazed at the path that had to be dug by those volunteers. Simply amazing!!! A community getting together to help and and a happy ending.
Thanks for posting this! Chrystal |
Jimeh Inner circle Ottawa, Ontario 1399 Posts |
The hunter that left them there should be made to suffer the same fate.
Dump him in a hole far up north and forget about him... |
Mr. Mystoffelees Inner circle I haven't changed anyone's opinion in 3623 Posts |
Agreed!
Also known, when doing rope magic, as "Cordini"
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
The horses are out! From http://www.ctv.ca
Snowbound horses rescued from B.C. mountainside Updated Wed. Dec. 24 2008 11:03 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff Two starving horses trapped on the side of a B.C. mountain are safe and recovering at a farm near the province's border with Alberta. Snowmobilers first discovered the horses on the side of Mount Renshaw, near McBride, B.C., one week ago. But they couldn't bring the animals off the mountain because of deep snow. "A decision had to be made whether the horses should be put down or if it was possible to get them out. Were they well enough? My brother made the decision that he was going to get them out," Gordon Jeck told CTV.ca on Wednesday from his B.C. farm. For the past week, Jeck, his family, and other volunteers have been digging a kilometre-long trench to the nearest trail to get the animals out. Late Tuesday night, the horses finally made it out of their snow-bound prison and were put on a trailer and taken to a farm. Gordon' Jeck's nephew, Logan, and a friend first discovered the horses and initially thought the most humane thing to do was to shoot the starving horses. Instead, Logan returned with his sister, Toni, who said the horses were fighters because of what they endured. The next day, Gordon's brother Dave returned to the mountain with a shovel and began digging. As word of the trapped horses spread, volunteers began showing up to help shovel. Officials believe the horses may have been abandoned by an Alberta hunter. The horses have frostbite, are missing hair because of rain scald, and are severely underweight. The B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has confirmed they are investigating a particular individual for leaving the horses behind. "Once our investigation is completed, if the elements of an offence have been met, which by all accounts at this point looks like it has been, charges would be forwarded to Crown," chief animal protection officer Shawn Eccles told CP.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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