Poidogs Anuenue We are their Voice to Save and Protect: ASPCA UPDATE: This is a very heartbreaking story, ...

Poidogs Anuenue We are their Voice to Save and Protect: ASPCA UPDATE: This is a very heartbreaking story, ...: Justice Served for 50 Neglected Horses in Union County, Florida November 14, 2019 In October 2018, at the request of the ...

ASPCA UPDATE: This is a very heartbreaking story, but with a wonderful ending. Justice was served for these horses, but so many are not saved. ASPCA puts their whole heart and soul in saving horses, ponies, mules, burros from deplorable conditions, severe neglect and abuse. Please take the time to read this wonderful story and share!! Mahalo.

Justice Served for 50 Neglected Horses in Union County, Florida

November 14, 2019

In October 2018, at the request of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the ASPCA assisted with evidence collection and the removal of 50 horses from a 40-acre property near Lake Butler, Florida. Investigators had discovered the horses living in inadequate conditions and exhibiting signs of neglect; many were suffering from various medical issues that required immediate treatment. The remains of deceased horses were also found on the property. 

While the animals recovered in the care of ASPCA response partners, the Union County Sheriff’s Office and local prosecutors announced animal cruelty charges in early July 2019 against Lake Butler residents Cheryl and Richard Ervin. The Ervins were each charged with 38 misdemeanor counts and four felony counts of animal cruelty. One count of felony animal cruelty was also brought against Pablo Rivas, who owned one of the horses on the Ervins’ property.

In May 2019, all three offenders entered into pre-trial intervention agreements that require probation, community service work, and restitution in varying amounts to the ASPCA. Cheryl and Richard Ervin are also prohibited from owning or possessing any hooved animals for the term of their legal agreements. With these individuals now facing the consequences of their neglect, justice has effectively been served for all the horses who suffered under their ownership. 

With a positive case outcome, we now see brighter futures for all the animals who were affected. Many of the horses from this case were placed with our incredible rescue partners—including Equine Rescue & Adoption Foundation, Kentucky Humane and Horses without Humans—where a majority were made available for adoption. One rescue, Horses without Humans (HWH), took in seven of the horses.

Hidalgo (seen above) was one of the rescued horses taken in by Horses without Humans.

“Upon their arrival, all of the horses were underweight, out of condition and in need of training,” says Yvonne Barteau, Founder of Horses without Humans. “But three of the horses found adoptive families after they were started under saddle, and two of the adoptions were out of state!” 

Yvonne also tells us that one rescued mare remains with a foster caregiver with the possibility of adoption, and that the remaining horses are all in various stages of training. Hidalgo, a seven-year-old pinto gelding with blue eyes, has reportedly achieved “celebrity status” among the HWH adoptable horses.

Yvonne says that Hidalgo gained his status due to his plight, recovery and ability to quickly pick up on his training. “He proved to be a good student and was soon out of the round pen and negotiating trails and obstacles around the farm,” says Yvonne. “From there, he became part of the HWH soccer team and proved to be a star at that. He also participated in ‘National Meet a Horse Day,’ with a trip to the Gainesville Starbucks®, went to the beach for a beach experience, and traveled to Perry, Georgia, for the Paso Fino National Championships, where he competed in the first ever National Championship for Rescued Paso Finos. He finished fifth in the nation.” 

Yvonne went on to tell us that Hidalgo’s next and newest adventure is a feature role in the upcoming Spirit of the Horse Holiday Show, which is being produced by Horses without Humans this December. 

“If this list of accomplishments doesn’t put a horse into celebrity status, we don’t know what does,” Yvonne says, adding that Hidalgo is still available for adoption.

Hidalgo’s story of rescue and recovery is just one of many from this case, and we are proud to have dedicated rescue partners like Horses without Humans by our side. We thank all our partners and supporters for contributing to the rescue and recovery of animal victims—and helping us fight for justice. 

Breaking News and updates on the legal actions being taken by EARTHJUSTICE to SAVE AND PROTECT OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES, AND THE ENVIRONMENT...Our honeybees are in severe danger and if we as advocates to nothing but talk the talk they will be lost forever. Our food supply will be gone and our Earth as we know it, as there will be no pollination. The toxic chemicals being sprayed are wiping out are bee population by the millions. I watched as a orange grower next to a large commercial bee farm here in Florida starting spraying and wiped out 200 hives, including nukes which 1 queen bee is raised and eventually placed in a hive. I immediately told the owner to please call Environmental Protection Agency and I offered to go directly to the farm next to the beekeeper and ask them to stop spraying toxic chemicals and resort to the alternatives available. Remember these toxic chemicals are being sprayed on fruit trees everywhere, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes. Wow and you as the consumer are eating them, and drinking the juice from them. This is a environmental catastrophe, and we as advocates must stand behind the organizations that are doing everything possible to correct these dangers and holding major corporations accountable for their actions in destroying our Earth and eliminating our pollinators everyone of them.... Wolves are in the clear in California.. that is the best news yet!!! BRAVO EARTHJUSTICE. Please take the time to sign the petitions and share our news!!! Mahalo

With a team of more than 100 legal experts on staff and more than 400 active cases, Earthjustice is holding accountable those who threaten to harm our environment and break our bedrock environmental laws.

The court gets it right for wolves A judge upheld California’s endangered species protections for wolves, but one lone wolf’s journey across state lines shows that federal protections are necessary for their continued survival. READ MORE BEES ARE IN PERIL — HELP US PROTECT THEM! Bees and other insects are disappearing at an alarming rate. Earthjustice is going to the root of the problem and fighting in court to ban toxic pesticides. Help fund our legal battle today! DONATE NOW Bees and other insects are disappearing at an alarming rateMillions of insects are dying, and the consequences could be catastrophic. One of the reasons for this sudden collapse? Pesticides. A new report shows how toxic chemicals are contributing to this unprecedented loss. Find out what we’re doing to protect bees and other beneficial insects. READ MORE Migrant children detention center nightmareDocuments that Earthjustice and its clients have uncovered show how a proposed migrant detention center for children will be built on a former Air Force landfill site riddled with chemicals. READ MORE Wheeler’s EPA keeps brain-damaging pesticide in our food, for nowEven though the EPA’s own scientists have said that chlorpyrifos, a chemical originally used for warfare, is harmful, Acting Administrator Wheeler is asking to rehear the case and reverse the ban. We will see him in court. READ MORE Nowhere left for polar bearsWhen their home on Arctic ice melts, polar bears retreat to the remote shores of the Arctic Refuge. If an army of oil industry workers invades their new home in the dead of winter, things are not going to end well. READ MORE “The President’s cynical political spectacle is creating enormous suffering for thousands of real people whose lives are at stake. We must stand in solidarity with border communities. And we must be prepared to use the full power of the law to do so.” — Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen on President Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency to build additional miles of wall at the border READ MORE HOW YOU CAN HELP Keep neuro-poisons like mercury and arsenic out of our air, water, and food chain Under the leadership of a former coal lobbyist, the EPA is making a mockery of its mission to protect public health by gutting the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. These critical protections prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths and 130,000 asthma attacks every year. TAKE ACTION A former coal lobbyist should not lead the EPA The EPA is in danger of being taken over by a friend of corporate polluters. Again. Tell your senators: Reject former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as EPA chief. TAKE ACTION

The Earth needs a good lawyer. And in this dark hour, Earthjustice has 130. We’re the lawyers for the environment, and the law is on our side. Learn more.

BREAKING NEWS.. ASPCA FIGHTING TO SAVE THE HORSES IN DEVIL'S GARDEN... On November 8, 2018, 19 horses were rounded up and removed from the Territory on this day. Total number of horses captured: 932. 14 horses have died or been euthanized, and 3 mares miscarried during this helicopter capture operation. Facing increasing public pressure, the U.S. Forest Service on Friday announced that it would lengthen to 90 days the time frame during which it would sell with some limitations older horses captured during its ongoing roundup at the Devils Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory. Originally, the Forest Service said that it would sell an estimated 300 of the Northern California wild horses ages 10-older without restriction after 30 days — making them vulnerable to purchase by kill buyers that would purchase them for as little as $1 apiece and transport them to foreign slaughterhouses.. The U.S. Forest Service will continue its massive helicopter roundup of 1,000 federally-protected wild horses in the Devils Garden Wild Horse Territory. This is a 300,000-acre public lands area within the Modoc National Forest near Alturas, California. The intent of the removal is to reduce the horse population so that ranchers who hold grazing permits in the Forest can turn out their cattle again on the public lands. It is time we sign the petition and demand our Congress this year to sign into law the SAFE ACT.. The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 961) is federal legislation that would prevent the horse slaughter industry from reestablishing operations in the U.S. and prohibit the export of American horses abroad for slaughter. The SAFE Act reached a historic milestone last Congress with more than half the members of the U.S. House adding their names as cosponsors—proving that if the bill went to a vote, it would pass. PLEASE SIGN THE LETTERS PRESENTED TO YOU BY ASPCA GRASSROOTS.. SPEAK TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS MAKE KNOWN THAT OUR HORSES ARE SACRED AND THEIR ARE MORE HOMES FOR THESE HORSES THAT WOULD LOVE TO CARE FOR THEM AND KEEP THEM SAFE!!!!!!! We are their VOICE... Mahalo

In November 2018, we notified you about the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) shocking plan to sell wild horses from the Devil’s Garden herd in Modoc National Forest (California) without protections against slaughter. This means that “kill buyers” looking to make a profit could buy them for $1 apiece, then turn around and sell them to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. Time is running out for these majestic animals, and the Forest Service is pushing forward to kill all the horses in this outrageous plan. 

 

In December, the Forest Service completed its roundup of almost 1,000 horses from the Devil’s Garden Herd. More than 600 were quickly transferred to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Litchfield Corral, where they were safely made available for adoption. However, more than 200 of the horses were corralled in Modoc National Forest and made available for sale. 
 

Ignoring massive public outcry, the Forest Service has remained adamant that it will sell these animals to the highest bidder—kill buyers included. According to the agency, only 60 of those horses have been placed in homes. The remaining horses are currently available for adoption or sale with limitations through February 18, 2019. After that date, USFS could move ahead with “no limitation” sales to individuals who would sell them for meat across our borders.  
 

Thankfully, ASPCA supporters were all powerful allies for this herd. A total of 41,962 wild horse advocates across the country signed our petition urging USFS to reconsider this plan and ensure that horses from the Devil’s Garden herd do not end up in foreign slaughterhouses. On Tuesday, January 29, we delivered the signatures to U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, along with a cover letter that you can read here [PDF].
 

Thank you to the over 40,000 supporters who raised their voices for wild horses and signed the petition to USFS. We will keep you updated on the situation as we learn more.
 

Animals always need allies like you fighting on their behalf. Please join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade to get involved and voice your support for vulnerable animals.