Sanctuary name mix-up is bad news for horses
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A Northern California horse sanctuary is having trouble raising funds to stay open because it once had a similar name to a Los Angeles County sanctuary that was raided and closed by animal control authorities. The Times’ Louis Sahagun reports:
Clarke’s nonprofit with an unwieldy name -- Dream Catcher/a.k.a. Equus Sanctuary -- was meant to be a secure last stand for 200 mustangs and domestic horses and some burros abandoned by their owners. For four years, Clarke’s most pressing concerns had been hauling hay and rounding up strays. Not anymore. A raid on an Antelope Valley horse sanctuary with a similar name and its recent closure by Los Angeles County animal control authorities has had a devastating effect on her operation. ‘People think our place and the one in Antelope Valley are one and the same,’ said [sanctuary manager Barbara] Clarke, making a high desert squint that comes with the territory. ‘It’s a real mess. Distrust and anger are thick as mosquitoes.’
Donors, it seems, have confused the two sanctuaries and stopped giving, even after the Ravendale, Calif., ranch dropped ‘Equus’ from its name. Clarke said she is scrambling to adopt out horses she can no longer afford to feed and care for. Those that can’t be adopted will be euthanized.