After Wildfires, ASPCA Pledges $15,000 to Feed Montana Livestock

January 20, 2012

The ASPCA recently awarded $15,000 to the Montana Horse Sanctuary in Simms, Montana, to purchase hay and feed for horses and cattle affected by destructive wildfires at the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

Early estimates are that 1,200 horses and cattle in the region now have little or no feed. The fire destroyed approximately 18,000 acres of land, which is not expected to recover for months, uprooted residents and negatively impacted the food source for thousands of livestock.

“Our organization is incredibly grateful to the ASPCA for its immediate and generous response to this crisis,” said Jane Heath, executive director of the Montana Horse Sanctuary. “It’s a huge boost to our ability to help the Blackfeet Tribe and their animals during this difficult time.”

The ASPCA regularly awards grants to equine organizations that work to reduce the suffering of our country’s horses, mules, donkeys and ponies. In 2011, after record heat waves and droughts devastated equines and equine rescues in Texas and Oklahoma, the ASPCA responded by creating a $250,000 grant program to help those in need. By late October, we had awarded grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to 24 equine organizations in the Southwest.

To read more about our support for equines, please visit the ASPCA Grants program at www.aspcapro.org/grants.